World Communion Sunday - October 3rd

"The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread." - 1 Corinthians 10:16-17

This Sunday we celebrate World Communion Sunday. This is one of six Sundays throughout the year in which we take a special offering to support the ministries of the United Methodist Church. Envelopes will be provided at the worship service to make a donation. Any money donated will support:

• World Communion scholarships, administered by the General Board of Global Ministries with at least one-half of the annual amount for ministries beyond the United States.
• ethnic scholarship and ethnic in-service training programs related to the General Board of High Education and Ministry.

World Communion Sunday is not just celebrated by the United Methodist Church. The first Sunday of October is celebrated as World Communion Sunday by many different Christian denominations. We are a diverse group, but this is one day when we come together to show that we are one body. We are united as the body of Christ. When we gather this Sunday for the bread and wine, let us remember what Christ did for each one of us and let us remember that we are all one in Christ.

I hope that you will be able to join us this Sunday. Our worship service will have a different format than usual, with various members of the congregations participating in the worship service. The scripture readings for this Sunday are:

• Mark 14:22-25
• Hebrews 10:12-18
• Matthew 13:33
• 1 Corinthians 10:14-17
• 1 Corinthians 11:23-32

Evening Worship Service

At 7:00PM this Sunday, we will also have a worship service at Tabor UMC. The service will have more contemporary music and will have a more informal feeling to it. The focus of our scripture readings and the message will be around the idea of Sabbath and how we might be able to practice Sabbath in our hectic lives.

First Confirmation Class for 2010-2011

Last night was the first Confirmation class for 2010-2011 at Oakfield and Tabor. We have grown to a class for four 8th graders! I was warned that they were going to be quiet group. ;-). After our first class, I think they were doing just fine!

Last night we took some time to get to know each other better and we took a little "pre-test" about what we knew about Christianity and the church.

Next week we will dig into the first lesson of the CREDO curriculum: Creation. If you are interested in learning more about this curriculum, you can see it HERE.

I am excited for what this year holds. Last year was my first attempt at Confirmation. I thought some things went well and some other things didn't go so well. I like this new curriculum and I think it offers opportunities that I did not have last year.

Stay tuned for future Confirmation updates!

Stop Complaining!

"Do everything without complaining." - Philippians 2:14

During a commercial during lunch today, I read the devotional from The Upper Room. It was titled "Complain, Complain" and it talked about how we can model Christian behavior at all times. It said don't complain.

I had been mulling this over in my head in a ride over to Waupun. I had to stop at the grocery store to pick something up. I had one item. The woman in front of me had a full cart of stuff. In my head I thought, "She's seen my one item...she'll let me go in front of her." Not so, she continues on with her transaction.

I found myself getting frustrated. Granted, I had no one to complain to at the moment, but I was complaining to myself. I was letting this get to me.

Then I realized something. If I really thought it was that important to go next, I could have asked. Maybe she was also in a hurry. In the end, her purchase took but a few minutes and I was still early to my appointment. It wasn't an issue. I let it become an issue. If I knew I had a little extra time, I could said taken some time for prayer. Why get angry?

How easy can it be for us to read something, think we understand it and then totally blow an opportunity to practice it? Patience, patience, patience...and quit complaining!

Pork Chop Supper Complete!

Another Pork Chop Supper at Oakfield United Methodist Church is in the books! While the final numbers won't be available for a few days, the preliminary results are very promising. Based on submitted tickets, we served over 400 folks at the event. We will make close to $3000 for the event after our expenses.

It will be wonderful to see that money going out into the community to support local mission projects!

Thank you to everyone who attended Saturday's event and for the many, many folks who put in long hours to make it happen. What a blessing!

Preview of Sunday, September 26

"For the love of money is a source of all kinds of evil. Some have been so eager to have it that they have wandered away from the faith and have broken their hearts with many sorrows." - 1 Timothy 6:10

The popular saying goes, "Money is the root of all evil." If you took at the opening verse to this E-mail, Paul doesn't tell Timothy that money is the root of all evil. Love of money is a source of evil. To be rich is not sinful. But to love and hoard your wealth, to allow money to become the focus of your life...then you have strayed away from the faith. Paul ends his letter to Timothy by talking about how to lead a good life, a life filled with good works.

Jesus shares a parable in our Gospel lesson for Sunday. It is a similar call to decide what you will do with the riches and wealth that you are given. Listen to a message helping to explain the parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus. What can we do to not overlook the people in need around us?

The Scripture lessons for this Sunday are:

• Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15
• Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16
• Luke 16:19-31
• 1 Timothy 6:6-19

Sunday Evening Worship

We will be having an evening worship service at 7:00PM at Oakfield UMC. If your work schedule, or you sleep schedule, make it difficult to come to our morning worship services, I hope you might be able to join us for our evening service. We celebrate Communion at every service and we swing more contemporary music. We will also take some time to examine the parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus.

Pork Chop Supper - This Saturday!

I wanted to extend an invitation to everyone who might be nearby and would enjoy a wonderful meal cooked by the members of Oakfield United Methodist Church. Please join us for the:

Pork Chop Supper

September 25, 2010

4:00-8:00PM

Oakfield UMC - 220 South Main St.

The menu includes: pork chops, parsley/butter potatoes, green beans with bacon, homemade applesauce, pineapple cabbage salad, dinner rolls, homemade tortes, and coffee & milk.

Tickets are $9.00 for adults and $5.00 for children. They can be purchased on site. Carry outs are available. We will be selling candy bars and will all be having a silent auction in the narthex to support our Summer 2011 mission trip.

I hope you can make it!

The Joys of Technology

Christa tells me over and over how much she doesn't like technology. My usual response is that she just better get used to it because we are getting more and more reliant on technology, whether she likes or not.

We do not have an iPad, an iPod Touch, DVR, BluRay and many of the other cutting edge technologies in our home. We are content with an HDTV and a DVD player. We seem to be getting by just fine.

A few months ago, after much thought, I upgraded my phone and got a "smartphone." This of course meant a "data plan" which means that I need to spend extra money for the phone and the plan.

So far, I have enjoyed having the phone and the plan. I have discovered lots of applications through my phone that have helped me to be more organized in work and life. I especially found a task list program that works really great!

Two issues within the last two weeks:

• While getting ready on a Sunday morning, my phone slipped out of my hands an landed screen down on the floor. The glass now looks more like a spiderweb...but the phone still works. Not wanting to drop the money for a new phone and too cheap to by the insurance, I used some packing tape and the phone still functions.
• When upgrading from a free to a paid version of my To Do list application, I did not know that my doing the upgrade, all of the tasks that I had thus far would be deleted. I tried to remember the 68 tasks that I had in there before. I got up to 59...so we'll see what I foget to get done in the next few weeks.

Oh the joys of technology!

The Lottery

I was taking Weaver for a walk this afternoon, and I stopped by the local service station to pick up a snack for the afternoon. A young woman in front of me was purchasing a variety of Wisconsin lottery tickets. She wasn't necessarily spending a lot of money, but it caused me to wonder. I have no idea what her financial situation is. I don't know for sure how purchasing these tickets cuts into her budget.

As I have mentioned on my blog before, the United Methodist Church takes a strong stance on gambling. As clergy, I am not supposed to participate in any form of gambling. I wouldn't anyway. But, for other folks, I worry about the allure of the lottery. Sure, there is a chance of winning something, but is it worth the cost of paying for games and tickets until you win?

I was looking at the Wisconsin Lottery's website, and it provides a breakdown of where the money goes that people pay for lottery games. Thirty one percent goes to property tax relief, and the rest goes to prizes and operational costs. I do appreciate that there is some benefit for our lottery system. I only wish we could help people to find better things to do with their money then risking it for the hope of winning in some game of chance...

Worship Services for September 19, 2010

Tabor & Oakfield Church Community Members,

I would like to share what is in store for our worship service schedule this Sunday:

Tabor UMC at 8:45AM

This Sunday we celebrate United Methodist Women (UMW) Sunday. Our worship service will be led by several members of the UMW chapter at the Tabor church. This is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the talents our chapter of UMW. They have a heart-felt and musical service planned for us so that we can worship and praise God! The entire order of worship was put together by Irene Schrubbe.

Oakfield UMC at 10:45AM

"No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." - Luke 16:13

This Sunday's service will address finances and stewardship. Usually an uncomfortable conversation in most churches, Jesus presents a strange message in our Gospel reading from Luke 16:1-13 as it pertains to the role of money in our life. I hope you can make it to our worship service as we give thanks to God and learn about the connections of financial stewardship and evangelism.

Tabor UMC at 7:00PM

We will have our first evening worship service at Tabor UMC. I want to make clear that although the evening worship service is at Tabor, members and friends of either church community are welcome to join us in worship. Join us as we worship God through joyful singing, community prayer, scripture study and Communion!

Office Overhaul

Over the last few weeks, I have finally set aside

some time each day to get working on organizing all of the paper for the Oakfield church. I found paperwork in Oakfield, Tabor and the parsonage and put it all together. I had to use some table space in the Fellowship Hall and in the parsonage basement, but I finally did some major recycling and organizing. The files are organized in a way that works for me.

I was able to borrow some furniture from the parsonage office and from the newly reorganized Sunday school rooms to fill out the office. I now have a nice space to meet with someone one on one, and I have

a desk that is now pretty much empty. It provides a wonderful meeting space and a wonderful workspace. If I can just keep up with the mail I get each day, the desk should stay that way! :-)

Of course, now that all of the Tabor paperwork is over at Tabor, that office has become something of a mess. That will be my next project. I am looking forward to having two offices that are organized and set up for work!

Vote!

Please make sure to go out and vote today! Usually when we talk about primary elections, there really isn't all that much enthusiasm. All the focus in generally on the general election in November. Most news outlets assume that today's primary election will definitely have a larger turnout.

Even in the sleepy town of Oakfield, I was voter #52 at 9:30AM. I just heard on the radio they are thinking 1.2 million Wisconsin voters may show up. There are big primary votes for Senator and Governor. It should be an exciting day!

I know some pastors have no issue with espousing their political views. I tend to keep them to myself. I certainly don't want to use any power or influence that I might have in someone's life to persuade them to vote the way that I do. I will certainly engage in political discussion and I enjoy political discussion, but I do my best to keep my views to myself.

So, now matter how you plan on voting: Democrat, Republican, Green Party, Tea Party, Libertarian...just get out there and vote!

Weekend Highlights

I wanted to take a few minutes of your time so that I might be able to share my excitement about some recent events at the Oakfield and Tabor churches.

Our first Bible study was hosted at Tabor UMC this past Wednesday. Nine of us talked about two scripture lessons that were to be a part of that Sunday's service. It was wonderful to hear different people's interpretations of God's Word. I hope that energy continues as we host the next study at the Oakfield UMC at 7:00PM this Wednesday.

DuWayne Loecher spoke at the Oakfield church on Saturday evening. He shared his experience of having a sudden cardiac arrest incident, one that left him clinically dead for 20-30 minutes. He described his trip to heaven. It was a moving experience! We took an offering and donated almost $100 to the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association. We had 34 folks that joined for this event.

Last night, we held our first evening worship service at Oakfield UMC. To be honest, I had no idea how many people might show up. The word is slowly getting out there that we are taking on this endeavor. By a few minutes after 7:00PM we had 10 adults and three children at our worship service. What a blessing! We sang together, prayer together, studied scripture together...and we gave each other Communion. I hope those in attendance had a meaningful experience. We had three youth in attendance, which was also very exciting. I hope this service grows. This Sunday, evening worship will be at Tabor UMC. The plan for these services is to have them at Tabor on the 1st and 3rd Sundays and at Oakfield on the 2nd and 4th Sundays.

New Beginnings

Members of the Tabor UMC & Oakfield UMC Family,

"Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." - Luke 15:10

Jesus tells two parables, both of which focus on seeking out something lost. He focuses on the joy and excitement that takes place when what was lost was found. Jesus is seeking a relationship with everyone. He wants to build a relationship with folks inside and outside of our churches.

This Sunday marks a time of new beginnings. Bible studies, new worship services, Confirmation, mission projects...among many other events and activities!!! Everything that we do is to help people form and build a strong relationship with Christ. It is my hope that we will all learn more about what it means to seek the lost in our world during our worship service.

This Sunday, we celebrate Rally Day at both churches. This means that Sunday School is starting.

At Tabor UMC, we will be presenting Bibles to all 6th-8th graders; we will have a brief ceremony to celebrate this occasion. We will be introduced to the first children's mission project. We will also prayer for all of the children and teachers that participate in Sunday School.

At Oakfield UMC, we are excited for some changes in our Sunday School program. Our Sunday School rooms have been redecorated for this year. We have a new curriculum for this year! We also will be having a prayer for the teachers and children that participate in our Sunday School program. We will also be taking the Noisy Can collection to help support church ministry projects.

The Scripture lessons for this Sunday are:

• Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28
• Psalm 14:1-7
• 1 Timothy 1:12-17
• Luke 15:1-10

I hope you will be able to join us in worship of God and in celebration of the beginning of our Sunday school programs. God bless!

Quran Burning

I realize that this has been a news story for awhile now, but this morning I saw a serious of articles that outline one pastor and one church's desire to host International Burn-a-Quran Day on September 11, 2010. Rev. Terry Jones plans on burning copies of the Muslim holy book.

Thankfully, the near unanimous response to this proposed event has been negative. I cannot see any good coming out of this event. It will only result in increased anger, increased violence and increased frustration between Muslims and Christians.

Nine years later, there is still a deep level of pain after the September 11, 2001 attacks. People are still angry and still frustrated. They are looking for someone to put the blame. Sadly, the blame gets placed on the entire religion of Islam or on people of a certain ethnicity. Burning the Quran, a book considered holy by Muslims, will do nothing to heal the wounds of September 11.

There are a lot of religions that are attempting to live together in a world with a great deal of tension. When I think about this, I can't help but think about the "Coexist" bumper stickers that I see on many cars. I wonder about what it means to coexist as a Christian.

As a Christian, and as a pastor, I strongly believe that it is only through Jesus Christ that we find our salvation. Through no action would I ever force someone to convert to Christianity, but I do pray for those who are of other religions. Only God knows what happens to those who are Jewish, Muslims, Buddhists and other religions. I would minister the same to anyone regardless of their religion or lack of religion.

Responding with violence rarely solves anything. We should respond with love. We should act in love for neighbor. "They will know we are Christians by our love."

The Present Future

After contemplating it for some time, I finally begun the process of going through the paperwork and materials that I have found in both my Tabor and Oakfield offices. I happened to find a book in my Tabor office that seemed very intriguing to me. It is called The Present Future.

I have a lot of books on my reading list, but I decided to read this one because it intrigued me so much. Reggie McNeal asks some tough questions about the state of the church. It was written back in 2003 and I suppose it is a little out of date, but its message still rings loud and clear to me.

He offered a fresh perspective, for me, in the area of evangelism. Churches put on programs and activities, new this and new that and then expect people to come to them. We expect that people, many of whom have never stepped into a church, to just come right in and see what we are about. When no one comes to something, we wonder why people won't show up. We're looking at it wrong!

McNeal writes, "If they aren't going to come to us, then we've got to go to them." Amen! We can't give up if people don't come to our carefully crafted programs. Perhaps we need to take our mission and our ministry out into the community. Let's take the Gospel to people. Let's commit to activities in the community that demonstrate to the community that we are living Christ-like lives.

But talking to people about our faith can be uncomfortable. He understands this. "I think we have some different fears. I think we are afraid of not knowing how to engage people in genuine conversation. I think we fear rejection. I think we don't know what to say. I think we are unsure of what we have to offer to people." That's no reason for us to shy away. It may be difficult, but it is what we are called to do. We will get better with practice :-)!

McNeal writes about Pastor Cho in South Korea. When a member of his congregation is asked why they do kind acts in the community, he tells them to say, "I am a disciple of Jesus. I am serving him by serving you, because that's what he came to do."

That's the way to do it!

A Call for Prayers

I received word this morning that Dave Gremminger, a part of our extended church family at Oakfield United Methodist Church, passed away on Wednesday. I would ask that you pray for his family and friends through this difficult time. Thank you. More additional information, this is the obituary that was published this morning in the Fond du Lac Newspaper:

David P. Gremminger, 77, of Campbellsport, passed away of natural causes on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2010, at his home.

He was born on the family farm southeast of Campbellsport on Jan. 8, 1933, the son of Paul K. and Frances Fox Gremminger.

Dave graduated from Campbellsport High School and served in the U.S. Army.

He worked at B & H Lumber in Campbellsport and owned his own business called "The Woodshed" in Fond du Lac until he retired.

Dave served his community through the Campbellsport Fire Department. He was well known for his efforts and involvement with the fire department and made memories there that he cherished.

Dave loved the community of Campbellsport and fishing the area lakes. He is now reunited with his fishing buddies Syl Wenzlaff and Roderick Reese.

Dave was the beloved father of Kristin, Allen and Mike; father-in-law of Jeanie and Carey; grandfather of Jared Jerue, Cody, Lucas, Tanner, Evan and Erica; and brother of Sister Elaine, SSSF, Bob (Bonnie), Carol Jones, Ruth, Roger (Kasem) and Sue (Jim) Hohl. He was a special friend of Beulah Oppermann.

Dave was previously married to Eleanora Gremminger (nee Waldschmidt).

He was preceded in death by his mother, Frances; his father, Paul; his brothers, Donald and Eugene "Bud"; and his brother-in-law, Ernie Jones.

Visitation: Visitation will be Monday, Sept. 6, from 5 p.m. until time of Mass at the St. Matthew's Catholic Church, Campbellsport.

Services: A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday, Sept 6, 2010, at 7 p.m. at St. Mattthew's Catholic Church in Campbellsport. Rev. Neil Zinthefer will celebrate and burial services will be Tuesday at the Veteran Memorial Gardens at Ledgeview Memorial Park, Fond du Lac.

The Cost of Discipleship!

"Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." - Luke 14:27

Can one be a follower just by following? Those that were following Jesus were taught a tough lesson: to be Disciple, one must be ready to turn his or her back on family. To be a disciple, one had to ready to bear the cross, to face crucifixion.

Jesus wanted those seeking to be his disciples to have time to prepare. Were they willing to make the necessary sacrifice? It wasn't going to be easy.

What does being a Disciple of Christ mean today? Are we Disciples? Do we think we are Disciples? Come to worship as we learn more about what it takes to be a Christ follower and a Disciple of Christ.

The Scripture lessons for this Sunday are:

• Jeremiah 18:1-11
• Psalm 139:1-6,13-18
• Philemon 1-21
• Luke 14:25-33

There are some exciting opportunities coming up in September that I wanted to remind you of:

• September 8 at 7:00PM - We will be having a Bible study taking place at Tabor UMC. We will be looking at Luke 15:1-10 & 1 Timothy 1:12-17. Members of both churches are welcome to these weekly studies, no matter the location!
• Next Sunday, September 12 at 7:00PM - We will be having an evening worship service. This service will not be the same as the morning worship services. These services will be topical and will focus on issues and concerns that you would like to tackle. It will definitely have a more contemporary feel in comparison to morning worship. This service will be Oakfield but is open to anyone from either congregation.

I look forward to seeing you in church!

Revolution!?

I am currently reading the book Revolution by George Barna. It is an interesting book that reflects on a Christian movement in which people are coming to Christ and living as Disciples through routes other than the local church. He writes about churches that come out of family groups, home school circles and other groups. His critics claim that the book spends a lot of time bashing established local churches. I don't think Barna is slamming local churches, but he does question the role that local churches play in one's faithfulness to living a life of Christ.

For example he talks about "people who are growing as Christians and passionate about their faith have come to recognize that the local church is not--and need not be--the epicenter of their spiritual journey." (p. 58) Really?!?

Their are many mainline Christian denominations that are struggling for membership. Since the 1968 merger that created the United Methodist Church, our overall membership has gone down every year. Why?

This book raises a lot of questions, and does not necessarily provide the answers. Barna points out that there is a movement of revolutionaries who are growing in faith and living Christ-like lives that do not see the need of a local church to do so.

His book raises a lot of questions:

• Is the local church relevant anymore?
• Is there something that we should be doing that we are not doing?
• Does change require some sacrifice as to what we hold as tradition?
• Just because someone is a member of the local church, does that make them a true disciple of Jesus Christ?
• Are we willing to look at what is working in some of these small group environments and implement them in our churches?

If any of this interests you, I recommend you check the book out. Otherwise, I'll be using a few quotes from the book in my sermon on Sunday. It's definitely gets you thinking about the role of the church in being a disciple of Christ.