Upcoming Event

After Death, There Was No Darkness...Only Light!

September 11, 2010

6:30 PM

Oakfield United Methodist Church

(220 South Main St.)

A resident of the Fond du Lac area, Duwayne Loecher will be sharing with the community his near death experience. The following comes from the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association website:

"While working as a nurse in a small town clinic, it was a usual day when at 3:00 pm I collapsed at the nurse's station and had a sudden cardiac arrest at the age of 47. Three of my coworkers started performing CPR and used the defibrillator nine times before I had a pulse or began to breathe. The rescue squad and paramedics, along with the cardiologist, told me I was not breathing and did not have a pulse for 20 to 30 minutes.

I cannot recall the first three days, but do remember waking up in a large city hospital in ICU. I now have a pacemaker and defibrillator."

We hope you will be able to join us for this inspiring and uplifting event. There is no admission for the event, but donations to the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association are welcomed.

A Day of Baptism

I'm not sure if I've admitted it on this blog before, but I do get nervous for baptisms. It has nothing to do with the ceremony itself. It has to do with the child. In the United Methodist denomination, we believe in infant baptism.

Pastor Jim has a fear of infants. Don't ask me where it came from, but babies make me uncomfortable. Some of it has to do with my paranoia that something will happen to the child while it is in my care. It might hurt itself or I might drop the child while I am holding it. Irrational? Perhaps.

I can mentally prepare for one baptism on a Sunday, but two?!? In fact, we had one baby being baptized in the Tabor church and one baby and young child baptized in the Oakfield church! My main goal was just not to screw up.

During the Tabor worship service, the baby to be baptized was doing some crying and needed to be taken out of the service for a little while. After that episode, he spent the majority of the baptism asleep. When the water hit the head he barely opened his eyes to see what was going on and then he went back to sleep. It could not have gone smoother.

During the Oakfield worship service, the baby was a little antsy to start, but once she was in my arms she seemed to relax. Of course, when I wasn't looking, she managed to steal my cordless lapel microphone :-D. It made for a cute moment.

So...both services went well, and my overall fear of babies continues to go down...but, it's still there.

I could definitely feel the presence of the Holy Spirit during both worship services. All gathered hopefully remembered their baptism!

August 22nd - Celebration of Baptism!

"Do not be afraid of them, for I will be with you to protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!" - Jeremiah 1:8

This Sunday will be celebrating the Sacrament of Holy Baptism at both churches. At the Tabor Church, we will be welcoming Jackson Alvin Straub into the Christian family. At the Oakfield Church, we will be bringing Morgan Budler-Ronzoni and Amaya Budler-Ronzoni into the fold. This is a time to celebrate!

In our reading from Jeremiah, he questions his abilities and doesn't think he is ready to do that which God calls him to do. God reassures him that God has known him from before he was formed in the womb. God knew what he was capable of; he knew his abilities. God would continue to be with him, no matter what befell him.

Our Baptism is our being welcomed into the brotherhood and sisterhood of Christians. Our parents, sponsors and church community continue to watch over us as we continue to grow in faith. God continues to watch over us, confident in us, even if we are not confident in ourselves.

The Scripture lessons for this Sunday are:

Jeremiah 1:4-10

Psalm 71:1-6

Luke 13:10-17

Hebrews 12:18-29

I certainly hope that you will be able to join us in worship as we renew our vows to watch over one another in love in the joy of Holy Baptism. Praise God!

Unfortunate Marathon News

I am sad to report today that I will be unable to participate in this year's Fox Cities Marathon on September 19th, 2010. While playing softball this past Thursday, I fell awkwardly while trying to beat out a throw to first base. The scrapes and bruises are healing fine, but ended up with a muscle tear in my chest. Among other daily tasks, running is painful. I tried a few times this week, but it was labored and painful. I have stopped training.

Even if I do heal up and I am able to run in a week or so, I was already on the edge of being ready by the 19th. This delay makes it impossible for me to be ready. I have contemplated trying the half marathon if I feel better, or perhaps I will run the 5K on Saturday with Christa.

I was really excited to run the marathon, and I know I will do one in the future. I appreciate everyone's support and encouragement as I was getting ready.

Save the Date: Speaker on September 11

I was forwarded an E-mail from a member of the Oakfield church about DuWayne who had a near death experience. He has shared his message to several churches in the community, and we are excited to have him present for the community of Oakfield, Eden and the surrounding area. Please see the information below:

Sermons Available on Website

I have set aside a few minutes on Mondays to do some updating on the church website. I have added a new page to the website. From now on, I will be posting the sermon from the previous Sunday's service. You can find it at this link.

Through my first year in ministry, I almost entirely preached from an outline. I felt like it gave me the freedom to speak extemporaneously if I'd like, but also gave me notes to come back to when needed. While it felt natural in some ways, I had a tendency to ramble. I also tended to try to pack in an much information as I could without realizing how long my sermons might turn out to be.

Over the last three weeks, I have written a manuscript...I have written out my entire sermon. There is the advantage of being able to post them and have them be readable. It also allows me to move around to some degree, but I also can use my music stand...the portable pulpit ;).

Christian Complacency?

"Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!" - Luke 12:51

It was Jesus that said these words. They are unsettling. He later speaks of families being divided. There will be division over the mission and message of Jesus Christ. Not everyone will except what Jesus has to say.

Being a Christian leader for the first three hundred years after Christ's ascension often involved being in hiding, meeting in secret, and may have resulted in death. Yet, the Jesus' message of love, forgiveness and relationship with God carried on. They met with success; they met with failure.

Do we speak and spread the word with the same intensity? Are we willing to risk our lives for the sake of the Gospel? How willing are we to spread the word in the community? Let us ponder these questions as we gather on Sunday to give thanks to God for all that he has given us.

The Scripture readings for this Sunday are:

• Isaiah 5:1-7
• Hebrews 11:29-12:2
• Psalm 80:1-3,8-19
• Luke 12:49-56

See you in church!