If you are following The Plan, you should be through Leviticus 18 by the end of today.

 

Now, call me OT Old School, but I am really enjoying Leviticus.   At first, I had a hard time reading through all of the offerings (and I am guessing many of you did too).  Then I found this to help:

 

So what are we supposed to make of all this in the early 21^st century? 

 

·         First, you should all go to your Pastor / Minister / Priest / Clergyman and tell them how easy they have it.   

·         Second, God is serious about being obeyed.   After going through most of the offerings and giving rather detailed instructions, we get to Leviticus 10 and this:  “Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them.   So fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.”  Oops.  Figured they would have learned from the whole Golden Calf incident.

·         Third, God is serious about what is required for atonement.  Lev 17:13  - “…For it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.”

·         Finally, that God is serious about holiness and what is required to be in his presence.   We read in Lev 16:3 – “Thus Aaron shall come into the Holy Place with the blood of a young bull as a sin offering, and of a ram as a burnt offering.  He shall put the holy linen tunic and the linen trousers on his body; he shall be girded with a linen sash, and with the linen turban he shall be attired.  These are holy garments.   Therefore he shall wash his body with water, and put them on.”

 

As Christians, we read this and see how it foreshadows Jesus Christ.   To be in God’s presence requires holiness, cleanliness, and a blood offering.   As fallen creatures, we cannot achieve this on our own.  It is God’s grace – delivered through the blood sacrifice of Jesus and the waters of baptism, that makes us holy and sinless before God.   

 

We should all thanks God, right now, right this minute - for viewing unrighteous man as righteous and bringing us all into his presence.  

 

Blessings.

Keep reading.

Pray.

 

 

 

 

 

Our annual budget-focused voters meeting was held on December 12th (I know,this post is a bit tardy) and for the first time in the history of SOTH the voters approved a 3 year budget.    This is a significant step forward - not only does it allow us to think about and develop ministry plans  over a multi-year span, but it helps ensure that our mission and ministry work remains the primary focus .   After all, the budget is intended to support our ministry, not the other way around. 

 

What are the goals of this budget?

As we planned this 3-Year budget we worked to determine the mission and ministry priorities over the next 3 years and then constructed a budget to reflect our commitment to these priorities. In general, our overriding priorities include:

• Retaining the congregational tithe and a mission minded focus
• Maintaining two Pastors and two DCE’s on staff to serve the congregation and community.
• Focusing on Family Ministry

 

So what’s in this budget exactly?

Some highlights of our budget include:

• Eliminating or significantly reducing our long term debt by the end of 3 years
• Increasing Mission commitments by 30%
• Increasing Family Ministry Commitments by 80%
• Increasing Care Ministries by 47%
• Adding a second DCE
• Calling a Pastor when Pastor Brewer retires at the end of 2008.
• Selling House #2 and developing a long term strategy for the South Property
• Investigating a Capital Fund Campaign to expand our North Property

 

Why are we adopting a 3-year budget?

We are doing a 3-Year budget in order to better plan for the mission and ministry of the church in a time of pastoral and other leadership transitions. Historically we have prepared single year budgets. However, much of the mission and ministry work that we plan should be multi-year in scope. In addition, by adopting a 3-Year budget we will be reducing the annual budget work performed by the church staff and lay leaders so they can focus on mission and ministry work.

If you are following The Plan, you should be through Exodus 6 by the end of today.

 

Congratulations! 

You have finished the Book of Job and Genesis – and read some of the most well known stories in the Bible.  

 

Some of the highlights:

 

·         Jacobs wrestles with God (Gen 32)

·         Poor Shechem.  All he wanted was Dinah.  Then  Jacob’s sons say – sure we can all live together in peace and marry each other’s daughters…. just get circumcised first.    And the Shechemites actually did it!  Then, when they are doubled over in pain, Simeon and Levi kill them all.  "Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?"   I think I saw this on an episode of the Sopranos.

·         The whole Joseph episode – no matter how many times I read it I am amazed.  What an incredible story of forgiveness and God working through his people.  Oh, and there are the movies:

http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Joseph_and_the_Amazing_Technicolor_Dreamcoat/27904586?strkid=412358804_0_0

http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Joseph_King_of_Dreams/60003155?strkid=1093943604_0_0

http://www.netflix.com/Movie/VeggieTales_The_Ballad_of_Little_Joe/60029269?strkid=1842310607_17_0

·         Jacob blesses his sons (Reuben, Simeon and Levi don’t make out so well…and Joseph still gets all the love after all those years), and raises the status of Manasseh and Ephraim.   (These are Joseph’s sons – by the way the blessings gets reversed here, just like with Esau and Jacob).   You’d think this makes the “ 12 Tribes” the “14 tribes,”  but it doesn’t - http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/tribes.html.

 

And now we are on to Exodus….  the birth of Moses, the Hebrews enslaved, the stand-off in the desert …high drama ahead.

 

BTW, there are plenty of movies on this topic too:

 

http://www.netflix.com/Movie/The_Ten_Commandments/70046090?strkid=2051504711_2_0

http://www.netflix.com/Movie/The_Prince_of_Egypt/18171022?strkid=910702152_0_0

http://www.nestentertainment.com/Veggie-Tales-Moe-And-The-Big-Exit-DVD-P23831.aspx

 

 

Blessings. 

Keep Reading. 

If you are following The Plan, you should be through Genesis 31 by the end of today.

 

Some observations:

 

·         It’s all about family  … and maidservants.   

·         There’s a real Hatfield – Mccoy vibe to the descendants of Ishmael and the descendants of Isaac.   Wonder how that will turn out?

·         What’s up with Esau selling his birthright for some stew.  Not too bright Esau, but then he also married the locals.

·         I thought the whole Sarah – Hagar thing was bad.  Then I got to Jacob and Rachel / Leah / Zilpah / Bilhah.

 

If your having trouble keeping up with who’s who in all this there is a cool interactive genealogy site here - http://www.complete-bible-genealogy.com/names/abram_103.htm, and a more traditional family tree here -

http://www.lukemastin.com/diary/bible_family_tree.gif.

 

I like these passages (from Gen 26 &27).  Tension between the in-laws is obviously an ancient tradition:

 

When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35 They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.

 

Later…

 

Then Rebekah said to Isaac, "I'm disgusted with living because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living."

 

 

Blessings.  Keep reading.

The Plan - Read the Bible in a Year

http://www.bibleplan.org/ch/niv/

 

 

Last week we were blessed to host Chirie and Kamala - Executive Directors of Mission India (http://www.missionindia.org).    As many of you know, SOTH helps to support Mission India as they attempt to reach the estimated 400 million Indians who have never heard the Gospel.    Mission India trains native church planters to spread the Gospel throughout India, they support Childrens Bible Clubs (similar to our Vacation Bible School) because 32% of India's population is under 15 years old, and they work extensively with the roughly 400 million (there is that number again) illiterate adults.   This adult literacy work not only brings the Gospel to many, but helps to address poverty at its root and gives men and women new found hope for the future.  

 

Within our own congreagation, we have members working to translate the curriculum into one of the 1652 languages and dialects spoken in India.  What's that?  You say you can't speak one of the 1652 languages and dialects of India but still want to help?  As a congreagation we will continue to support Mission India, and you can support them individually with your prayers and financial support (http://www.missionindia.org/node/8).

 

 

  

I’ve been reading through Galatians today.   What an amazing story.

Paul and Barnabas travel through Galatia beginning in AD 47.  They plant a church in Antioch of Psidia, where they are beaten and banished.  Then it’s off to Iconium where they escape being stoned by a narrow margin.   When they arrive at Lystra Paul heals a man and Paul and Barnabas are then mistaken for Zeus and Hermes.   Later a crowd in the city rises against them and Paul is stoned, dragged from the city, and left for dead.  (Timothy enters the scene – a witness to all of this).   They plant a church in Derbe and then, despite being beaten, banished, and stoned, they return to these cities!  (See Acts 13-14 for most of this).

After they depart, the churches survive.  But then false teachers show up and confuse the Galatian followers of Christ. 

So Paul writes his letter to the Galatians somewhere around AD 49 to encourage those congregations and dispel the false teaching.  (BTW, this makes Galatians one of the first pieces of Christian literature penned, certainly one of the first two books of the New Testament to be written – the other being James).

And in the 5^th chapter, Paul writes:

“For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters.  But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature.  Instead use your freedom to serve one another in love. “ – Galatians 5:13

Christ makes us free.   I think I miss that message too often and suspect many who have not accepted Christ miss that message.    I certainly miss it in relation to everything Paul and Barnabas went through when they planted the Galatian churches.   He was preaching a message of freedom to a province known for its slavery and poverty.    This message stood in stark contrast to the religious culture of that day.   Paul and Barnabas were beaten repeatedly for spreading this message.  And this message to the Galatians is equally true today – whatever our circumstances, we are free.  Free to live in Christs grace.

What an amazing story!

  

 

  

During our September Church Council meeting we received a report from Mission India - and the churches that we support in India report 100 baptisms this year!  Amazing!  Truly amazing!

The September Church Council meeting was held on September 19^th - it was a very productive meeting with numerous motions passed, but I think the most important of these is the Church Council vote to propose a 3-Year budget to the congregation this year.  

Historically, SOTH operates with a one year budget.  The problem with a 1-year budget is that it doesn’t provide a longer term view for the ministry and mission work that we support and it consumes a lot of time and focus – not only from the lay leadership, but the entire SOTH staff.   We estimate that the budgeting process consumes 3 – 4 man-months of effort each year.    This is time that could be focused on mission, outreach, and ministry.  So we voted to change this, and we pray that the congregation will support this change.  

What does this mean?  This means we will propose a budget to the congregation that will cover three years rather than a single year.  We will have checkpoints each year, but will not have to go through the entire budgeting process each year.  This will free up a significant amount of time for our leadership and staff to focus on our core mission goals.

It also means we will be able to look at the mission and ministry work that we fund with a longer term perspective.  We will no longer have to make long term decisions based on the budget constraints of a single year.   

And as significant as this is – less focus on money and more focus on ministry! – we want to ensure that the 3-year budget is fully funded over a 3-year timeframe and that we build in a campaign to pay down all of our long term debt (the mortgages for the property that we own).

With this approach, we have a great opportunity to prepare the congregation for what comes next.

Please join us on October 14^th for more details. 

Blessings! 

I have been Chairman of the Congregation at SOTH for just over one year, and I want to share with you some of what has happened in that time.   It has been a true blessing to work with the staff and lay leadership over the past year.  As Chairman, I gain visibility into all of the work that is done at (and through) Shepherd of the Hills, and I am weekly humbled by the congregations collective walk with Christ and dedication to service in his name.

If there is one thing that I have learned in the past year, it is that God’s plans for us, in our lives as followers of Christ and our lives as a congregation of Christ, are much more interesting than our own.

We have experienced change at SOTH in the past year.   Pastor Jason Haynes, our assistant pastor of 7 years, accepted a Call to a church in Colorado.  Jonathon Loesch, our DCE for 15 years, accepted a Call to church in Texas.  Both are doing well and continuing God’s work in those communities. 

After 20 years of experiencing worship music in the same way, we changed.  We invited Rick Capps to move from Chapel West to Chapel East and called on our friend Joel Held to lead Chapel West and the Adult Choir.

Less visibly, the Church Council has experienced change.   The positions of Vice Chairman, Treasurer, Secretary, Worship Board Chairman, and Mission Board Chairman have all changed. 

And as a result, the congregation itself has changed.  

Some families have moved on to other churches, others have come to SOTH.  I think there is too much of a stigma associated with this.  While the need for worship and the need for Christian community remain in all of us, how and where we worship is a choice we all make every week.  We are all at different places in our walk with Christ.  And as individuals, what we need in that worship experience and what we can offer to that worship experience changes over time.    So this is not only predictable, but healthy - for those that have departed, for those that have arrived, and for us as a congregation.  

And so we have experienced some a lot of change at SOTH.   As I have shared this story with others and sought out guidance from those that have been through this kind of change, I have been struck and alarmed by their counsel.   Many said that these changes would result in dire consequences.   They said people would stop coming.  They said the congregation would lose confidence in our ability to be effective stewards of the gifts we are provided.   And the one would affect the other.  Key ministries would be lost and yet more people would stop coming.  It was considered a doomsday scenario. 

But God’s plans for us in our lives and for our Congregation are so much more interesting than our own.

So let me share some of what has transpired in the midst of all this change:

·         We Called Kevin Austin as Assistant Pastor and David Reuter as DCE.  This was a significant effort – we formed a needs assessment committee, call committee, sought candidates that met our needs, approved the Calls as a congregation, and today both David and Kevin are persuing their calling here at SOTH as God’s servants.  We thought this would take 18 months (from March 2007).  Yet a mere 5 months later these positions are filled and our work continues.  Rhonda Bricker, our Vice Chairman, has been instrumental in this effort.

·         During the Call process, several Lay Liturgists served the congregation – helping to lead services in both Chapel West and Chapel East, including Phil Buchiarelli, Dick Holk, Ralph Poole, Gary Griffith, Jeremy Lowe, Kirk Dannenberg, and others.

·         In Chapel East, Rick Capps and the band continue to amaze me with their dedication and pursuit of excellence.  I am reminded of the stories in Leviticus.  God did not ask his followers to just pitch a tent and worship him.  He commanded them to build something special, a place of worship, with exacting specification.  God asked for obedience and excellence.  And this is the spirit that Rick brings to Worship every week.   

·         Vacation Bible School once again touched the lives of hundreds of children.  But this year, we did not have a DCE to organize and lead the effort.  Leadership of VBS fell to Cindy Wilson and the lay leaders in the congregation.  And this remains one of the significant outreach opportunities for SOTH.

·         In Sunday School, we struggled a bit without a DCE, but again the lay leaders among us stepped up, saw a need to serve, and filled in.  We are now renovating the Sunday School facilities and preparing for the coming Sunday School year with new programs and a new leader - David Reuter. 

·         Over 30 of our youth attended the National Youth Gathering in Orlando, Florida this year, sharing and strengthening their faith with other youth from around the country.  They raised all the funds to do so on their own – the result of an HEROIC effort by Barb Boros and many others, including the Griffith, Belko, and Larsen families.

·         During this year’s budget process, we returned to a full congregational tithe, setting an example as a congregation for the principles of Christian stewardship.

·         We finalized site development work on the South Property, completing an important phase in our overall development plans and preparing us for the next steps with the South Property.

·         We implemented a screening program for all SOTH workers that will be working with children.

·         We completed a Financial Controls Review to ensure that we comply with Synod standards for financial management.

·         We formed a Stewardship Committee under the leadership of Dan Griffith.

·         A SOTH Health Ministry has been formed under the leadership of Ron Herman and a matching funds grant has been secured to help the ministry grow.

·         New Stephen Ministers have been commissioned and Jeff Miller has been commissioned as a Stephen Minister Leader.

·         Upgrades to the Audio-Visual equipment were completed - all equipment donated to the Church by the worship band and song leaders.   And a special thank you to Mike Caraway for his expertise and commitment.

·         We supported two Golf Tournaments as outreach events this year – supporting Deaf Camp, National Youth Gathering, and local families in need.

·         Our mission work continues, contributing over $70,000 to mission work through the synod, Concordia University, Laverne Lutheran High School, Redeemer and many other local missions.

·         We have built four more houses in Mexico (led by Raul & Nieda Jimenez) and in India we have helped to plant several churches and an orphanage – changing forever the lives of many families and those without a family.

·         We have new baptisms every month and continue offer the Sacraments of Holy Communion each week.

·         This fall, a congregational-wide bible study begins – “The Best is Yet to Come.”  I can’t imagine a better title and encourage everyone to get involved in a small group.

- All by God's blessings.

So despite the changes, despite the doomsday scenario, the work here at SOTH continues.  There is so much to note, so many people to recognize, and so much to be thankful for.   I continue to be amazed and humbled at the dedication and spirit of service of all in the congregation at SOTH.

God’s plans for our lives are so much more interesting than our own.  I pray that we all seek Him out daily. 

“Let us be Doers of the Word, and not hearers only” James 1:22 

 

This is a bit late, but we held our last Council Meeting on July 25th.    Some notes from the July Council Meeting:

 

• The Church Council approved a resolution to improve Sunday School facilities in preparation for the coming school year.   This includes painting the Sunday School rooms and hallways, removing the wall between Rooms 11 & 12 to create  a larger area, and soundproofing the wall between Chapel West and the Sunday School rooms
• The remainder of the July session was focused on administrative matters around the 2008 budget process. 

 Our Next Church Council Meeting will be held on August 22nd.   

 

At SOTH we have been blessed recently with addition of two Called workers - Kevin Austin as Assistant Paster and David Rueter as DCE (who will be installed next month).  

 

With these additions, it is a good time to reflect on pastoral care.   While searching the Internet, I came across an interesting article regarding pastoral burn-out by Rick Murphy.   I do not know Mr. Murphy and am not sure where the he gets his statistics, but they are alarming.  Consider:

 

• Fifteen hundred pastors leave the ministry each month due to moral failure, spiritual burnout or contention in their churches.
• Four thousand new churches begin each year, but over seven thousand churches close.
• Fifty percent of pastors' marriages will end in divorce.
• Eighty percent of pastors and eighty-four percent of their spouses feel unqualified and discouraged in their role as pastors.
• Fifty percent of pastors are so discouraged that they would leave the ministry if they could, but have no other way of making a living.
• Eighty-five percent of pastors said their greatest problem is they are sick and tired of dealing with problem people, such as disgruntled elders, deacons, worship leaders, worship teams, board members, and associate pastors. Ninety percent said the hardest thing about ministry is dealing with uncooperative people.
• Seventy percent of pastors feel grossly underpaid.
• Eighty percent of pastors' spouses feel their spouse is overworked.
• Eighty percent of pastor' wives feel left out and unappreciated by the church members.
• Eighty percent of pastors' spouses wish their spouse would choose another profession.
• Eighty percent of pastors' wives feel pressured to do things and be something in the church that they are really not.
• The majority of pastor's wives surveyed said that the most destructive event that has occurred in their marriage and family was the day they entered the ministry.

 

We at SOTH continue to be blessed by our staff - keep them in your prayers. 

 

 

 

 

This is wonderful blessing for our congregation and an answer to many, many prayers.  Finding David was the result of a nationwide search by the Call committee.  Please keep David in your prayers as he works towards joining us at SOTH!

 

David will begin the second week of August and will be formally installed as our DCE on Sunday, August 26th, 2PM

 

 

 

 

Wow - I can’t believe its been over a month since I lasted posted to the Sothchairman blog.  In my defense, we have been busy, busy, busy….

First, there was the annual family vacation.   This year we spent two weeks in Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons:

• 15 days, 7 states, 2 National Parks (Yellowstone and Grand Teton), 4 campsites
• 2750 miles, 330 gallons of gas (…and now looking for a hybrid RV)
• 16 bear sightings (grizzly and black bears)
• 1000+ bison,  hundreds of elk and pronghorn
• A very large beaver
• 3 bald eagles, 1 osprey
• 5 geyser eruptions (Old Faithful x3, Riverside, and Artemisia)
• Countless mudpots, hot springs and fumaroles
• 26 chapters of “Little House in the Big Wood.”
• 18 1/2 miles of hiking trails
• 2 bottles of Nyquil, a pot of coffee a day, and ½ a tub of IcyHot

 When we returned  from our Yellowstone RV adventure, we discovered that my paternal grandmother had been diagnosed with breast cancer and has been placed in hospice care - so it was off to Grapevine Texas, where we spent time with her and the cousins, prayed, remembered all the great times we've had, and looked through stacks of picture.   It has been 86 years of swing dancing, real southern cooking and romance novels.   Thanks to all for your prayers and kind notes. 

 And in the  midst of this travelling to-and-fro much has happened at SOTH - Pastor Kevin has hit the ground running, David Rueter has accepted our call to be the DCE at SOTH, VBS was a great success and the youth are getting ready to leave for National Youth Gathering.  

 God's plan for us continues to unfold.    Stay tuned... 

 

We are excited to announce that SOTH has issued a Call for a new Director of Christian Education to focus on Family Ministries.  The Call was issued unanimously by the voters at our Special Voters Meeting on June 13th.

 

So what happens next?  The DCE Candidate has been notified and will have 30 days to pray and deliberate on the Call from our congregation.  At that time, the candidate will either accept or reject the Call.    If the Call is accepted, we will then work through transition details and logistics.

 

Please keep this candidate in your prayers.

 

Blessings! 

We held our June Church Council meeting on Wednesday June 6th.  Some Notes:

 

 

Jimmy Carter has just been inaugarated as President of the United States.

Median household income is $13,500.

Gasoline costs $0.64 a gallon

Small Pox is eradicated.

The space shuttle Enterprise takes its first test flight,

Star Wars is released.

The Yankees beat the Dodgers in the World Series.

The Raiders beat the Vikings in the Superbowl

Seattle Slew wins the Kentucky Derby.

Elvis Presley dies.

"You Light Up My Life" is the most popular song of the year.

 

The unincorporated areas of Cucamonga, Etiwanda, and Alta Loma are incorproated as the City of Rancho Cucamonga.

House of Ruth is established.

SOTH is born on a back patio in Rancho Cucamonga with Pastor Saeger leading services.

 

Pastor Mike is ordained at the St Louis Seminary and received his first call as an ordained minister.  The call is to a place called "The Pas," some 450 miles north of Winnepeg.

 

Since that time Pastor Mike has served 5 congregations, performed thousands of baptisms, preach over 1200 sermons, and continues to keep us all focused on the Great Commission and our committment to leading a life of service to our families, our community and the world around us. 

 

God continues to bless our Church with his service.  Please join me in celebrating Pastor Mike's 30 years of service.

 

Blessings,

 

Mark M  

We will be meeting on Wednesday, June 13th, 7PM to hold a ballot vote for the DCE Nominee.   If the vote passes, the congregation wil formally extend a call to the nominee.

 

Please keep the Church and the nominee in your prayers and join us for the DCE Call meeting on June 13th.

 

On May 27th the DCE Nomination Meeting was held.  The purpose of this meeting was to approve a list of nominees for the DCE position.  the congregation approved a nominee list with one candidate.  His name will be published in the weekly bulletins and announced at the services over the next two weeks. 

Some background on the DCE Call Process:

• It started with a Needs Assessment Committee comprised of eleven mulit-generational individuals representing Young Families, High School, College, Singles, Middle Age and retired/Seniors.
• The Needs Assessment Committee did a SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) and used the results to develop and narrow a specific set of skills that match the Family Ministry needs at SOTH
• A Call Committee was formed to used the results of the Needs Assessment Committee and identify candidates.  The Call Committee consisted of nine individuals.
• The Call Committee reviewed 20 resumes from across the country.  Four individuals were interviewed from this pool.  Two others were asked to interview, but declined.  
• Based on the interviews, the Call Committee voted unanimously to recommend one candidate on 5/22.  The Church Council voted unanimously to nominate the same candidate on 5/24.  The Congregation voted unanimously to nominate the candidate on 5/27.

Next Steps:

The Congregation will meet again on JUNE 13th, 7PM to formally extend a call to the candidate.  At that point the candidate can either accept or decline. 

I would like to thank our Vice Chairman - Rhonda Bricker - as well as everyone on the Call Committee and Needs Assessment for their prayerful devotion to this process.