November 2013 Elder Blog

In November we recognize that we have much to be thankful for. We just celebrated Veterans Day remembering the men and women who gave up much to protect the incredible freedoms that we enjoy. We go to church without any fear of persecution. Soon we will observe Thanksgiving, celebrating the incredible wealth that this country enjoys. But these observances last just a single day and are quickly forgotten.

Personally I have much to be thankful for: As a son I am thankful for the example my parents continue to set. As a husband I am thankful for my beautiful loving wife. As a parent I am thankful for the blessing my children have been.  As an Elder I am thankful for the men on the elder board who have humbly accepted the responsibility of serving God’s church and count the time spent with them as a blessing.

 As a Church we have much to be thankful for: The privilege of supporting missions in Guatemala, Ecuador and India, a dedicated pastoral staff that is faithful to the scriptures, vibrant Sunday school and youth programs as well as the many volunteers that make Sunday service and other programs possible. Yet our greatest joy is that through the grace of Christ we can be called sons and daughters of the living God.

A great opportunity to give thanks with fellow believers is the Prayers of Hope meeting Sunday mornings from 8:15 to 8:40 in the adult classroom. It is a wonderful way to prepare our hearts for worship at the morning service. There is no requirement to pray out loud and the only way we become better at praying is by practicing. Each week there is a card with suggested prayer topics. I hope to see you there soon.

Please keep the Pastoral Search Committee and our future associate pastor in your prayers.

Yours in Christ

Mike Bauman - Elder

October 2013 Elder Blog

I spied the leaf-raker. Organized, yet gentle; hardworking, yet at peace; diligent, yet  introspective: Totally in communion with God and the beauty of His sanctuary. The sight made me want to rake them in, too. There were many different colors and varieties. It did not matter, just to be in communion with God while raking them in:  imperfect, yet beautiful... wonderfully made. Oh, to be a leaf-raker, too.

I wrote this based on how leaf-raking has helped me become closest to God throughout my life.  Sadly, I have often hurt my back in doing so, using my back to rake  after my legs and arms have become exhausted.  I now mow our leaves into the mower bag instead, while finding other projects to do outside that allow me to be in God's theater where it becomes very easy to carry out the first commandment. 

Fortunately, our Father did not create us to go dormant. In fact, now is a good time to help grow our church. Can you volunteer to do one or two things (your choice) for Hope Church, if you have not already?  If you feel  somehow inadequate, does that make you any different than the fishermen, among others, that Jesus chose to bring the Gospel to the entire world?  He could have looked to the wealthy, the priesthood, and business owners. Instead, he chose those who knew they were inadequate, were sinners, and thus were humble and grateful.  Therefore, we at Hope, will gladly find a place for you —who are created in His image — to serve.  Talk to an elder, an usher, a pastor, staff member or your "neighbor" in church.

Getting back to Fall, Hope has beautiful grounds. Talk to Bo  if you would like to volunteer to help with a project or perhaps claim a spot to care-take.  I walked some of our extensive grounds recently.  How beautiful!  Come here and take a walk some evening.  I saw a whitetail deer jump into the cornfield.  And how about our own "field of dreams" - our volleyball courts! 

Please pray for our pastoral search committee, Elder board, and staff, that God leads them all to who He wants for us. We know that He has someone for us.  Please pray to God,  in the name of Jesus (the Christ), and through the Holy Spirit.  We will then not fail.

Pastor John and team are back from Ecuador, and PJ is  in his usual good spirits.  Talk about a pastor who exemplifies  WWJD!  He reported to us that the mission ministry that Gary Waack started is wonderful and worthy.  A church has been built.  It is nothing to look at by our country's standards, but it is in place, is loved, and it brings Hope.  What a work Gary participated in!  What a welcome he must have received in God's kingdom.  

Remember that you matter.  Our goal is to fulfill the commandments— and that the first two are all that we really need to know (Mark 12:30-31). 

We have a relationship with God through Jesus, and He provides us with the Holy Spirit for the purpose of perfect communication with Him and with others.    

Tad Nelson, Elder

September 2013 Elder BLog

It sure is great to see everyone gearing up for fall activities lately. Vacations are wrapping up and the
kids are headed back to school to put noses to the grindstone again. Proverbs 14:23 says “In all toil
there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.” We’re taking the cue from this verse at Hope
and putting church activities back into full swing as well. It’s time for us to break out of our planning
for ministries and get to the hard work that helps us grow in our walk with Christ. You may notice
the restarts of Alpha, Connections class, Amped, and Family night just to name a few. As elders, we
encourage everyone to pick at least one church activity that stimulates your interest and see where God
takes you.

The elders are still hitting the grindstone too. We’ve enjoyed working together with the trustees
committee on a number of building and grounds issues, and with the pastoral search committee as they
continue their excellent work on presenting a candidate for associate pastor. We also wanted to thank
the members of the newly-launched security committee for filling the gaps of safety in our worship
services. Finally, we continue to work diligently at plotting the course of spiritual direction for Hope.

Please pray for us as we make the decisions that impact Hope for the next five and ten years. We spend
every meeting with the basic understanding that Hope is God’s church, and we are merely his servants.

In Christ’s Service,

Scott Voskuil, elder

August 2013 Elder Blog

August Already?!

Although it is one of my favorite months of the year (my Birthday:), it also heralds the end of my favorite season - Summertime!

Of course, this year it's been summertime "light" with temps colder than usual - even for Two Rivers!

It's times like these that it's good to remember the lyrics to one of my favorite songs: "Whatever may pass and whatever lies before us, let me be singing when the evening comes." (10,000 Reasons)

Well, though summer may be soon waning, I am glad to report that your elder board is growing! With 7 lay elders, including two  excellent recent additions, Tad Nelson and Mike Bauman, this is a healthy and hardworking board. Of course, we'd not be doing so well without all of your support, along with some important teams such as our Pastoral Search Committee, now led by Brian Laliberte; & the Trustees Committee, led by Bo Minarik. Special thanks to Roger Trost and Lee Van Os for their good work on the grounds this summer, as well as all of you who stepped in to keep our summer landscape beautiful.

A significant event took place last week when all 3 of our pastors and 4 of the elders drove down to the Chicago area to attend the Annual Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit in Barrington, IL. This was truly a world class event  broadcast to over 90 countries and 170,000 people, featuring world renowned leaders such as Bill Hybels, Colin Powell, Henry Cloud and Andy Stanley, along with many other gifted presenters. A strong theme for me was to lead humbly but bravely, relying on God's strength when ours isn't enough. Team leadership was emphasized, benefiting from each team member's gifts and wisdom, rather than running a "one-man" (or woman) show. After all, it's God's ministry, God's Church, God's kingdom - not any of ours! Some meaningful quotes from the two day event were:

"Healthy leadership takes enormous courage and brave apologies"

"All I want is to be used by God to change people's lives in the remaining days of my life" "Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier" "People need to be reminded more than they need to be instructed"

"Asking instead of telling will inspire people's best work"

"Serve your servants; insecure leaders cling to their title and position"

"Paul, take courage - one day people will name their SONS after YOU and their DOGS after Caesar!"

We are all grateful for the opportunity to experience this, not only for the excellent instruction, but also for the times of camaraderie we enjoyed together - from sharing stories to sharing snores. Overall it was very inspiring!

May I remind each of us as we head into fall to "Be strong and courageous, for the Lord will be with you!" 

                                                     (Joshua 1:9)

HE is with us even in those non-summery seasons of our life - may we also be there for one another. 

Glenn Smith

April 2013 Elder Blog

Ezekiel 34: 26-27 “... I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing.  The trees will yield their fruit and the ground will yield its crops...”

Looks like spring has finally decided to appear!  After the long winter season it is nice to finally see the start of warmer weather ahead.  With that in mind, I would like to invite anyone with a heart for working outside to our May 4th “Spring Cleanup” at Hope.  This is a chance to clean up our surrounding landscape in order to make our church grounds outside inviting for all to see for the summer months ahead.

A reminder that there will be a special voting meeting for members after each service today.  This will be a chance for you to vote for our current treasurer and Elder board candidates. We’re very excited to see the current board continue to grow as well as appoint a new treasurer to replace Eric Gilson. Eric has accepted a new position in Minnesota. Eric and Carol, you will be missed!

A final thought.  As the warming temps finally come to the lakeshore area, enjoy taking advantage of the change outside. Take up Pastor John’s recommendation in his recent sermon regarding relationships and spend time with God while on a walk or cleaning up around the outside of the house.  He’s waiting for you to take the first step and start the conversation.  You won’t be disappointed!

                                                                             Mike Henderson

March 2013 Elder Blog

One of the greatest displays of God's creative nature can be seen through the passing from one beautiful season to another. And as another winter is almost over I think it is safe to say that it will be nice for spring to finally arrive.

But like the passing of the seasons, can you believe that our long journey through “The Story” has come to an end? I'm so glad that we were able to share such a wonderful pilgrimage together. Many people have shared about how they've connected the wonder of God's plan for mankind in the “upper story” for the first time through the realization that he's willing to meet us every day personally in the “lower story” of our own lives. Although I expect that you too have formed fond memories of it, as that chapter comes to a close we are very excited for what's coming next, Easter! Let me tell you, the services on Easter Sunday are going to be absolutely amazing. The church worship and planning team have pulled out all of the stops as we get ready to praise our risen King of Kings!

Here is some more very exiting news. It is my pleasure to inform you that we've received and accepted one applicant for Treasurer and  another applicant for the Elder board. We plan to present both of these qualified candidates to the congregation for a vote after each service on April 21^st.  Additionally, the pastoral search committee reports that their search for our next associate pastor has been narrowed down to two candidates!

Like a surfer catching a wave or a breeze filling our sails we sense the Holy Spirit providing momentum to our church and a lot of good things to look forward to! So, let's praise God and thank him for all that he is doing for us and among us here at Hope.
                                                                               
Gary Siegfried - Elder

February 2013 Elder Blog

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; his love endures forever.” (1 Chronicles 16:34)

Once again at Hope we give thanks to God for the many blessings He has given our church.  As an elder board we are thankful for another recent successful business meeting.  Despite the obstacles of rescheduling due to our usual unpredictable snow patterns, we had a great time gathering with members to worship and conduct the business of the church.  In case you missed it, we approved our annual budget and got an excellent report from the pastoral search committee.  Be watching for news soon on the process of finding our new associate pastor; that committee works hard and fast!

While thanking God for our blessings, we also need to say goodbye to our Treasurer, Eric Gilson.  Eric has served as our church’s first treasurer, and helped us construct the roles and responsibilities of this important position.  Unfortunately for us, Eric will be leaving (with his wife, Carol) to take a new job in Minnesota.  We want to thank Eric for his service to the church and we pray that God will bless him and his family in their future endeavors.

As a result of Eric’s resignation, the elder board would like to once again call for nominations for church treasurer. The treasurer is responsible for reporting fiscal information to the congregation, and serves as the “front line” contact for church finances.  If you would like to nominate someone (or yourself), please notify an elder or pastor, or drop off information to the church office. 

Please continue to pray for your church leaders.  We regularly ask for God’s wisdom as we serve His bride, the church.

As a servant of Christ,

Scott Voskuil, elder

January 2013 Elder Blog

Greetings from your elder board!

Alright, I confess: I have a strong affection (read obsession) for egg nog. Starting before Thanksgiving and all the way till the shelves run out the first week of January I'm on the hunt for it. Regular or "Light" - is there really such a thing, flavored or original - it's all the same to me; add a dash of nutmeg and I'm hooked. Now I realize there are some among us who do not share my passion for this luxurious beverage - my response: good, more for me!  Now could there be a lesson for us in egg nog? Perhaps it is found in the Psalms: 

"How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" Psalm 119:103

What if I chose to seek after and delight in God's word in my life as much as my enjoyment of holiday treats? Well one thing is true, I wouldn't gain as much weight, but I would gain direction, strength and peace, to name a few benefits. By partaking of God's word in our lives, we will have a stable foundation to move forward in 2013, no matter what the year holds for us. I agree with Pastor John's statement this past Sunday that Hope Church is heading in a good direction and that this year should be one of hope and excitement. How encouraging to start the year united as one body of believers! The desire of your elder board is that as individuals and as a church we will grow in our level of spiritual maturity this year. We resonate with Paul's words to the Ephesians:

 "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better." Eph. 1:17

As it says, knowing Christ better is made possible by the Spirit's working in us - that is our personal prayer for ourselves every day and our prayer for this church when the elders gather to pray every Sunday morning. Would you be willing to join us in this prayer for yourself and for your church this year? We would love to have you by our sides praying for His Spirit to do His work in us!

We would also love to have you join us for our Business Meeting coming up on Sunday, January 27 at 7:00 PM. We are excited to hear from the Pastoral Search Committee, to introduce the newly formed Trustees Committee, and present the annual budget for 2013 for approval. Please pick up a copy of the budget today for your review before the meeting and feel free to contact an elder or finance committee member with questions. 

We look forward to seeing you there and to serving and growing together in 2013 - with or without the egg nog!

Glenn Smith