The Arising News
WORSHIP
TIMES
Traditional
Sunday
8:00 am
& 10:30 am
Contemporary
Saturday
5:30 pm
Devotional
Wednesday
6:30 pm
Adult Bible Study
Sunday
9:15 am
Youth School
Sunday
9:15 am
V O L U M E
2 :
I S S U E
2
F E B R U A R Y
2 0 1 7
February Sermon Series
A Light to Shine
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good
deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:16
Epiphany is the season of light. During this time of the church year,
we celebrate that God the Father sent His Son Jesus into the world to
be the Light of the World, the Light that no darkness can overcome
(John 1:5). Jesus dispersed the gloom of sin and darkness through His
perfect life, sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection. Now, as
Christ’s ambassadors, Jesus commands His Church to let His light
shine! On February 10, we have an opportunity to shine God’s light by
hosting Night to Shine, a night to celebrate the love of Jesus. May God
strengthen us through His Word so that we continue to reflect Christ
in everything we do!
Feb. 4-5
A Light to Shine
Feb. 11-12
What is Perfection?
Feb. 18-19
Loving Difficult People
Feb. 25-26
The Light of the Wor(l)d
Transfiguration Sunday
Church Staff
Senior Pastor
Rev. Kurt Larson
Pastor of Youth & Family
Rev. Isaac Johnson
Business Manager
Mrs. Barb Grosskopf
Communications Coordinator
Mrs. Becky Van Nice
Secretary
Ms. Carrie Reese
Little Blessings Daycare Director
Mrs. Terrie Burkey
Children’s Ministry Director
Mrs. Leslie McCoy
Inside this issue:
Dates to Remember
Sunday Morning Bible Studies
Wednesday Worship Schedule
Lutheran Service Book
Financials
LWML
Library News
Youth in the Word
Kids Connection
Little Blessings
Church & Community Events
Worship Servants
Membership Changes
Member Notifications
Wall Calendar
Organist
Ms. Marilyn Luebbe
Music Director
Mrs. Maria Klein
Maintenance
Angela Stickel
THE
ARISING
NEWS
Office hours:
Mon-Fri 8:30-4:00
Business Manager Office hours:
Mon, Wed, Thurs
11:00-3:00
Pastor Larson is off on Tuesdays
Pastor Johnson is off on Fridays
4
5
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15-22
23-25
26
27-29
30
PAGE
February - Dates to Remember
2/2
2/4
2/6
2/9
2/10
2/14
2/16
2/18
2/19
2/21
2/23
2/24
2/25
2/26
2/28
3/1
Thurs. 6:00 pm
6:30 pm
Sat. 7:00 am
9:00 am
11:00 am
Mon. 6:15 pm
Thurs. 3:00 pm
Fri.
6:00 pm
Tues. 6:30 pm
Thurs. 10:00 am
6:00 pm
7:30 pm
Sat. 7:30 am
Sun. 1:30 pm
Tues. 9:30 am
12:00 pm
7:00 pm
7:00 pm
Thurs. 5:00 pm
Fri.
11:45 am
6:30 pm
Sat. 9:00 am
Sun. noon
Tues. 7:00 am
9:00 am
Wed.
8:30 am
5:15 pm
5:30 pm
6:30 pm
Praise Team Practice - weekly
Elder’s Meeting
Workout - weekly
Youth Bottle/Can Drive
Klein - Baby Shower
Choir Practice - every Monday pm
NTS decorating at Trinity Gym
Night To Shine Prom
Evening Crafters
Quilters
Church Meeting Night
Church Council Meeting
Men’s Bible Breakfast
Youth Group - SnowStar Tubing
Mugs & Muffins
Thrivent Workshop (#1)
Thrivent Workshop (#2)
LWML Zone Meeting
Christian Care Men’s Shelter Dinner
Fellowship Friday
Euchre Game Night
LWML Mountaintop Breakfast
Family Fellowship - Potato Bar/Skating
Pancake Breakfast
LifeLight
Ash Wednesday
Power Prayer Group - weekly
Confirmation/Kids Ablaze - weekly
Lenten Meal
Ash Wednesday Service
4
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5
Sunday Morning Bible Studies
“14But as for you,
Praying the Psalms
In The Library
The Psalms are the Hymnbook of the entire Bible and are the
only songs and poetry that we have which are truly inspired
by God and inerrant. In this Bible study we will all grow in the
wisdom of these holy prayers. We will learn from God himself
more about His nature, our nature, and how He wants us to
pray. This class will last for several weeks, and all are welcome.
A Man Named Martin
Video Bible Study in the Sanctuary
We are celebrating the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation all year here at Risen Christ! We begin this year of
celebration with a new video Bible study about Martin Luther, A Man Named Martin - The Moment. This Bible study
examines the events that led to the Reformation and the
struggle Martin Luther fought for the truth of the Scriptures!
THE
ARISING
NEWS
continue in what
you have learned
and have firmly
believed, knowing
from whom you
learned it 15and
how from childhood you have
been acquainted
with the sacred
writings, which
are able to make
you wise for salvation through
faith in Christ
Jesus. 16All scripture is breathed
out by God and
profitable for
teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17that the
man of God may
be competent,
equipped for every good work.’ 2
Timothy 3:14-17
PAGE
Lent Worship Schedule
Ash Wednesday
March 1
Youth Dinners 5:30 pm
Ash Wednesday Service 6:30
Lent Services each Wednesday at 6:30
Prior to services each week, youth will
be serving a meal each week prior to
services.
“On God
rests my salvation and
my glory; my
might rock,
my refuge is
God.” Psalm
62:7
6
PAGE
7
Lutheran Service Book:
FROM THE DESK OF
PASTOR JOHNSON
To Know a Treasure When You See it
Part 3: Home Resources
In our exploration of our
hymnal, the
LSB, we
have looked
at the
Psalms, services and
background
in order to
understand the various uses of
this devotional tool. And that’s
just what it is: the hymnal is a
tool which is crafted from the
Word of God to put that Word
into your life, both in public
worship and in private devotional life.
In that same theme we
will take a quick look at some
home resources which make
this tool very useful for your
private use.
Beginning on page
295, the LSB contains templates for daily prayer “for individuals and families”. There
are short orders for morning,
noon, early evening and the
close of the day. There are
many ways to use these devotions, but they can be as short
or as long as you need. They
start with a Psalm, move into
Scripture, and end with prayer.
If you are not sure how to form
a devotional life or are simply
looking for some structure, this
is a fantastic place to start!
On page 299 you will
find a “daily lectionary”. These
pages contain a list of Scripture readings for every day of
the year to help you be consistent in your reading of the
Bible. After that (page 305),
the hymnal has a long list of
example prayers for various
circumstances. Sometimes we
have a hard time finding good,
scriptural words for prayer,
and these can help get the creative juices flowing.
Next we have the Athanasian Creed. This important
confession of faith that we
stand by attests to the nature of
the Triune God and the two
natures in Christ. Take a look
if you can’t remember! It is a
bold and refreshing confession
of the truth.
Finally, the LSB also
contains Luther’s Small Catechism printed out in full. If you
can’t remember the page num-
ber, just remember “3… 2…
1….” That’s right, the catechism starts on page 321. This
is an excellent resource for
keeping yourself sharp in the
faith and for training your kids
in the faith. Start ‘em young
and use the hymnal to do it!
Use it so often that, when you
pull out the hymnal, the kids
know it is time for devotions.
Use it so often that, if you try
to do devotions without it, your
kids complain that you haven’t
gotten out the “red book” yet.
Again, I don’t say this
because the LSB is something
spectacular in itself, but because it contains the Word of
God, formatted well for use in
the home; and the Word of
God is most definitely spectacular!
Next month we will
finally discuss the hymns contained in the LSB. Till then!
In Christ,
Pastor Johnson
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8
BIBLICAL
STEWARDSHIP
W
e’ve all heard that stewardship is giving to the
church of our time, talents, and
treasure. This alliterative trinity
helps us see that giving is not
just about money, but about our
whole lives. For God has given
us everything we have and enjoy as we confess in the meaning to the First Article of the
Apostle’s Creed. And what we
confess first among those is that
God gives us “our body and
soul, our eyes, ears, and all our
members, our reason and all our
senses.” Only then do we confess that he gives us material
things. Thus the time, talents,
and treasure trinity places before
our eyes the fact that we are to
give something of all of these
things toward the mission of the
church in thanksgiving for what
God has provided. For everything we have and indeed everything we are comes from God’s
fatherly divine goodness and
mercy.
The problem with this
alliterative trinity comes when
we replace one little word with
another little word—when we
replace the word and with the
word or. It is always written
with the and, but when we read
it, we read it with the or. Thus
this quite helpful trinity, which
extolled that everything that we
have and are is a gift from God
and which is to be pressed into
the service of God in His
church, turns into a trinity that
we can pick and choose which
of the trinity we use into the
service of God. The giving of
our time, talents, and treasure
turns into the giving of our time,
talents, or treasure.
Then the question arises: Can we give of our time and
talents instead of our treasures?
Or perhaps it is the other way
round: Can we give our treasure
and not of our time and our talents? But these are the wrong
questions. The right question is,
can we give of our time and our
talents in addition to our treasure? Yes, indeed, we are called
to give of all three. The things
that God gives us are not to be
pitted against one another. They
are given to us and we are to
press them all into God’s service for benefit of His church
and our neighbors in need.
Thus we give all three.
We give our treasure in the form
of a generous, first-fruits, proportion of our income. We give
of our time in generosity for the
benefit of Christ’s holy church.
We give of our talents in the
same manner. Since God gave
us all these things, we are called
to give generously of all these
things in faith toward Him and
in fervent love to our neighbors.
For God has provided
all these things to us. Out of His
fatherly, divine goodness and
mercy, He gives us each time,
talents, AND treasures as a
means to bless those around us.
We serve our neighbors with
these things, blessing them with
the blessings in which God has
blessed us. We give of our time,
talents, and treasures to our families, our society, and to our
church, our local congregations.
And we do this because we
know that we are not our own.
Rather, we belong to God. We
have been bought with a price—
with the holy precious blood
and innocent suffering and death
of our Lord Jesus Christ. He
gave everything—His time, His
talents, and His treasure,—to
have us as His own and to live
under Him in His kingdom and
serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence and blessedness. We have these things as
gifts and blessings from God.
Let us then press them all into
service for the sake of His
love—time, talents, and treasures together.
PAGE
9
CHURCH FINANCIALS
JANUARY 2017
Submitted by: Barb Grosskopf
“Every tithe of
the land,
whether of the
seed of the
land or of the
fruit of the
trees, it is the
Lord’s; it is
holy to the
Lord.”
Leviticus 27:30
THE
ARISING
NEWS
PAGE
10
LUTHERAN WOMEN’S
MISSIONARY LEAGUE
Submitted by: Paulette Waech
The Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (LWML) is the official women’s auxiliary of
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. For almost 75 years, the LWML has focused on
affirming each woman’s relationship with Christ, encouraging and equipping women to
live out their Christian lives in active mission ministries and to support global missions.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy ladened and I will give you rest. Take my
yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find
rest for your souls.” Matt. 11:28-29
The January gathering of “Mugs and Muffins” was opened with prayer and devotion
lead by Heidi Iltis, with the above reading from Matthew 11, focusing on God’s assurance of
His Word to give us rest and surround us with His love, never alone, as we sometimes feel, especially in this generation of high technology, causing some to isolate themselves from the
world around them.
During the brief meeting, discussion focused on the upcoming winter event, Mountaintop Experience breakfast for the ladies of the congregation, slated for Saturday, Feb. 25, at
9:00a.m., plus hosting the Zone Spring Rally on Saturday, March 18, with devotions and Bible
study to be conducted by Pastor Johnson, to focus on the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.
Ingathering for the Rally will be financial gifts for the work of the Rev. Micah Glenn of Ferguson, MO.
A special note: the next gathering of “Mugs and Muffins” will be held Tuesday,
Feb. 21, a week earlier than usual, please note change of date.
For the mission event, the ladies assembled 50 school kits, wrote cards for the infusion care kits for the Cancer center at Genesis West Hospital, and wrote special greetings for those attending the “Night To Shine” event on Friday, Feb. 10.
NOTE: At this time eight ladies from Risen Christ, are planning to attend the National
Convention in Albuquerque, NM, June 22-25, ’17.
Devotion books, Portals of Prayer, etc., for missions continue to be collected, and
can be placed in the white box, West coatroom. Also containers for tab tops, Swiss Valley
milk lids and Box Tops for Education are in the West coatroom. Thank you for your donations.
PAGE
LIBRARY NEWS
Submitted by Brenda Ross
C
ome check out the Inspirational Fiction
titles in our collection. Some new ones
have been added to the library, including
works by Terri Blackstock, Dee Henderson, Judith Miller, and Tracie Peterson.
THE
ARISING
NEWS
11
Youth in the Word
PAGE
12
Middle School
BIBLE STUDY: We continue to grow in God’s Word together at 9:15 in the youth
room with Mr. Emory and Mrs. Sacrison. They continue on
their Journey though the Bible. Please support them with your prayer!
“I am not ashamed
SERVICE EVENT: “Night to Shine” is on February 10th! All of the youth are
teaming up to participate and help give these people with special needs a night full of the gospel, for it
of Christ’s love that they will never forget. We need you there, so please clear your
schedule! We will plan on meeting at Trinity Lutheran Church between 5:00 and
is the power of God
5:30.
for salvation to
ACTIVITY: The youth are going snow tubing at Snowstar on Feb. 19th! $15 per
everyone who
person and a signed waiver (pick one up at the church office) are due by Feb. 5th
(that’s right away!) so we can get the group discount. We hope you can come!
believes.”
High School
BIBLE STUDY: Our High Schoolers will continue their journey through St.
Paul’s letter to the Romans at 9:15 AM in Pastor Johnson’s office. All senior
youth are welcome! Bring a friend!
SERVICE EVENT: “Night to Shine” is on February 10th! All of the youth are
teaming up to participate and help give these people with special needs a night
full of Christ’s love that they will never forget. We need you there, so please
clear your schedule! We will plan on meeting at Trinity Lutheran Church between 5:00 and 5:30.
ACTIVITY: The youth are going snow tubing at Snowstar on Feb. 19th! $15 per
person and a signed waiver (pick one up at the church office) are due by Feb. 5th
(that’s right away!) so we can get the group discount. We hope you can come!
~ St. Paul,
Romans 1
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13
Kids Connection
Jesus said, “Let the
children come to
Me; do not hinder
them, for to such
belongs the kingdom of God.” Mark
10:14
THE
ARISING
NEWS
submitted by Leslie McCoy
S
unday school students will sing on
Sunday, February
5th at both the
8:00 and 10:30 services.
They will sing “Pharaoh, Pharaoh” and “Pass it On”, led by
Mrs. Maria Klein.
Nursery Attendants:
Feb. 5:
Katie Ehrke & Gayla Kelly
Feb. 12:
Justin & Lori Mann
Feb. 19:
Halie Dodd & Rachel Luebbe
Feb. 26:
Maddie Peters & Leslie McCoy
Mar. 5:
Kaite Johnson & Lois Kundel
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14
Little Blessings Day Care
“Proclaiming the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ
to children and their parents through a high quality child care program.”
This August the daycare will be
opened for 20 years. When it first
opened, the center was mainly for
single parents that needed assistance with childcare. A few years later it was opened for all families in
need of childcare. For the past fifteen years, the majority of the time,
the center has been full with a waiting
list. What a wonderful blessing the
Lord has given to this church.
The first week of February, the children will be learning about the color
brown and when the paralytic’s
friends helped him see Jesus by lowering him through the roof. The children will also have their Valentine
parties on Friday. We try to have
parties on days that all the children
will be in attendance.
cussing important leaders of the Bible.
The last week of February is about
blue and Jesus calming the storm.
The term “true blue” means that
someone is completely trustworthy.
This is an important lesson for children to know whom they can trust.
The center will be having school age
children on February 20th. If any family is in need of care for the 20th,
please contact us.
We are still looking for an energetic,
kid loving adult to work in the classrooms in the afternoon. Please
spread the word, or contact us if interested.
Have a great month in Christ,
The second week, the theme is about Terrie
Valentine’s Day and the Good Samaritan. This week the children are
encouraged to show appreciation and
affection to others.
The third week, the children will be
celebrating President’s day and dis-
THE
ARISING
NEWS
Risen Christ Lutheran Women in Mission
Winter Event
Mountaintop Breakfast
Saturday, February
25
9:00 am
Please join us for
Breakfast
Fellowship
Bible Study
Planning for the LWML Zone Spring Rally
Ingathering: Monetary donations to be sent to
Rev. Micah Glenn, LCMS Missionary to Ferguson, MO
Jesus on the Mountain Peak
Stands alone in glory blazing;
Let us, if we dare to speak,
Join the saints and angels praising.
Alleluia!
LSB 415:1
THE
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18
Our next blood drive will be held Tuesday
March 14, 2017
Sign up sheets and more information coming soon!
Meeting monthly on the second Tuesday at 6:30 pm.
Please join us if you can. You can help assemble quilts,
stitch new member bookmarks or bring your own craft
project. If you have questions, please contact either Rachel
Luebbe or Sharon Tannahill.
Next meeting:
February 14
March 14
PAGE
19
February 24 @ 11:45
Everyone is invited to share a luncheon
meal (NO RSVP required!). Bring a dish
to share and invite a guest.
Contact Kay Petersen for additional
information
DAYTIME QUILTERS
D
ay Time Quilters
meet the third
Thursday of the
month. Join us anytime
between 10 and 3 and
stay as long as you
like. Bring a lunch if you will be with us
at noon. No sewing skills are required. We
will be layering and tying quilts
atar sauce
anyone?
THE
ARISING
NEWS
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20
Christian Care Men’s Shelter Meal Service
Where: 2209 3rd Avenue, Rock Island, IL
When: 4th Thursday of the month from April through October
2016. Arrive at the shelter between 5:00-5:30pm, depending
on meal prep time required.
What: We provide a meal for 40-60 people. Meal items can
be prepared ahead of time and heated up at the shelter. They have 2 big ovens that
we can use. They provide serving dishes, utensils, plates, drinks and clean-up. We
provide a tasty nourishing meal (main dish, side dishes, dessert.). Thrivent members can apply for Thrivent Care dollars for each date they help in order to defray
the costs.
In a nutshell: sign up for a date, plan a meal, prepare it an serve it with love.
Available Dates:
February 23: Art & Kay Johnson, Van Nice family
March 23:
RCLC Youth
April 27:
AVAILABLE
May 25:
AVAILABLE
June 22:
AVAILABLE
July 27:
AVAILABLE
August 24: AVAILABLE
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21
Creation Museum and Ark Encounter Bus Trip
Sunday, July 16, 2017-Wednesday, July 19, 2017
Plan to ride on a deluxe motor coach to the Hyatt Place Hotel in
Florence, KY. Enjoy the large suites that include breakfast, pool
and bar.
Spend a full day a the Ark Encounter and 2 days at the Creation
Museum
For details including
registration and fees,
contact Gary Larson,
563-676-7279
THE
ARISING
NEWS
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22
Soup, Potato and
Roller-skating!
After church services on February 25,
join us for a lunch of potato bar and soup.
After our bellies are full, we will go to Eldridge Skate Park to
burn off the calories.
Sign up at the kiosk to attend and bring a
potato topping.
Euchre Game Night
Join your friends for an evening of cards
on
Friday, February 24 @ 6:30 pm
Bring a snack to share!
IF you don’t know how to play, and are
wanting to learn, NOW is your chance.
We will have a “novice” area so you can
join in the fun too!
Sign up at the kiosk later in the month of
February.
Sunday Morning Cookies
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23
2/5: (8:00) Angie Franzenburg & Rachel Luebbe
(10:30) Christ Pinkerton & Sandy Sievert
2/12 (8:00) Van Nice family
(10:30) Barb Schwenneker
2/19 (8:00) Erma Hill & Margaret Brodale
(10:30) Carlyn Lesch
2/26 (8:00) Dawn Luedtke & Marilyn Luedtke
(10:30) Jessica Welch & Linda Larson
3/5 (8:00) Vicki Dalton
(10:30) Kristi Manley & Angela Dodd
Please sign up to provide cookies. Everyone enjoys treats and
fellowship after Sunday morning worship services.
Altar Flowers:
Beautify our Altar with flowers. Sign up at he kiosk.
2/5
2/12
2/19
2/26
3/5
ALTAR
Terry & Michelle Warner
Jerry & Linda Rogers
Dave & Rachel Luebbe
Heidi Iltis
Gary & Linda Larson
ORGAN
Lynn Bell
Tim & Dawn Curtiss
When you have signed up to provide flowers for a certain date, please fill out the pink
Altar Flower instruction sheet and turn it in to the office. The cost for a bouquet is $38
(slightly more if you wish to add special flowers). Please make checks payable to RCLC
Altar Guild. --OR-- please let the office know if you choose to purchase and deliver a
flower arrangement of your choice to the sanctuary by 4pm on the Friday preceding your
chosen date.
THE
ARISING
NEWS
February Worship Servants
Elders: 8:00
2/4
2/5
Ron Gruenhagen
2/8
2/11
2/12 Craig Tannahill
2/15
2/18
2/19 Rich Emory
2/22
2/25
2/26 Ron Gruenhagen
3/1
3/4
3/5
Reynold Waech
10:30
5:30
6:30
Ron Borcherding
John Riedel
Jim Wegener
Mike Botz
Reynold Waech
Scott Sievert
Gene Sperry
Gary Hentze
John Riedel
Ron Borcherding
Tim Welch
Craig Tannahill
Mike Botz
Jim Wegener
Acolytes:
2/5
Carter Atkins
Marc Pfeiffer
Carter Wichelt
Dana Johnson
2/12
Kaedyn Burkey
James Queen
2/19
Logan Rall
Julian Charley
Jackson Franzenburg Justin McCarley
2/26
Grant Van Nice
Katelyn Bell
3/5
Elizabeth Mann
Casey Krager
Marissa Terry
Patrick McCarley
PAGE
25
Greeters:
8:00
2/5
Lee & Florence Reedy
2/12 Dan & Trish Speth
2/19 Reynold & Paulette Waech
2/26 Joe & Carol Brophy
3/5
Bill & Karen Faris
field
Ushers:
2/5
Ross Bergen
Joe Brophy
Bill Faris
Jason Franzenburg
2/12 Garry Gruenhagen
Harlan Kundel
Dan Kloppenborg
James Luedtke
2/19 Dave Luebbe
Andrew Pfeiffer
Dohn Pfeiffer
Marv Reimers
2/26 Steve McCoy
Jim Wegener
Terry Warner
Todd Mensendick
3/5
Jason Werning
Mike Vieger
Ross Bergen
Joe Brophy
THE
ARISING
NEWS
10:30
Kerry & Kali Gruenhagen
Chris & Gary Pinkerton
Tim & Jessica Welch
Travis & Heather Schwenneker
Stan & Cindy StanAltar Guild
Gil Linenberger
Ian McCloud
Larry Niebuhr
Rick Ehrke
Roger Dodd
Allan Elias
Tim Welch
Travis Schwenneker
Brad Johnson
Andrew McDowell
Craig Tannahill
Brody Welch
Scott Sievert
Gary Larson
Gary Pinkerton
Gil Linenberger
Ian McCloud
Larry Niebuhr
Rick Ehrke
Roger Dodd
February:
Kelly Roehm
Pam Dittmer
March:
Erma Hill
Karen Farris
April:
Lori Lakey