January 2015 CLC CrossWord

JANUARY 2015

Christ Lutheran Church • Highlands Ranch, CO • Gathering † Gifting † Sending

News from the Preschool Hello and Happy New Year from the preschool! We hope everyone had a blessed holiday season!

This January we be hosting our annual Western Day in honor of the Stock show. This has always been a blast with our entertainer, dancing and cooking up some hot dogs like the cow folk used to do on the trail.

STEWARDSHIP

Preschool Appreciation Sunday is on January 11th at the 9:30 a.m. service. The children will be singing for the congregation so please come to service to see us.

It is also open enrollment time for Fall, 2015! We encourage anyone, who would like to tour the school or knows of a neighbor or family member who would like visit, to pass the news along about our wonderful program. Please have them call Deb or Blair at 303-471-9290 for a personal tour or check us out on our website at www.myclcpreschool.org. Please let friends know we serve children ages 2 ½ through 6 years old and offer 16 different classroom options including before and after kids klub.

We continue to learn more about Jesus and keep him close in our hearts every day helping us to grow in his love. We wish the same for you in keeping him close.

Many blessings, Deb and Blair.

Thank you for your contributions of time, talent and treasure!

Because of you, our mission of Gathering, Gifting and Sending Followers of Jesus Christ was successful in 2014. As we enter the New Year, please prayerfully consider how you will commit to partner with us in generating stories of life change for 2015.

Is this the year that you will join a small group that has intrigued you?

Can we look to you to volunteer your time with our youth?

Are you in a financial position to increase your annual pledge by 5, 10 or 15%?

With over 40 mission programs and 75 ministries, there are numerous ways for you to exercise the stewardship that Jesus Christ asks of us. How will you answer?

Farewell Celebration Honoring Pastor Tom Please join us Friday, January 30th at 7:00pm in the Fellowship Hall to celebrate Pastor Tom Shelly and all that he has done for CLC. Details will follow, but for now just add it to your calendar. Cheers!

STAFF: Rev. Tom Shelly, Sr. Pastor pstrfstr@clchr.org

Pastor Tom’s Message

Rev. DJ Dent, Associate Pastor pastordent@clchr.org Dianne Yoss Interim Director Outreach & Equipping outreach@clchr.org Debbie Freeman Interim Office Staff for Outreach & Equipping dfreeman@clchr.org Gary Knutson Director of Youth & Family gknutson@clchr.org Deb Morgans Director of Preschool dmorgans@clchr.org Mary Behnke Administrative Manager mbehnke@clchr.org Sallie Burns Financial Secretary sburns@clchr.org Linda Holcombe Director of Music lindaholcombe64@gmail.com Nicholas Koltay Administrative Assistant nkoltay@clchr.org Carrie Mallery Principal Pianist Larry Scalfari Pianist Barbara Pierson Director Nursery Ministry Barbara.Pierson@comcast.net Meliha & Predrag Vajzovic Custodians

CHURCH COUNCIL: Adrian Hafner backyardkids@hotmail.com Bret Sumner bretsumner@hotmail.com John Ringkob jer@dascoinc.com John Riley johnriley05@comcast.net Lesley Cantrell we4cantrells@mac.com Erika Alpern eajteach@yahoo.com Karen Rucker kkosty@excite.com Steve Schaeberle Schaeberle1@comcast.net Bob Weber B14169k@comcast.net All articles, photos and notices for the next issue of CrossWord are due by the 15th of the month.

Send to mbehnke@clchr.org. Editor reserves the right to edit for content and space.

The Greatest Gift In the biblical story of the birth of Jesus, the Holy family is visited

by Wise Men from the east. Little is really known about them.

Where and when they visited the infant Jesus is not given.

Although it would seem to be sometime before Jesus was three years old and in Bethlehem, before Joseph, Mary and Jesus fled to Egypt because Herod had ordered the killing of all male babies under the age of three.

The number of Wise Men is not given either in the scriptures, it could have been a few or hundreds. The tradition is that there were three because of the three gifts mentioned, of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The biblical Wise Men are thought to be Medes from Persia (modern day Iran). Traditionally Christianity has celebrated the Wise Men and their gifts on January 6th, the Day of Epiphany (Twelfth Day of Christmas).

In 1895 Henry Van Dyke wrote a delightful and speculative short novel titled “The Other Wise Man.” It was made into a movie in 1985 titled “The Fourth Wise Man.” I highly recommend it as I think it captures the heart of Christianity, searching and following Jesus from His birth to crucifixion, and captures the meaning and purpose of Jesus’ life and ministry. That ministry is summed up from a parable of Jesus where he says, “As you have done to the least of these, you have done so to me.” While slightly outdated (a remake of this movie is needed). “The Fourth Wise Man” is a great family movie around the holidays.

Van Dyke’s novel is about a fourth Wise Man named Artaban. Like the other Magi, he sees signs in the heavens proclaiming that a King had been born among the Jews. Like them, he sets out to see the newborn ruler, carrying treasures to give as gifts to the child - a sapphire, a ruby, and a pearl of great price. But Artaban is constantly delayed and diverted by the needs of others.

Finally when Artaban does “catch up” to Jesus it seems to be too late because his gifts are gone. But it is not too late! It would seem that Jesus explains to Artaban that the greatest gift of all, one we can give is ourselves! Artaban has been giving himself to others his whole journey. “As you have done to the least of these, you have done so to me.”

Next month will be my last Newsletter article to you at Christ Lutheran Church in Highlands Ranch! That is hard to believe. We have served together for nearly eight and a half years! That is hard for me to believe! The time has passed quickly because it has been so good, so full of good things. Thanking you all in that time will not be enough for all we have experienced and done together.

I hope you will feel the same way as we have shared among each other the greatest of gifts, ourselves. From our joys and celebrations, our ministry and work, our hurts and sorrows, we have opened our hearts to one another and walked together on this portion of our faith journey. I have been blessed, you have been blessed, now it is time for those blessings to move on, move forward.

Years ago I came across one of my favorite Christmas time sayings, “Wise Men (and Women) Still Seek Him!” May we continue the search and help others along the way!

Pastor Tom +

BETH MOORE BIBLE STUDY

Pastor DJ’s Message

“To Live is Christ: The Life & Ministry of Paul”

The Angels It should probably come as no surprise to you that the Roman Catholics have far more extensive teachings on angels than do the Lutherans. If you haven’t heard my spiel on this before, it is because Lutherans concern themselves with one thing – preaching the Good News of justification by grace through faith; all else falls into the category of “adiaphora” or “extra things”. To say there is an official teaching about angels that is uniquely Lutheran would be incorrect. However, over the next few months I will try and relay both scriptural, cultural, and traditional understandings of angels. The two questions that came in about angels were whether Lutherans believed in angels and what “bad angels” were. Both of these should be answered in the process of the articles to follow.

This month, I will offer a bit of language introduction on what angels are.

Please come join other women from the congregation for the bible study, “To Live is Christ: The Life & Ministry of Paul”

by Christian speaker and author Beth Moore.

During this 11 week video-driven study, you will go on a journey into the life of Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, who served faithfully and loved heartily. As you study the Book of Acts and the Letters of Paul, you will be challenged to follow Paul's example, just as he followed the example of Christ.

Two options for this study include: (1) Thursday evenings from 7:00-9:00pm in the Sonrise room, starting January 15th, 2015; or (2) Monday mornings from 9:15-11:15am in the Sonrise room beginning January 26th, 2015.

The cost is $25 and childcare will be available. Please sign up no later than January 4, 2015 for the Thursday Evening session and no later than January 15, 2015 for the Monday Morning session.

If you would like more information, or have specific questions, please feel free to contact Chris Schaeberle at 303794-3673 or schaeberle1@comcast.net.

We get the word “angel” from the Greek word “aggelos” (pronounced angelos) which means messenger. There is another word in Hebrew, Mal’ak, which means roughly the same thing. In scripture, the word “angel” is applied to many things. First, prophets are known as the messengers of God (see Isaiah 42:19). Priests, too, carry messages from God to the people and vice versa (Malachi 2:7). It is also used to apply to people who just carry messages to one another (Philippians 2:25). My hunch is that the questions that came in aren’t all that concerned about these folks.

However, as later answers will show, it’s important to keep in mind this usage of the word. What scripture elsewhere says about heavenly beings, it takes a number of different words and mashes them into the “angel” umbrella, even though it’s not necessarily the best english translation, or at the very least there should be some distinctions made.

It is probably pertinent here to add that the church has fought about angels since the beginning and my intention in this is to educate rather than challenge a point of belief. Our personal beliefs about angels are formed both from ideas in scripture, but also about cultural ideas and experiences, which means we all likely have different interpretations of these beings, so please, if you feel compelled to disagree, do it in a spirit of reconciliation rather than antagonism.

Thank you for always being angels of God’s work in the world, Pastor DJ

DYNAMITE

Attention 4th-6th graders!

Want to make lasting friendships?

Then Dynamite Youth Group is for you!

Dynamite meets on the second Sunday of each month (September - May) at 5:00pm in the Fellowship Hall.

The next monthly meeting will be Sunday, January 11th.

Volunteer Participation and Appreciation 2014 was an incredible year for CLC and we (the staff ) just want to thank you all for your participation. Whether you volunteered your services, provided food for an event, joined a small group, attended services, etc., we want to thank our congregation for their time, talents, treasures, and efforts.

Your participation is what shapes our culture and makes CLC truly special. Thank you all and Happy New Year!

Happy Birthday Jeremiah Fellows 1-Jan Michelle Jewett 1-Jan Nicole Jewett 1-Jan Monica Martin 1-Jan Karisa McCulloch 1-Jan Ryan Abraham 2-Jan Joe Gullia 2-Jan Carson Bergman 3-Jan Karin Harlan 3-Jan Kirsten Lee 3-Jan Mike Rucker 3-Jan Michelle Stein 3-Jan Luke Woodring 3-Jan W.K 'Kirk' Kirk 5-Jan Shane Pickrell 5-Jan Tyler Pinon 5-Jan Jeremy Radtke 5-Jan Kip Schauer 5-Jan Casadee Subart 5-Jan Sheri Halverson 6-Jan Karen Patz 6-Jan Keith LaShier 7-Jan Ryan Fix 8-Jan Adam Smith 8-Jan Andrea Tonelli 8-Jan Diana Kirk 9-Jan Tyler Macko 9-Jan Nick Rockwell 9-Jan Dwight Buderus 10-Jan Pete Koury 10-Jan

Steve Talus 10-Jan Sam Thompson 10-Jan Melody Zorgdrager 10-Jan Carmen Abraham 11-Jan Lana Morris 11-Jan Adam Schultz 11-Jan Huruy Kahsay 12-Jan Thomas Pontius 12-Jan Zach Benner 13-Jan Maria Farrier 13-Jan Sena Porter 13-Jan Matt Schulte 13-Jan Bob Bremer 14-Jan Jacob Ringkob 14-Jan Angela Rohr 14-Jan Susan Schleuder 14-Jan Zachariah Waggoner 14-Jan Hannah Anderson 16-Jan Josh Childs 16-Jan Craig Johnson 16-Jan Kristie Nedved 16-Jan Brian Swenson 16-Jan James Etten 17-Jan Scott Sorenson 17-Jan John Flynn 18-Jan Andrea Hardegree 18-Jan Conner Kramer 18-Jan Cassandra Chavez 19-Jan Nathan Henkes 19-Jan Christopher Hinz 19-Jan

Mackenzie Mavis 19-Jan John Tiedgen 19-Jan Jason Curry 20-Jan August Graham 20-Jan Martha Hanson 20-Jan Glenda Kravitz 20-Jan Mark Schultz 20-Jan Halee Belcher 21-Jan Jason Fleming 21-Jan Erik Halverson 21-Jan Kealy Reed 21-Jan Larry Tew 21-Jan Kaitlyn Arellano 22-Jan Jake Doernbrack 22-Jan Scott Lasater 22-Jan Kylie McKissack 22-Jan Beth Ott 22-Jan Nicholas Purchase 22-Jan Preston Schnoor 22-Jan Elaine Woodring 22-Jan Steve Burns 23-Jan Adam Gray 23-Jan Kendra Reiter 23-Jan Suzanne Wischer 23-Jan Heidi Erickson 24-Jan Jessie Gutsch 24-Jan Mikaela Mitchell 24-Jan Megan Rucker 24-Jan Katherine Witkind 24-Jan Chris Porter 25-Jan

Tim Cook 26-Jan Kenna Macky 26-Jan Dan McCullor 26-Jan Melanie Schultz 26-Jan Kingston Aaberg 27-Jan Ryan Butler 27-Jan Courtney Folkerts 27-Jan Breana Kaiser 27-Jan Tina Kron 27-Jan Janet Bielefeldt 28-Jan Amy DeBoer 28-Jan Chris Harant 28-Jan Karen Knauff 28-Jan Jack Adams 29-Jan Dorothy Logan 29-Jan Sharon Perko 29-Jan Matt Schulte 29-Jan Zach Peterson 30-Jan Hailey Walsh 30-Jan Millie Baker 31-Jan Keith Burt 31-Jan Alexander Harlan 31-Jan Kelly Ingebritson 31-Jan Carl Larsen 31-Jan Tony Meyer 31-Jan Samantha Oberg 31-Jan Annette Pickrell 31-Jan

Blood Drive The first Bonfils Blood Drive of the new year will be

Sunday, January 25th from 8:30-12:30 in the Fellowship Hall

URBAN PEAK 2015 Please check the response sheet for the months that are still available. CLC provides meals to the shelter on the fourth Friday of every month all year long.

We will be sending sign-up sheets around during all services prior to that date.

For more information, please contact Dianne Yoss at outreach@clchr.org.

This is a wonderful opportunity, and we greatly encourage your participation. The youth at Urban Peak really appreciate a good meal. Please indicate your interest on the response sheet, or contact Dianne Yoss with any questions.

JANUARY SUNDAY

FOOD DRIVE BEGINS 8a Worship/CC 9:30a Worship/SS 11a Worship/CC 7p AA Meeting

MONDAY

4 6:30a Men's Breakfast Group 8:15a Preschool 7p Boy Scouts 7p Personnel Mtg.

TUESDAY

5 8:15a Preschool

9a Take down decorations 11a Preschool Chapel 11:15a Staff Mtg. 5p Crossroads Band 6:30p Praise Team 7p Blaze-Sr. High 8p mops set-up

8a Worship/CC 11 9:30a Worship/SS 9:30a Preschool Appreciation Sunday 11a Worship/CC 12:15p CLC KidsRock!

3:30p Dynamite youth group 7p AA Meeting

6:30a Men's Breakfast 12 Group 8:15a Preschool 9:30a Mission Quilters 6p Boy Scouts Venture Crew 7p Boy Scouts 7p Legacy & Endowment Mtg.

RMS MS Youth Gathering 18 8a Worship/CC 9:30a Worship/SS 11a Worship/CC 12:15p CLC KidsRock!

7p AA Meeting

6:30a Men's Breakfast 19 8:15a Preschool 11a Preschool Chapel Group 11:15a Staff Mtg. 8:15a No school Preschool 1p Visiting Nurse Assoc.

7p Boy Scouts 5p Crossroads Band 6:30p Praise Team 7p Blaze-Sr. High 8p mops set-up

8a Worship/CC 25 8:30a Bonfils Blood Drive 9:30a Worship/SS 11a Worship/CC 12:15p CLC KidsRock!

7p AA Meeting

6:30a Men's Breakfast 26 Group 8:15a Preschool 9:15a Beth Moore Study 9:30a Mission Quilters 6p Boy Scouts Venture Crew 7p Boy Scouts

8:15a Preschool 11a Preschool Storyteller 11:15a Staff Mtg. 1p Ministry Planning Mtg. 5p Crossroads Band 6:30p Praise Team 7p Blaze-Sr. High 7p Council Mtg.

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

NEW YEAR'S DAY 1 OFFICE CLOSED 8:15a No School Preschool

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

8:15a No School Preschool 2 5p Worship/CC

3

6 8:15a Preschool

7 8:15a Preschool

13 8:15a Preschool

14 8:15a Preschool

15 RMS MS Youth Gathering 16 RMS MS Youth Gathering 17

20 8:15a Preschool

21 8:15a Preschool

22 8:15a Preschool

9a Adult University 6:30p Cub Scout Den Mtg. 7p Celebration Choir 7p Cub Scout Leader Mtg.

9a MOPS Mtg 11a Preschool Chapel 2p Preschool Chapel 7p Confirmation Learning Event

10a MOPS Steering 11a Preschool Storyteller 2p Preschool Storyteller 6p Brownie Troop Mtg. 7p Confirmation Small Group

8:15a Preschool 27 9:15a Music Time with Linda 11:15a Staff Mtg. 5p Crossroads Band 6:30p Praise Team 7p Blaze-Sr. High

9a MOPS Mtg 11a Preschool Chapel 2p Preschool Chapel 7p Confirmation Learning Event

8:15a Preschool 28 9:15a Music time with Linda 10a Western Lunch Preschool 2p Music time with Linda 6p Confirmation Guide Huddle 7p Confirmation Learning Event

9a Adult University 7p Beth Moore Study 7p Celebration Choir

8 8:15a Preschool

9a Rejoice Circle 12p OWLS Luncheon

8:15a Preschool 5:30p Preschool Parent's Night Out

9a Adult University 4:30p Douglas County Singers 7p Celebration Choir

9a Rejoice Circle

9 9a Chicks w/Sticks

9a Preschool Supermom Saturday 1p Ringkob event 5p Preschool Parent's Night Out 5p Worship/CC

10

5p Worship/CC

23 7a General Maintenance 24 5p Worship/CC

8:15a Preschool 29 8:15a Preschool 30 5p Worship/CC 9a Adult University 7p Pastor Tom's Celebration 10a Western Lunch Preschool Party 4:30p Douglas County Singers 7p Beth Moore Study 7p Celebration Choir

31

Followers of Jesus Christ

8997 S. Broadway Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 Change Service Requested

There’s a place for you!

Outreach Ministries

Harrington Elementary School in Denver – various projects Outreach Uganda Urban Peak Teen Shelter Alcoholics Anonymous Bonfils Blood Drive Sky Ranch Lutheran Camp Lutheran Family Services projects Grant Avenue Street Reach Pueblo De Dios (in CA) Projects ELCA World Hunger Military Ministry Chicks with Sticks Mission Quilters

Music

CLC Kids Rock!

Youth Worship Weekend Band Celebration Carillon Ringers Crossroads Douglas County Singers Praise Team Carillon Ringers

Preschool

Church Community Ministries Altar Guild New Mothers Ministry Worship Teams First Impressions Team Ushers and Greeters Bulletin “Folders” Readers Decorating Team Assisting Ministers Mowing & Snow Removal Kitchen Team Recycling Team Maintenance Team Sweet Bread Ministry Sign Team Chefs for Christ Sanctuary Care Card Ministry Prayer Tree

Fun and Fellowship

OWLS – Senior group meets monthly for fellowship Shepherds Dinner Group Men’s Book Club Women’s Book Club Advance! Men’s Group Women’s Bunko

Youth & Family Ministries

Baptism Classes First Bible Classes First Communion Classes Summer Vacation Bible School Confirmation Classes (7th & 8th graders) Sunday School Dynamite Youth Group (4th, 5th & 6th graders) BLAZE (Senior High School Youth Group) Mission Trips Family Nights

Education and Fellowship

Adult Education Classes (held during 9:30 service and Thursdays at 9:00am) Men’s Breakfast Group – bible study group meets every Monday morning Women of Joy – a Christian book club that meets twice monthly for fellowship and service Rejoice Circle – women’s bible study, meets twice monthly