Neighbors by CLB Network

Faith Fellowship Church of the Lutheran Brethren

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May/June 2013

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Vol. 80, No. 3

1 s r o b gh

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Jerusalem • Samaria • The Ends of the Earth

www.ffmagazine.org

In This Issue 4 6 8

Baseball and New Beginnings Jason Rogness

FAITH & FELLOWSHIP

Experiencing Grace

Volume 80 - Number 3

Kristian Anderson

Director of Communications: Tim Mathiesen tmathiesen@clba.org | twitter: @ffmag

Back to Nazareth Paul Szobody

CLB Focus Roy Heggland

Who is My Neighbor? Cheryl Olsen

Approved for Call Matthew Rogness

Journey to Chad Danny Bronson

The Pregnant Church Steve Paulson

FF Editor: Brent Juliot bjuliot@clba.org

Life at LBS David Veum Loving Your Neighbor CheckPoint Ministry CLB News

A Message from the New Guy Warren Hall re:Think Brent Juliot

Publisher/Graphic Designer: Troy Tysdal ttysdal@clba.org All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Pray On!

Neighbors MIKE NATALE

Lord, Most Gracious Heavenly Father as we come to you in prayer today, help us to never forget your Son’s death on the cross and his triumphal resurrection from the grave. Those are the truths that are at the foundation of our faith and the Good News that we all crave. As we reflect on the cross and your selfless sacrifice for us, allow your Holy Spirit to empower us to share this truth with our neighbors. We know that you “want all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4), and that Jesus tells us to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). We ask you to allow these Scripture passages to color all of our interactions with those around us. Empower us and encourage us to share this great news of our crucified and 2

risen Savor with everyone we come in contact with. Lord, give us the words to say to our family, friends, and co-workers so that we can speak the truth into their lives about your great provision. Assist us as we share the forgiveness of sin that is found only in your death on the cross. Encourage us as we assure others of eternal life found only in your powerful resurrection from the grave and your ascension into heaven. We ask all these things in your Son’s precious name, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen. Mike Natale is pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Underwood, MN. The CLB Prayer Team is on-call to pray for requests from our family of churches. E-mail the team at: pray@prayclb.org

Faith & Fellowship

Glimpse All You Need is Love On June 25, 1967, the Beatles performed their hit song “All You Need Is Love” for over 400 million viewers in 26 countries in the first ever live international satellite television broadcast. The production was titled “Our World” and the Beatles had been asked to write a song with a simple message to be understood by all nationalities, and that is what they did. Their message of tolerance and peace rippled through the western world igniting what is now remembered as “The Summer of Love.” The message was simple, clear, and to the point, but the Beatles found living it out to be far more difficult. Over the next two and a half years the world watched as the Beatles, the most influential rock band on earth, self-destructed. Almost two thousand years earlier, in the midst of attacks on his character and threats to his life, Jesus, the most influential man to ever walk the planet, delivered his own simple message about love. JOHN 3:16-18 Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” Jesus is the greatest expression of love that the world has ever seen. His life on earth was an example of God’s perfect, pure and holy love in action. You see, there is a difference between the love the Beatles wrote about and the love www.ffmagazine.org

Jesus demonstrated. Love is more than a concept. It is more than tolerance, more than “live and let live.” Jesus taught us that love is serving and obeying God and that love is an unselfish concern for the greater good of others. During his time on earth Jesus dined with tax collectors, reached out to prostitutes, and took time to invest himself in the lives of those around him. Finally, he was crucified for the sins of the world. But his story, the story of God’s love in action, did not end at the cross. There was an empty tomb, a risen Lord, and a great commission. You see, Jesus was more than just a man; he was God in the flesh, offering salvation to all who believe. Before he ascended into heaven, he said to his disciples, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Let me translate that for you: Jesus said, “You will be God’s love in action.” As believers in Jesus Christ we have been given the gift of faith, and with that gift comes a simple message of God’s

TROY TYSDAL

love for all the nations of the earth. The task before us is big, and it can seem overwhelming. It can cause us to throw up our hands in defeat, not even knowing where to begin. But the answer to that question is simple. We follow the model that Jesus put in place. Reaching the ends of the earth begins by investing ourselves in the lives of those around us. It begins by loving our neighbors, caring for them, and pointing them to the perfect, pure and holy love of God, which is Jesus Christ. When we live as witnesses to the love of God, we become the body of Christ, God’s love in action, creating a ripple effect of salvation from person to person, country to country and to the ends of the earth, forever changing the lives and eternity of those who hear and believe. Rev. Troy Tysdal is Church Resource Coordinator for the Church of the Lutheran Brethren, and serves as Publisher for Faith & Fellowship Magazine. Visit Faith & Fellowship Magazine online at www.ffmagazine.org

Pastor Jason and Aaron playing baseball

Baseball and New Beginnings JASON ROGNESS

stepped up to the mound. It was just me and the new guy. A 40-year-old catcher who had a connection with our manager and was looking to keep playing in the 25-year-old league. I wondered if he had played much baseball, or if he knew that we hadn’t won a game all year. 4

I soon realized he knew baseball, and like me, just loved to play. So began my friendship with Aaron. After a round of pitching, I asked: “So where did you grow up?” In the next twenty minutes, I heard how he grew up in Washington, D.C. and played for

Northern Virginia in the Little League World Series in the early 80s. He was a young catcher with a bright future. But things turned quickly. Unable to live up to his dad’s expectations for him, Aaron was kicked out of the house at age 17. His relationship with his dad was severed, Faith & Fellowship

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40

and Aaron found himself living on the streets of D.C. Before he got into too much trouble, a carpenter picked him up, gave him work, taught him the trade. The work eventually moved him to Colorado with the building boom of the 90s. To Aaron, it was a fresh start. “So what do you do?” he asked me. I chuckled inside. If he had a clue, he probably wouldn’t have said anything. “I’m a pastor,” I said. He looked at me, paused for a moment, then said, “I guess I’m talking to the right guy.” In another twenty minutes, I heard that his dad was a deacon in the church—a leader with the skills to plant vision, and a pocketbook to back it up. At the same time, Aaron felt his dad was selfish at home. To Aaron, the church was full of hypocrites who say one thing and do the other. So he had no time for it. He had even tried a church again since his move, but the pastor didn’t return his call, and his only communication with them was a letter he received asking him for money. I didn’t really know what to say other than, “I don’t blame you.” His story sounded like millions of others in this world. I probably agreed he was justified in thinking the way he did, and I tried to convince him that not all churches are that way. I honestly don’t remember much of what I said. But what he said next swung the door wide open. Aaron loves working with wood and is an excellent cabinet maker, but he was out of a job. He had a proposal. He would do some work at the church for free if we provided the materials. “Why?” I thought. “After all this, you still want to step foot in a church?” He felt guilty for having not given back in a long time. He didn’t have any money. But he could work, so he could give that way. In the next year, Aaron and I spent many, many hours working together, building a sound booth in the sanctuary, and remodeling our church kitchen. www.ffmagazine.org

I listened and watched everything he did. I asked questions and made sure he knew that he was the boss. And in those weeks he began asking questions himself, seeking answers. We would discuss, agree, disagree, sometimes even hit a wall. But at least we had a dialogue going. My girlfriend soon reminded me that I was forgetting an essential element. I could not convince Aaron of anything, but the Word of God could. And soon Aaron and I were reading the Gospel of John while we took our lunch break. Whether it was at my house, or sitting in Q’doba with a burrito in one hand and a Bible in another, reading the Bible together was a pattern that continued while we worked. And wouldn’t you know? One day Aaron said: “I think it’s time I get baptized.” I didn’t have any magic words to say. The relationship was built with the Word of God doing its work, while two people were doing something they love. I think this is what Jesus meant when he proclaimed, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). We spend so much time asking ourselves what that looks like, instead of just doing it. We too often generalize our “neighbor” as people across the ocean, or in places where no other Christians go. Even though we know that neighbors are everywhere, including our communities. Dave Runyon, a friend and fellow pastor, and author of The Art of Neighboring, recently challenged the pastors at Lutheran Brethren Seminary’s J-Term to rethink what being a neighbor looks like. Dave has done the same with the pastors in Arvada, Colorado. We’ve come to the conclusion that neighboring is an art that has been lost in today’s society. So we’ve gone back to square one. We have encouraged our parishioners to get to know their actual neighbors, co-workers, and people they have regular contact with. It’s simply being

intentional with those around us. It’s inviting the person across the street over for dinner or having a block party. It’s starting a friendship with the bank teller or a conversation with the catcher on the baseball team. All for the purpose of investing in them and their story. It’s not a church program. It doesn’t take over the Sunday School hour or the small groups. Rather, it allows a church to grow. New faces in our homes equals new faces in church. And new faces in church equals new faces in small groups. It’s simple. Be a neighbor. I am thankful that Aaron now knows Jesus. He is an active part of our church community, attends a small group, and is a regular on Sundays. We still work on projects together, and have gotten other young men in the church involved. We are currently renovating a small building on the property into a prayer chapel, and preparing the church garden for spring planting. This is just one story. Many more are yet to be written—by you, I pray. Rev. Jason Rogness serves as lead pastor at Community in Christ Lutheran Brethren Church in Arvada, CO.

Community

in Christ

Visit Community in Christ Lutheran Brethren Church online at www.cicarvada.com

Experiencing Grace KRISTIAN ANDERSON

or it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). This is one of the cornerstones of our faith—the understanding that it is through God’s grace that we are saved. Serving God at 59th Street Church in Brooklyn, I’ve come to realize that the concept of God’s grace can be extremely hard for people to grasp if they have never experienced real grace in their human relationships. It is one thing to know about grace intellectually, and another thing to understand it in your heart. What if you grew up with an absent mom and an abusive father? How would you know what unconditional love is? You might feel that the idea of God and his love is a nice story for someone else, but not for you. The first time I walked into a youth group meeting at 59th Street Church as an adult was in 2006. I had attended youth group there as a teenager, but now as a new believer in Christ, I had a new perspective. I saw the all-too-familiar game of scatter dodge ball—“every man for himself”—being played in the gym. To the naked eye it did appear that everyone was playing for himself. But as I surveyed the room I noticed something. It wasn’t really every man for himself, it was more like “every ethnic group for itself.” Kids of the same ethnicity helped 6

only each other during the game so that theirs would be the last group standing. Then at that point they would switch to playing as individuals to see who the winner would be. This, unfortunately, was a very familiar scene to me. Growing up in Brooklyn, the second most ethnically diverse place in the world, I have always been around people who do not look like me. In Brooklyn the neighborhoods are primarily divided by race. Brooklyn is a patchwork quilt made up of all these different pockets of people, close to each other yet distinctly separate. The people in the different groups keep to their own. As you walk down the streets you can clearly see where one ethnic neighborhood ends and the next one starts. So as I looked at our game room, and saw each ethnic group in their own corner, it was a perfect reflection of the world outside our church. Distrust or even outright dislike of other races and ethnicities is often learned by kids in their own homes as they grow up, and that’s a really hard issue to overcome in church ministry. We know that God calls us to be together in unity. We know we must not focus on each other’s differences but on our commonalities— that we all need a Savior, and that regardless of how good we try to be or how far we fall short, we are all on equal ground at the foot of the cross. Yet racial division is a very real and present problem in the lives of the kids who walk

into our church. When they encounter other ethnic groups in church, how can they just put away their background, experience, and teaching? When grace is almost never given to, or received from, people of other backgrounds, how can one understand the grace that comes from God? As their pastor, my desire is to have these youth come to that understanding. But there are so many issues and problems they face. It is hard for them to hear that message of grace. This has led my wife and I to become passionate about living out God’s grace in our lives. At the end of our Winter Weekend retreat in 2012, one young man remained downstairs after everyone had left. He was very upset. My wife approached him and asked what was wrong. His reply was that other kids were excited to go home and sleep in their beds, but he didn’t want to go home. His home was a stairwell in the Coney Island project houses. That weekend had been the first time he slept Faith & Fellowship

Pastor Kristian Anderson outside of 59th Street Lutheran Brethren Church in Brooklyn, NY

in a bed in months. The words of Jesus from Matthew 25:40 echoed in my head: “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” I knew that this young man had not experienced much grace in his life. He had been abandoned by his father, then by his mother, and kicked out of various other temporary living situations. God’s command is to love our neighbor. If we truly desire to do this, it means not only meeting people’s needs spiritually, but also physically. It might mean opening up your home, which is what my wife and I did for this young man for five months. God doesn’t always call us to be comfortable. We often prefer to serve God in ways that are easy and manageable. But where is the sacrifice in that? Looking at the way Jesus served, we see he did it sacrificially. He repeatedly put himself in uncomfortable situations. How did Jesus live with Judas for three www.ffmagazine.org

years, knowing what he would inevitably do? Jesus knew that after all the miracles he performed, all the great sermons he gave, all the people he healed, Judas— who saw it all—would still betray him and not live in paradise with him. Yet Jesus spent countless hours with Judas, loving him—a love that would never be returned. How do we love people who don’t love us back? What if we serve someone sacrificially and never see any fruit from our labor? We are called to love our neighbors as ourselves, but what if our neighbor is full of hate? Deep sin issues—such as racism—can be hard to deal with. Why even try? But if I give into that feeling, I am whitewashing my own sin. Even though my sin does not appear to be as rampant as their sin, I’m still a wretched man. I’m in just as much need of a Savior. I’m on equal ground at the cross. When I see my own depravity, I begin to realize how much I have been loved. I am not above the mess of homelessness, and

lack of education, and ethnic division. I can get involved in the messiness of the sin in the lives of the people around me, because I know my life is just as messy. And Christ got involved with me. Our lives are not about carrying out our own agendas or being comfortable. They are about expressing toward other people the love Christ has shown us on the cross. When we see a person who was full of hate become a child of God, we experience the grace of God and see the transforming power of Christ’s love. There is no greater miracle. Pastor Kristian Anderson is youth pastor at 59th Street Lutheran Brethren Church in Brooklyn, NY.

Visit 59th Street Lutheran Brethren Church online at www.59thstreetlbc.org

Traditional Arab home or barn, called a “kuzzi”

Back to Nazareth PAUL SZOBODY

ow, imagine this—Young Jesus wakes up in a small mud-brick room, his surroundings colored by Jewish peasantry and poverty. He hops out of bed, prays, recites his weekly Torah text, and is off to eat with his mom, Mary. Then he scurries down stone steps to a lower-level workshop. Joseph is already there. The creaky wood shutters are wedged open to welcome the cool Galilean morning air. Jesus takes a deep breath, smiles at Joseph, and then measures, saws, pounds and sweeps up wood chips. Near noon, Jesus runs to the village 8

sand lot for a quick game with some neighborhood kids. It’s great fun. But they all have Hebrew school this afternoon. So, after some dried fish and bread back home, Jesus walks around the corner to the local synagogue. There, he recites in unison his Torah text, chants a Psalm, listens intently to the rabbi’s lesson, says the prayers, and then he meanders home in the twilight. Suddenly, he remembers: his neighbor’s wall was damaged in yesterday’s fierce winds. This neighbor is like so many— not too religious, sometimes rather cantankerous. Jesus doesn’t give it a

second thought: he’s off to end the day mending a wall. In every fiber of his being, he is conscious of something big going on: he’s growing up—in wisdom and stature and in grace before God and his neighbors (Luke 2:52). Now, take another look at this boy. He’s the eternal galaxy-builder! Yet in Nazareth he’s cutting wood, obeying mom and pop, kicking up sand with local buddies, singing Psalms, and restoring a cranky neighbor’s wall. Majestic grace is there—clothed in perfect modesty. Under the self-effacing garment of the commonplace is concealed the right Faith & Fellowship

“When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.” Luke 2:39-40

arm of the Almighty. Grace eternal takes temporal shape in simple acts, words, gestures and attitudes expressed in everyday labor, piety and friendships. In every theater of Jesus’ earthly itinerary, his grace draws a picture of what the life and will of God look like for all human beings in whom grace operates. Let’s change the scene: I wake up in a mud-brick room in a tiny village marked by African peasantry and stark poverty. I’m a guest of the village chief. Alone, I read a Gospel passage from Jesus’ life in Nazareth. I pray. Then I’m greeted with rice and tea for breakfast. I’m off now to work the millet harvest with the chief’s three wives and two other men. I walk across the desert wadi sands to the millet fields. There, together, we cut, carry in baskets on our heads, beat, rake, then winnow the millet grain in the desert wind. We bag it and load it onto a horsedrawn cart. It’s hard work. It makes your skin itch. And it’s hot (softy that I am, I can only endure the mornings). But it’s fun. They laugh at my Arabic and are amused that my tender whitey feet can take neither the heat of the threshing floor nor the prickliness of the chaff that we stir up with our feet. Regularly goading me on like a bunch of cheerleaders, they call out: “Poll! Chukraan Kattir!” (“Paul! Thank you VERY MUCH!”). We gelled. Affections soared, mutual respect blossomed. I stayed for a month. My purpose was to immerse myself into the village’s language and culture, far from big-city distractions and French-speakers. But it became much more. While there, I had time to think, read and pray about how Christians might live in a community either hostile or somewhat closed to their faith. How could non-Arab African believers, or Western missionaries, www.ffmagazine.org

overcome cultural religious prejudice against them? How could they earn trustworthiness? Why would the host community even want to welcome them or consider their message? I pondered. I read in the night. I thought about… laughing with my harvest companions, playing soccer with the children, watching shooting stars with a new friend during nightly vocabulary lessons, telling the story of the Prodigal Son from a picture book to inquisitive children and reading the Lord’s Prayer in Arabic to one of the chief’s wives… Out of my musings came an answer. It was this: in one word, Nazareth! The way to their hearts is the way the living Word came from his glory to us: through Nazareth. Before the larger ministry of Christ in Galilee, Samaria and Judea, he engaged in a thirty-year sojourn of missionary life, veiled—at Nazareth. Think about it: Jesus leaves his homeland to hunker down into what is to him, so to speak, a foreign world and culture at Nazareth. He’s an embedded missionary. There, the great mission of the Most High tented-in-the-lowlycreature has already begun! From his conception in a poor virgin’s womb, the Son gives himself as a perpetual offering of perfect adoration to the Father in love for his fallen neighbors. The measure of his self-humiliation is infinite. The precarious nature of his assignment is more than breathtaking. Moment by moment, “grace for grace” is given, as Jesus is patiently preparing for a future day. In the Father’s own time and under the Spirit’s impetus, a more public preaching agenda will appear. But for now, at Nazareth, the kingdom of God is already at work in a specific, hidden manner. Yes, Jesus the Nazarene missionary

“grew in grace”—a quiet grace of patient humility and hope. He “grew in wisdom”—a genuine, supernatural spirituality resourced in biblical contemplation and prayer. And he “grew in favor with God and people”—the favor that results in trusting relationships and works of love that provoke inquiries such as: Why such friendship? Why such good deeds? That’s the missionary’s moment to answer: because there’s Good News! I recently revisited the village with my family. As we were leaving, some girls and a little boy ran up to say goodbye. Quite spontaneously, I kissed each girl on the top of the head. Now, I don’t know if that’s culturally appropriate— it just happened. As my lips touched their braided furrows, I heard my heart whisper: “I love you.” At last I came to the lad. We spent much time together: there was a sweet bond. He fixed his face foreword with great expectation and a smile, awaiting the descent of his kiss. When the kiss set down on his newly shaven crown, his smile dilated with delight, from ear to ear… Ah yes, I’ve been to Nazareth. Missionary Paul Szobody and his wife Teresa serve with Lutheran Brethren International Mission in Chad, Africa.

LBIM

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F cus CLB

Our Closest Neighbor ROY HEGGLAND

od has been our neighbor since the beginning of time. He has been neighboring with us since he created Adam and Eve and walked with them in the Garden of Eden. Even after the Fall, God chose to live among us fallen, evil creatures as he dwelt in the Tabernacle and Temple. Then he moved into our neighborhood as a human being just like us! As he ascended to our future neighborhood, he gave us his Spirit to live among and within us. Paul reminds us in Acts 17:27-28, “…he is not far from each one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’” God commanded the Israelites in Leviticus to love their neighbors. Jesus told us to love our neighbors as ourselves in Matthew, Mark and Luke. He was speaking not only as our God and Father, but also as our closest neighbor—the One who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24b). He was not commanding us to do something different than he had done throughout history. God has been the best neighbor to us. The proof of his magnificent “neighboring” is his voluntary death on the cross for his neighbors. What would it look like if we were truly the kind of neighbor that he is? What if we really did love our neighbors as ourselves? What if we did sacrifice for the good of our neighbors? What if we spent as much time thinking about our neighbors’ welfare as we spent planning for our own? What a mind-boggling thought! Was Jesus just throwing out a lofty, completely unattainable goal when he commanded us to love our neighbors

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as ourselves? Do we think he would command us to do something without providing the necessary means for us to comply? Certainly we still contend with the Old Adam and his self-centered view of everything. We still succumb to the temptations of the devil, the world and our own flesh. But Christ has overcome all of these and gives us his own Spirit and his Word as he entreats us to live the life we have been given—a life in harmony with his will for us. As neighbors with each other in our CLB neighborhood, we have the opportunity to prove that our love for each other is genuine by caring for the financial needs of our CLB Ministries that provide the Good News to our ONLINE:

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neighbors in North America and around the world (2 Corinthians 8:8). Will you join together with others throughout our congregations as we look to the needs of our neighbors and love them through our prayers and gifts? Roy Heggland serves the CLB as Associate for Biblical Stewardship.

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Who is My Neighbor? CHERYL OLSEN

his is an age-old question, and when it was asked of Jesus, he didn’t give a definitive answer. Instead, he told a story of someone who was being a neighbor. Today, we still need ideas on how to be a neighbor! Here are some practical responses from women who are trying to express the love of Jesus outside their normal friend-circles: “My husband and I have had a neighborhood ‘root beer float night.’ Good way to meet and chat with neighbors. No one needs to bring anything and they can stay for ten minutes or an hour. It’s been a great way to hopefully let our light shine in our neighborhood. Some years I’ve had little mixer games which also have been a hit.” —Western Region “We generally have a Christmas open house here for the congregation. The parsonage is not next to the church so it’s a great way to get everyone to come out and see us. When we do this, we also invite all the neighbors on our street. (There are only nine houses, so we’re not overdoing it!)” —Central Region “59th Street Community Swap—not organized by a women’s group, but always planned and executed by women in our church. We organize this all-church rummage sale twice a year, but then don’t charge for anything. People bring what they don’t want anymore and take what they need. It’s become a great way to reach out to some of our lower-income neighbors.” —Eastern Region “We did the same thing here in Watford City, but it wasn’t just our women, it was opened to the whole community. With the influx of people here, and many families living in campers and RVs, we too decided to have a ‘Free Rummage Sale’ to help those in need of household items www.ffmagazine.org

and clothes. Whatever was left over was donated to the local thrift shop in one of the churches.” —Western Region “We are finding some success in outreach using ‘Oprah’s book’ or some best-selling book. We do a book study and then use the Bible to point out truth and fiction in the book.” —Canadian Region “Facebook is such a great communication tool. That’s how two women, not from our church, were added to our ‘Bible and brew’ study.” —Eastern Region “We are finding that community Bible studies at a coffee shop attract more interest than ones held at the church. The exception is low-income communities where they prefer to be at church where there is more room for child care for young moms.” —Canadian Region “Our Bible study held out in the neighborhood has had a good response. We met once at a Starbucks but then moved to Panera Bread. The idea of meeting out has worked well for us and there is no prep or clean up for us women, which is a plus. Just show up and eat if you want or not. But while we are there we see our neighborhood and occasionally someone we know.” —Eastern Region

“We had a fundraiser, called ‘Crafters on a Mission,’ for CLB Women’s Ministries. I know one of the crafters was new to our church, and it gave her a place to plug in. Two women in charge were involved in a new way based on their interests and talents.” —Eastern Region “Our local MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) organization has been great for me. It’s a wonderful safe place to invite other moms in the community. It gives me the opportunity to serve those in need by using the network that is already in place. I hear about so many needs (a meal for a family, clothes for a child, a prayer request) that I wouldn’t have known about otherwise.” —Western Region “I met weekly with other moms to pray for our children and their school. We used materials from ‘Moms in Touch’ to help focus our prayer time.” —Pacific Region I hope you’ve learned at least one new idea! Let’s continue to encourage each other to share God’s love and his Word! Cheryl Olsen is Information Coordinator for Women’s Ministries of the CLB.

Lutheran Brethren

International Mission

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BRINGING THE GOOD NEWS TO UNREACHED PEOPLE

Approved for Call MATTHEW ROGNESS

anny and Mandy Bronson have been approved for call as missionaries of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren to serve in Chad, Africa among the Bilala people. My earliest recollection of Danny is in the late 90s when he worked in the office of Youth Ministries and on training staff for the Servant Teams that served North American CLB congregations. Later he and the Youth Ministries staff were involved in a church plant in Arizona. Here was a young man who wanted to serve the Lord and the Church, and he quietly worked and learned while serving others. My earliest recollection of Mandy is about ten years later when she and Danny moved to Fergus Falls, Minnesota to attend Lutheran Brethren Seminary. Mandy was an occupational therapist. As she worked in that role in our community, I heard and saw first-hand of her caring heart that went beyond her job. It impacted my family because Mandy ministered to my mother-in-law. We learned that Mandy had served in shortterm missions before she and Danny married, and she became an important part of the mission committee that was leading our congregation toward the adoption of a people group. As they came to seminary, Danny and Mandy expressed to me and others their desire to serve the Lord in crosscultural ministry. They believed that God was calling them to full-time vocational service in an overseas cross-cultural setting. We have followed their ministry and heard their testimony. Now, as a Church, we have confirmed their personal call to serve as missionaries on behalf of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren of North America. For more than two years now, they have 12

The Bronson Family: Danny, Mandy, Theo (2), Ezekiel (4) and Jonah (1)

been serving Birch Hills Community Church and Saron Lutheran Church as pastor and as a couple who reach into their congregations and community. According to those Danny and Mandy have ministered among, and from their own testimony, they have been building relationships right where they have been planted. Pray that these relationships will bear fruit for eternity and the growth of these congregations for Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s glory. Lord willing, Danny and Mandy will complete their ministry time in the Birch Hills area on the first Sunday in June. They will come on staff with Lutheran Brethren International Mission later that month, moving from Saskatchewan to the States and beginning preparations for their eventual move to Chad. This will include visiting several congregations that will be a part of their support team. They will spend the month of July at Mission Training International where they will

be given cross-cultural adaptation and language acquisition skills. They will be commissioned for missionary service, do their final packing and will then leave for France where they will spend the academic year immersed in language learning. Danny and Mandy have a passion to see lost people reached with the Gospel message. Would you join them and their children in praying that these next years of language and cultural preparation will give them a foundation that allows them to speak the Good News into the lives and hearts of the Bilala people? Rev. Matthew Rogness serves the CLB as Director of International Mission.

LBIM

www.LBIM.org

Faith & Fellowship

Journey

to Chad PART 1 of 6

In God’s Hands THE JOURNAL OF DANNY AND MANDY BRONSON

n some ways it feels like Mandy and I are completing a long journey. At the same time, we know that the journey is just beginning. Before we got married, we both felt called by God to serve him in another country. Both of us were thinking of Africa. I had been planning for some time to study at Lutheran Brethren Seminary toward that end, and when we got married we began that part of our journey. Nearing seminary graduation, we looked for what God had planned for us next. We were excited about the possibility of serving with Lutheran Brethren International Mission in Chad, but there was no opening for us right away. Eventually, through God’s guidance, we found ourselves serving in Birch Hills, Saskatchewan, awaiting the time when we would be able to serve overseas. During the last two years, we have become very close to the people here in Birch Hills. They have become our family. Even though we are excited to serve with LBIM, it’s hard to leave the friends we’ve found here. It’s hard to see our kids interacting with the people here and know that they won’t remember most of this. It’s hard when we see how people love us and we feel like we are abandoning them. Of course, they are not the only people that we are leaving behind. We each have our families that we will not see for a long time. Even though Mandy and her sister have been away from home for over a decade, they and their mom still keep in contact almost every day. Hearing one another’s voices helps them get through what’s going on each day. That contact will become harder, considering the time zone changes, and eventually very difficult. My family, on the other hand, is used www.ffmagazine.org

to being out of contact for long periods of time, but we still try to get together as often as we can, at least a couple of times a year. But now we will be away from them for several years. It’s not as hard for the adults, maybe, but I know it will be hard for our kids not being able to see their cousins for that long. On top of all that, we have a dog that Mandy has owned since before we got married. It might seem trivial, but she has spent her whole life with Mandy, and now we have to find a new home for her. In thinking about the journey ahead, there are so many unknowns. We know there will be training and time for some last visits before we leave. We know that we will go to France for language study first. Beyond that, we know about Chad, but where specifically will we be? How will the transition go? What are the people like who will eventually be our friends and neighbors? We have to pack

up or get rid of everything that we own, and what we keep will not all be in the same place. How do we figure all this out? At times we can be overwhelmed by the details and unknowns, but we thank God that he has everything in his hands. Rev. Danny Bronson and his wife Mandy have been approved for call as missionaries to serve in Chad, Africa among the Bilala people.

Watch the Video online at: www.clbnetwork.org/journeytochad

North American Mission

The Pregnant Church STEVE PAULSON

ecently I talked with a fellow pastor who wanted to broaden his church’s reach into the community. He started an evening fellowship time to which families from the community were invited for a meal, fun and games, and some fellowship around the Word. It went well for a time, but he got the feeling that it wasn’t going to be fruitful, and that his energies might be better spent elsewhere. Just as he began to pull his support away from it the Lord blew the breath of life into its nostrils, and it began to grow. He quickly realized that the Lord was doing something of his own initiative, so he surrendered and said, “I am the Lord’s servant.” As we spoke about this, the most natural and fitting description of the situation was that his church was pregnant—there was a new congregation growing up from within. It was a part of the church, yet a distinct and growing entity all its own, with its own order of worship, its own culture and its own heartbeat. And his church is not alone. This wonderful thing is happening all over the place— churches, even old ones, are finding themselves pregnant. It doesn’t always look the same. It may start with someone asking for permission to use the facility and they invite some friends that might not otherwise come on Sunday morning. Suddenly two or three (or more) are gathered in Jesus’ name, and their gathering begins to grow. Maybe it takes the form of a weekly meeting of 14

20-somethings, or a bi-weekly meeting of young families. Perhaps it’s a monthly meeting with a mix of generations. Whatever the form, the function is driven by the Holy Spirit who stirs the hearts of his people to try something new and outside the box, equipping the church with a reach that it does not currently have. It’s an exciting picture, however anyone who has ever experienced pregnancy knows that there is a price to be paid. The pregnant mom experiences the drain on resources that the growing child consumes. As the pregnancy progresses she gets increasingly uncomfortable, eventually wanting the child to GET OUT so that she can get the temple of her body back to normal. Pregnancy can be expensive, exhausting and frustrating! The inconveniences of these ecclesiastical pregnancies can be numerous. Messes get left, furniture gets moved, the audio system settings get changed. The new folks aren’t tithing, and they’re not coming on Sunday mornings, yet your pastor and others are continuing to invest in them and you may feel left out. With these and other issues the mother congregation may begin to feel taken advantage of. But let’s be real—the pregnant mother is always taken advantage of! But is that the right perspective when God is creating life? This new congregation may represent the future of the church you have known and

loved—a future that might otherwise be impossible. Sure, there are bound to be inconveniences and bumps along the way. But just as there was great joy in Sarah’s soul when she found she was pregnant, joyful and worship-filled wonder should likewise be the response if your church is pregnant. A mother unconditionally loves and sacrificially cares for her child, through the mess, through the discipline, through the rebellion, over and over again. God showed his love for the church by giving us “his one and only Son.” Is not the mess left over after a Wednesday night worship service simply the evidence of ministry? Is not the lack of funds coming in proof that new believers and seekers are attending the new church plant? The Gospel is being preached, and with the right perspective, a pregnant church will joyfully clean up the mess, pay the bills and care for her children as they mature and someday give birth to another church plant. But what about the child congregation? Does it bear any responsibility? It most certainly does! If you are one who is part of the child congregation, understand that you have a commandment laid out before you—one with a promise attached. “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you” (Exodus 20:12). When we release our selfish desires and look instead to serve—the mother to support and nurture the child whose Faith & Fellowship

Canada: www.LBCANADA.org United States: www.CLBA.org

“Abraham and Sarah were already old and well advanced in years, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, ‘After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?’ Then the Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh and say, “Will I really have a child, now that I am old?” Is anything too hard for the Lord?’” Genesis 18:11-14b

future is bright, the child to love, honor and serve the mother who has sacrificed much for the child—then we begin to look like the family God designed. Maybe it sounds impossible...but is anything too difficult for the Lord? Rev. Steve Paulson serves as pastor at Greater Grace Lutheran Brethren Church in Portland, OR.

The 2013 Church Planting Summit was held on April 13 in Fergus Falls, MN. Speakers included church planters Rev. Vern Baardson and Rev. Matthew Buccheri.

church pl a nt i ng summit 2013

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Available Now!

www.clbnetwork.org /churchplanting Presented by the CLB Regional Pastors

Life at LBS by: Dr. David Veum, President of Lutheran Brethren Seminary

www.LBS.edu

LBS President David Veum met Ryan Dittmann and Nick Joyal at Rocky Mountain College three years ago.

Free Hot Dogs! Well, almost. Nick and Ryan, first-year students from Canada, walked to the closest convenience store to buy hot dogs, but the store’s lunch counter was out of buns. “If I buy a pack of buns, can I get some hot dogs for free?” asked Nick. “Do that, and you’ve got a deal,” the clerk responded. “How many?” “How about four?” So Nick and Ryan each enjoyed a hot dog for supper.

When I heard this story the following morning, they were headed to the dorm to have their second hot dog for breakfast. The story almost broke my heart. But that’s the kind of sacrificial spirit our students often demonstrate in order to study the Word of God. Even after receiving generous financial aid they still pay $7,000 per year in tuition. When someone gets excited about the Gospel and is passionate about sharing it with others, they can even find joy in a hot dog that’s almost free.

Naomi Evans and her family. A grandchild was born since this photograph was taken. “Rejoice in the Lord Always.”

Your Word is a Lamp to My Feet When Naomi Evan’s physician husband died suddenly at the age of 51, her oldest child was 19 and the youngest of her five children was only 8. A widow friend pointed her to Psalm 119:105, “Your Word is a lamp to my feet…” God’s Word would guide her one step at a time. Six years later that next step led her to enroll in classes at LBS as an open studies student. What has she enjoyed the most? “The rich teaching of the Word. My favorite story has become the account of the Canaanite woman, a story that just came alive through Dr. Sigurd Grindheim’s teaching. The woman came 16

to Jesus as a beggar, not objecting to being considered less than a dog, but wanting to receive only a crumb from the Lord.” God’s Word has carried Naomi through some difficult times. In chapel time a few weeks ago Naomi shared Scriptures on the theme, “Be Still My Soul.” She noted that God has placed an amazing promise right in the middle of the commands in Philippians 4 to “Rejoice in the Lord always” and “Be anxious for nothing.” The promise? “The Lord is near.” He is near through his Word guiding us one step at a time.

Allan and Judy Bjerkaas

Meet the Director of Distance Education Lutheran Brethren Seminary plans to offer our full program through distance education as soon as we are approved by TRACS. A year ago, LBS invested in the technology to offer distance education and has been using it for online seminars and for classes taught by off-site adjunct faculty. Allan Bjerkaas has joined LBS as the director of distance education, bringing with him a wealth of knowledge and experience in the field. Allan grew up on a farm near Fergus Falls, MN and attended Bethel Lutheran Church. He graduated from the University of North Dakota with a double major in physics and mathematics. He then earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He joined the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in 1973. At Johns Hopkins he led the academic and administrative aspects of a graduate program providing evening and online engineering and applied science master’s degrees to working professionals. He has recently retired and returned home to Fergus Falls where he continues to teach engineering courses online. He was recently elected as an elder at Bethel Lutheran Church.

Faith & Fellowship

What is CheckPoint?

Loving Your Neighbor a CheckPoint Perspective

CheckPointers: Mitchel Nickolauson, Eric Smith, Tory Brue, and Tommy Olsen

“… and the second is like it, love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39).

hat does it mean to love your neighbor as yourself? What does that look like? These are recurring questions in CheckPoint discussions these past few months. We’ve had discussions about loving our neighbors in at least three different arenas: friends and family, neighbors who are in our congregations, and neighbors who are not as close to us. First, there are those neighbors who live closest to us—friends and family. Right now, my neighbors are the population of nine people living on the 40-acre peninsula we call home. That number does not include the transient ice fishing population, of course. My most immediate neighbors are the three other guys who share my cabin. Loving each other as we love God, and as God loves us, is quite a challenge at times. We have one bathroom, two small bedrooms, and many quirks to deal with. At times we seem to forget to love one another. Sometimes those closest to us are not even appreciated! Certainly loving our neighbor must first include loving and serving our closest family and friends. Second we have neighbors in our congregations. What does it look like to love them? Loving our neighbor is not only a way to reach out, but it is also an important way to care for the body of Christ. When people in the Church fail to love each other, it reveals a level of hypocrisy within the Church. According to current research, many youth who leave the Church say they are leaving, in part, because of the hypocrisy they see. Loving our neighbor may help these young people stay connected to the Church. It www.ffmagazine.org

may even keep the prodigal from leaving and searching elsewhere to feel wanted, valued and loved. We are called to love all our neighbors, including the ones who aren’t in our friendship or congregational circles. Loving our neighbor is more than a concept to grasp. It ought to be a way of life. It means actively and intentionally seeking out people and caring for them. It is about getting to know them and spending time with them in both the good times and the difficult times— sharing their joys and sorrows. Loving our neighbors is action, not merely sentimental emotion. It is only by the love first shown us by God that we are able to truly love our neighbors in a way that changes lives. The message is the same regarding all our neighbors; I need to love them as I love myself. The greatest need I have is for the Gospel. “For it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). In fact, the need for the Gospel is the greatest need that any of us have. Telling our neighbor the good news of Jesus Christ is important, but without love, our speech is only a noisy gong or a crashing cymbal (1 Corinthians 13:1). When we truly love our neighbors, it helps them hear the Gospel above the noise and the clamor. It shows them the love of the Father. Showing others the love of Christ— loving them as he loves us—is what the Church is supposed to be about. It should be what distinguishes Christ’s followers from the rest of the world. This article was written by CheckPointers Tory Brue, Mitchel Nickolauson, Tommy Olsen and Eric Smith, and CheckPoint Director Tony Rogness.

CheckPoint is a leadership and ministry training program at Inspiration Point Christian Camp and Retreat Center. The purpose of the program is to train young adults for ministry and leadership in the church and to help them develop critical life skills. While CheckPointers are engaged in the study of Scripture and issues related to ministry and leadership, working at Inspiration Point provides a field in which leadership, ministry, and life skills can be developed. The goal is that young adults will develop skills that are transferable to other ministry situations and positions. CheckPoint exists in three phases: The first phase begins in September and continues through May. Phase 1 is the part of the program where the bulk of the teaching takes place. Teaching will be centered on five core themes: Biblical study and Christian Foundations, Worldview and Culture, Leadership, Ministry Skills and Service. The second phase is the summer (late May through August). CheckPointers will serve in a variety of ministry positions on summer staff. The intent is that this will give them an opportunity to use the ministry and leadership skills in a familiar environment where they are mentored on a daily basis. The third phase takes place following the summer staff experience. CheckPointers will be placed in ministry positions in local congregations. These positions may be part time, full time or volunteer. The congregations will be asked to help with housing and living expenses. This help may consist of providing a stipend or salary, providing housing or assisting in finding work. CheckPointers will be mentored by CheckPoint staff throughout the year and will return to Inspiration Point periodically throughout phase 3 for “CheckPoint Check-Up” seminars. For more information contact: Tony Rogness, CheckPoint Director Email: tony@ipoint.org Inspiration Point Phone: 218-998-4572

Fellowship with one another

MAY/JUNE 2013

Purifies us from all sin

Walk in the light

The blood of Jesus

1 John 1:7

Elder Ordination

Baardsons Receive Golden Deeds Award

Rev. Todd Mathison, Elder Pete Svaren, Regional Pastor Joel Nordtvedt and CLB President Joel Egge

Pete Svaren was ordained as an elder on March 17, 2013, at Ebenezer Lutheran Brethren Church, Minneapolis, MN.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013, Vern and Casey Baardson were given the highest award for their dedicated volunteer service in the West Fargo community by the West Fargo Exchange Club, which is composed of dedicated key leaders in the community. The award is known as the Golden Deeds Award. Vern and Casey both serve as voluntary police chaplains for the West Fargo Police Department. They have served at Triumph West since 2005.

Obituary Rev. Dale Carlson passed away on April 5, 2013, from cancer in his abdomen. He is survived by his wife Kathleen and three adult children. Rev. Carlson served as pastor of many Lutheran Brethren congregations, including the following congregations in Canada: Elim Church in Frontier, SK, and Emmanuel Church in Edmonton, AB. He also served Bethel Church in Faribault, MN; Faith Lutheran in Blue Earth, MN; Ebenezer Church in Mayville, ND; Lutheran Brethren Fellowship in Williston, ND; Anchor of Hope in Stanwood, WA. At the time of his passing, he was serving Bethel Lutheran Brethren Church in Bellingham, WA. The CLB thanks God for Dale Carlson’s service to God’s kingdom. Blessed be the memory of Rev. Dale Carlson. 18

Council of Directors On April 11, 2013, members of our Council of Directors (COD) began to trickle into the synodical headquarters. The meeting opened on Thursday afternoon with a moment of recognizing and accepting the resignation of Director of Finance, Brad Martinson. (Brad has accepted a position with Hillcrest Lutheran Academy.) Friday morning opened with a time of worship and prayer, led by President Egge. The President’s report took the Council through reports by each Ministry committee, including International Mission, when the COD voted to call Danny and Mandy Bronson as missionaries to the Bilala people group in Chad, Africa. The COD also voted, with the recommendation of the Theological Council, in favor of the ordination of Dale Hexum as a Minister of the Gospel in the CLB. Along with other business, which will be available publicly when the minutes are posted online (www.clba.org), the COD enjoyed wonderful times of worship, prayer and fellowship, looking to God for wisdom and sharing prayer requests and testimonies of God’s mission being lived out through the ministry of our local congregations Faith & Fellowship

A Message from the New Guy on the Council of Directors

t school, you’re the new guy. In sports, you’re a rookie. Surfing, you’re a kook. However you describe it, being the newest member of a group can be intimidating. What do you do, where do you sit, what do you say? All of these things were going through my mind as the April 2013 Church of the Lutheran Brethren Council of Directors meeting began. I had been asked to consider serving on the Council several months ago and had only recently agreed. I have to admit that the idea of discussing synodical policy and direction with pastors, professors and presidents had me more than a little intimidated, but I soon recognized the error of my ways. I realized that I sat among a group of very bright and experienced people, leaders who could be anywhere, doing anything. Yet here they were, quietly and selflessly doing God’s work, wrestling with CLB issues and concerns that affect not only them, but all of us. I saw an intensity and dedication in them that had me questioning the depth of my own involvement in God’s Church.

WARREN HALL

What did I learn from my first Council of Directors meeting? A new appreciation for the calling God gives to each one of us. God challenges us to live intentionally for him each day—to set aside the selfishness that keeps us from living in the full grace of Christ’s work on the cross. Are you worried about the CLB? Not enough pastors? Not enough money? The answer lies with each one of us. Our faith is evidenced in our heart response to God’s calling. We need to support our local churches, pastors and synod both prayerfully and financially. We need to be that example of service for the next generation. Yes, I admit it. I am a kook, a rookie in my daily walk. I wait for others to show the way. I think of myself first. I fail. But God’s grace is sufficient. He is there, patiently waiting for us to mature spiritually. Each one of us needs to accept his challenge for greater service. He’s calling now. Warren Hall serves on the Council of Directors and is an elder at Hope Church at Silver Lake in Everett, WA.

Faith & Fellowship is the official publication of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren, 1020 W. Alcott Ave., P.O. Box 655, Fergus Falls, MN 56538-0655, issued six times a year (January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August, September/October, November/December) by Faith and Fellowship Publishing, 1020 W. Alcott Ave., P.O. Box 655, Fergus Falls, MN 56538-0655. Phone (218)736-7357. The viewpoints expressed in the articles are those of the authors and may or may not necessarily reflect the official position of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren of America (CLBA). Periodicals Postage Paid at Fergus Falls, Minnesota 56538.

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SUBSCRIPTIONS: Faith & Fellowship is offered to its readers at no charge. We would encourage your continued support with a donation and if you would like to be on our mailing list, please contact our office. Periodicals Postage Paid at Fergus Falls, Minnesota. CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Please give both old and new addresses and allow four weeks. Direct all correspondence, including submission of articles, to: Faith & Fellowship, P.O. Box 655, Fergus Falls, MN 56538-0655; Telephone, (218)736-7357; e-mail, ffpress@clba.org; FAX, (218)736-2200. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Faith & Fellowship, P.O. Box 655, Fergus Falls, Minnesota 56538-0655

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FF 19

Rev. Brent Juliot is Editor of Faith & Fellowship Magazine, teaches math at Hillcrest Lutheran Academy, and serves as senior pastor at Stavanger Lutheran Church in Fergus Falls, MN.

hen Jesus was asked to define “neighbor,” he instead responded with a story describing “neighboring”— the story of the Good Samaritan. Jesus concluded with the command, “Go and do likewise.” Do what the Good Samaritan did. This may be the May/June issue of Faith & Fellowship, but it’s been an endless winter in Minnesota. A few days ago, after yet another snowstorm, I ran my snowblower down my neighbor’s sidewalk, returning one of his many favors. Another neighbor’s car was barricaded against the curb because a snowplow driver had plowed around it. I blew out enough snow that he’d be able to drive out easily, smiling to myself to think he’d never know who had set him free. Isn’t this what it means to “go and do likewise”? Yes and No. We think of the Good Samaritan as everybody’s good neighbor. But the priest and Levite who passed by without assisting the injured man—and even the injured man himself— wouldn’t have thought of the Samaritan as being either good or a neighbor, prior to his act of kindness. He was the last person on earth they’d have expected kindness from, or shown kindness to. Thus the story was shocking to Jesus’ hearers, who thought “love your neighbor and hate your enemy” was the way to live. It’s easy to help the neighbor who helps me. Easy to do something nice for a friend. Easy to take pride in assisting people I like. But people I don’t like, or who don’t like me? That’s another story. Jesus said, “Love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:35-36). “Go and do likewise.” To act like the Samaritan of Luke 10 means blowing snow for the people next door, and much more. It means going to unfamiliar or even unpleasant places, and giving without expecting anything back. It means going to people groups who haven’t heard about Christ in the last place on earth you might want to live yourself. The Most High God came, in the person of Christ, to give his life for ungrateful and wicked people. That’s a real neighbor. Sons and daughters of the Most High will look for ways to “go and do likewise.”

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Go and Do Likewise

For change of address: Faith & Fellowship P.O. Box 655 Fergus Falls, MN 56538-0655

by: Brent Juliot

Faith Fellowship Church of the Lutheran Brethren

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