St. Paul Lutheran Church in McGregor

St Paul Celebrates 75th Anniversary

St. Paul Lutheran Church, LCMS, McGregor, Iowa, held several events to celebrate its 75th Anniversary this year. Included in these was a 'Spring Fling Carnival,' a photo display showing earlier pastors, confirmands and events.

There was also a very special worship held late August with former pastors presiding along with a guest organist, a violinist and flutist providing uplifting and inspiring music. The Women of St. Paul's choir contributed with a hymn of praise for the occassion.

Visiting pastors were Rev. Lloyd Helland, of the Immanuel Church,Okawville, IL; Retired Rev. Roland Jank, Sr., Omaha, NE; and Rev. Mark Willig, of St. John Church, Chester, IL; Rev. David Zimmer, pastor of St. Paul Lutheran and Trinity Lutheran, Guttenberg, IA, also participated.

A pot-luck was held at Pikes Peak State Park, McGregor, following the worship. The first Lutheran Congregation in McGregor was founded May 30, 1864, but because many of the members moved away, the congregation was forced to disband in 1920.

Some years later, the President of the Iowa District of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Missouri, Ohio and others states became interested in forming a congregation in McGregor and a constitution officially was drawn up and signed by twenty-eight members in 1931.

Former pastors that participated in St. Paul Lutheran Church, LCMS, 75th Anniversary worship were l-r: Rev. Mark Willig"of St. John, Chester, IL, Rev. David Zimmer, McGregor, IA of St. Paul Lutheran and Trinity Lutheran, Guttenberg, IA; Rev. Lloyd Helland, of the Immawel Church, Okawville, IL and retired Pastor Ronald Jank, Sr., Omaha, NE.
The 'Spring Fling Carnival', held at St. Paul Lutheran Church, opened the celebration of the church's 75th Anniversary events. Games, a ballon house, ring toss and cake walk among other things provided fun for the kids. The men of the congregation grilled chicken and hot dogs, etc., with the ladies supplying other goodies.

Also this summer, St. Paul Lutheran Church hosted its annual Vacation Bible School with a theme of ' Treasure Cove. Bible stories were told in different island settings. The kids hunted for various treasures, such as gems, etc. besides enjoying the stories in settings such as this boat.

Confirmation retreat at Camp IO-DIS-E-CA

Here are some pictures for the IDE confirmation retreat at Camp Io-
Dis-E-Ca on September 21-22. Over 70 youth and chaperones enjoyed
learning more about the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, trying to conquer
the challenge course, playing night games, eating pizza, and meeting
new friends.

The Lutheran Service Book Workshop at Our Redeemer in Iowa City on September 23rd

September Issue

The September issue of the IDE TODAY is arriving right now!

Each congregation in IDE has its own way of distributing the latest issues. Some will put them out this coming Sunday, others will package them with their own congregation's next newsletter. If you don't recieve your copy in the near future, be sure and ask your church office about it.

Thank you to everyone who sent in items for the september issue. Remember that it was all posted here first!

The Editor

Concordia Lutheran Church in Cedar Rapids

Concordia to Dedicate new additionand host Open House

On Sunday, October 15th Concordia Lutheran Church of Cedar Rapids will dedicate to the Lord’s glory their new building addition. Pastor Doellinger of Concordia announced that the dedication will be held at both the 8:00 and 10:30 worship services. Following the worship services an Open House will be held at the church from 11:30 until 2:00 pm.

Members of neighboring congregation as well as the community in general are invited to tour the new facility at this time. The remodeling project includes a new office complex, a remodeled fellowship hall, new education rooms on the main level, remodeled classrooms on the lower level, and much needed additional parking places.

A Piece of the Action

“Your Missions Offerings at Work in Iowa District East!”

Quad Cities Lutheran Deaf Ministry

Hands that Actively Serve our Risen Lord

Dear Friends in Christ,
From Dubuque to Burlington, across the Quad Cities and into Illinois, your Lutheran Deaf Ministry has been proclaiming God's Word in American Sign Language (ASL) since July 1999. Rev. Tim Eckert has served as a Missionary-at-Large for 7 years spreading the Good News of salvation through Christ to the Deaf. In worship and Bible study, he communicates God’s Word in both sign and voice. All worship and study materials must be converted into ASL and simple English, while maintaining Biblical accuracy, allowing the Deaf to more easily and clearly understand God’s Word.

In addition to worship, Bible study, confirmation classes, member and non-member visits, a senior citizens group and an after-school program, the QC Lutheran Deaf Ministry hosts several Deaf events each year (including an All-Eastern IA Deaf worship/picnic) to create opportunities for witnessing and to encourage the Deaf community in Christ. Movie nights have become a popular venue, where appropriate films of interest are followed by Christ-centered discussions. Typically 40 - 60 Deaf attend these events, the majority being non-members. A bi-monthly church newsletter serves as another witnessing tool and is sent to ~285 Deaf households. Plans that will soon become reality include new outreach Bible studies for unchurched Deaf, a monthly Junior High after-school program, a women’s group, and more training for deaf leaders using the Deaf Institute of Theology program through Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.

Seeing The Need
The Deaf community is one of the most unreached groups in America. Only 3% of the Deaf attend church. A Deaf community split by differences in personalities, education and lifestyles makes individual Deaf difficult to find and a challenge to bring together. The need for Christ is great! Our mission is to share the Good News in ASL and unite the deaf community in Christ. We want to plant seeds, see them mature and have them bear much fruit, all to further God’s kingdom and for His glory!


God’s Hands at Work
God’s blessings are abundant and evident. Here are a few:
- Seeing the Deaf apply God's Word to their lives.
- The Deaf community noticing how members’ lives turn around and members sharing how they are witnessing.
- Deaf after-school kids truly pumped to come to church and learn Bible stories for the first time!
- A self-portrait of one of these precious children, hung in the hallway of a public school, the only one that included a cross (at the very top)!
- A young deaf man with a rare immune disorder, already well beyond his life expectancy, expressing confident faith at his confirmation 2 months before he died.
- The ever-increasing commitment of the Deaf to Christ and this ministry.

Hearts of Faith
We pray that God will bless the QC Lutheran Deaf Ministry with growth both in depth and number, and become an organized congregation. We pray every member would be enthusiastically involved in the life of the church, incessantly growing in Christ, and bearing much fruit. We pray that each member would be active in the Deaf community, sharing the Good News and continually bringing more Deaf to Christ, knowing that each Deaf person is precious in the eyes of God.

Quad Cities Lutheran Deaf Ministry
2550 E. 32nd St., Davenport, IA 52807
DeafLutheran@revealed.net (563) 359-7105 (V/TTY)

Watch for the next issue of the IDE TODAY to arrive soon

The September issue of the IDE TODAY has gone to the printers! It should arrived at the churches of IDE sometime after the 18th.

Thank you to all of the members of IDE who took the time to send in their articles, news, and pictures. Thank you to the IDE-supported missions that remembered how important it is to let the memebrs of IDE know the work that they are doing in their corner of the Kingdom.

The next issue is Novemeber's, the deadline is Novemeber 1st. All IDE member congregation's are encourgaed to share their news, joys, and pictures with the rest of the District (and beyond). If you haven't seen your church represented in the IDE TODAY, take a picture (VBS, Sunday School, Mission work, new members, old members, additions, Confirmations...) and send it in.

In Christ,

Rev. Mitchell Otto, Editor
IDETODAY@juno.com

King of King Lutheran Church in Cedar Rapids

New Site for King of Kings, With a Little Help From LCEF

King of Kings Lutheran Church in Cedar Rapids is out of space – with 15-20 children in classrooms built for 8, Kings of Kings had to find new ways to serve their people and expand. Since their current property offered no room for expansion, the members purchased a site in Robins, one of the fastest-growing towns around the Cedar Rapids metropolitan area. King of Kings was organized in 1981 and have been located on their curent 4-acre site since 1984. Well aware of the facts that they are outgrowing their facilities and the changes they’ve seen in their ministries, they have been planning and searching for a new church location for years. The members decided to purchase an undeveloped parcel in the rapidly developing Robins area which is easily accessible – only about 90 seconds from I380. Adjacent parcels have been sold and are being developed – mostly for residential use. Nearly 1 out of 2 people in Linn County (43%) are unchurched so the mission field in this area also is ripe for harvest!

Of the 600+ members at King of Kings, over 20% are under age 14 and the average age of their members is 30-35, so there is strong desire to expand ministries for families. This congregation has 107 in Sunday School and Bible Classes and averages 47% of their membership in worship, well above the average 35% for mainline denominations. 70% of their Vacation Bible School participants are non-members from the neighborhood, helping this ministry to be a great tool for outreach. There are so many children and, with such limited space, they offer two weeks of VBS – the first for preschool age and the second for grades 1-6. About 50 volunteers helped with the first week and, for the second week, King of Kings utilizes Camp IODISECA’s traveling day camp. The Camp provides curriculum and some instructors while the congregation provides housing for the Camp instructors, helpers, all the supplies and, obviously, the space. Though there is a per child fee, the congregation does not charge for attendees because they believe it is such an important tool for outreach.


While Rev. Leon Hauser provides pastoral leadership, the congregation has a full-time Director of Christian Education, Kathleen Mills and a full-time outreach and small-group coordinator, Elise Hexum. Also Kari Sicard serves as organist and part-time Director of Music. She leads the adult choir and the contemporary worship team “Prays Twice”. Kathleen is in charge of youth and children’s ministries and has initiated a nontraditional form of Sunday School called Heartland. Instead of age-based classes, all the children meet together in a large group to hear the Bible story and then split into smaller groups to learn more about the story and life applications. This arrangement necessitates different facility needs than the traditional classrooms approach. Confirmation instruction is offered on Wednesdays for the traditional 7-8th grade, but is optional also for 6th grade – and most of them attend! The Junior and Senior High meet every Sunday and Wednesdays and also do a servant event every summer. Their most recent found the youth in western Maryland helping with construction for elderly and low-income families; this was an opportunity provided by LCMS Servant Events through the Department of Youth Ministry. Kathleen also leads a monthly gathering of Iowa District East DCEs and other non-ordained professional workers.

Another effective outreach tool has been their in-home small groups which meet weekly and bi-weekly. This ministry has been active for 4 years and has seen an increase in participation from 7 to 160. While Elise is in charge, there are many volunteer leaders who also help with the 15+ groups. While many groups/topics are typical, one you may not see at every congregation is “Parents of Hawkeyes”. The youth are not the only ones involved in service: each small group does their own service projects each year: one within the church and one outside the church. One small group might host the Heartland (Sunday School) Teachers Appreciation event and an example of an “outside” service project would be siding a garage for “Aid to Women”. Elise also recently helped organize a benefit concert for Matthew McCarthy, an 8-month old suddenly paralyzed by transverse mellitus. The 400 tickets were sold out and the event raised over $15,000 and continues to receive donations. “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men.” Eph 6:7a

The congregation currently plans to raise funds to build their new facility at the new site and sell their existing church. LCEF is pleased to provide financing for the purchase of the new site through the faithful members who invest in Church Extension, making funds available for Great Commission work. LCEF investments and loans: Lutherans helping Lutherans. If you would like more information on LCEF loans for your congregation or school or LCEF investments for your family or organization, please contact Carole White at 877.439.5233 or carole@lcmside.org.


Picture: King of Kings current site in Cedar Rapids

Scholarships

The national council of the Lutheran Student Fellowship is pleased to offer scholarship assistance to LCMS students! The scholarships are open to all students who are affiliated with an LCMS congregation and who are enrolled as a full time student in a post high school program of two or more years. Eligibility is open to all undergraduates. (Graduate / professional students are not eligible.) A student must be affiliated with a Lutheran Church Missouri Synod congregation. See the Lutheran student Fellowship website for complete details.

College students can provide their contact info at http://www.lutheranstudentfellowship.org/scholarships.php. By doing so, they will automatically be registered for a drawing for one of four $500 book scholarships - but they must do so by Sept. 11, 2006.

Peace in Christ,
Rev. Greg Fairow,
Campus Mission Catalyst Lutheran Campus Mission Association,
in partnership with LCMS World Mission
1115 Chamberlain Dr. Iowa City, IA 52240
(319) 351-LCMA [5262]
(319) 351-5272 - fax
Greg.Fairow@lcms.org