September Gleaner 2009

Pastor’s Notes
At the August Presbytery meeting at Camp Calvin Crest in Fremont, NE Rev. Dr. Laura Mendenhall had been invited to speak to us on stewardship. But it wasn’t what you would have expected it to be, about money. Her message for us was titled, “Do Not Be Afraid: Stewardship in Church and Life.”
She began by telling us that it’s not about the money even in these times of financial crisis in our nation and in the world. Lack of money isn’t the reason our churches have problems with their budgets. Nope, the root of the problem goes deeper than that. What do you think it is?
What do you think is the most difficult thing for people to give to God and the church? We all suffer from the same old paradigms. The problem is people aren’t digging deep enough in their pockets. Friends, that’s not the problem.
Dr. Mendenhall then went on to give her personal testimony. Now you would think that someone who had been the president of Columbia Theological Seminary wouldn’t have any problem sharing her testimony with us. But think about it. When we give our testimony we share our weaknesses and fears as well as what God has been doing in our lives and that’s what she did.
You all can probably understand and relate to this statement, “It’s harder to give the tithe of our lives to God than it is to give our tithe of money to God.” Now I may not have remembered her words exactly but the gist of it is that it’s much harder to dedicate our lives to God’s service that it is to tithe from our excess.
But, if we tithe our lives completely to God then giving of our finances is easy. The other point I took away from Rev. Dr. Laura’s message was, “When you make peace with how much is enough for you then it’s easy to live with just enough.”
She learned growing up that it’s better to travel lightly through life so you kids don’t have to sort through our accumulation of treasures when we’re gone. Her and her husband learned this when they moved from Decatur, GA to Austin, TX and they decided that they didn’t need the 1,000 books she had in her office library because, did you know, public libraries carry these same books and you don’t have to own them. What a lesson for all of us, live simply with just enough and trust God to provide.
Tithing keeps us dependent on God’s grace; it keeps us leaning on God. And you all thought it was just about the money. Tithing begins with giving our hearts and lives to God. Stewardship is more that just giving money.
Friends, everything we have been blessed with is from God and to him we should give our blessing. Everything we have isn’t ours but belongs to God, the One who gave them to us and that includes our families. Just as Elkanah and Hannah dedicated their son, Samuel, to God so we should think about the sons and daughters God has given to us. Have we given them to God?
It’s not an easy thing to do, give our lives and our families to God to use as he sees fit, but that’s stewardship, that’s tithing.
The issues the world and God’s churches face aren’t about a lack of resources. We all have all we need to make an offering to God. We shouldn’t waste time making up our minds. God only gives us so many days here.
Remember as Dr. Laura said, “The simplest and most profound thing we can do is share our own story with others.” If we make ourselves vulnerable to one another then God uses us to continue his work in the world.” Friends, life is too short to put these things off.
God loves you and so do I,
Pastor David

In Memoriam
William Frederick Sievers
Sept. 26, 1911-July 28, 2009

William Frederick Sievers, son of William P. and Anna (Lamp) Sievers, was born at home on Sept, 26, 1911 in Minden, Iowa. He was the first of five children. In 1912, he and his mother rode a railcar to Briggsdale, Colorado, where his grandfather had homesteaded. In his youth, Bill loved to work on the farm and hunt rabbits. He left school after the eighth grade to help his father. He taught himself to play the piano and accordion, and would often play at dances in the prairie towns.
In 1934, he went to work for Hormel in Austen, Minnesota. He later joined the National Guard, and due to a deaf ear, he remained in the states during WWII and became a mess sergeant, cooking and baking for 440 men.
On December 13, 1941, Bill married June Dock in Austin, Minnesota. Three daughters were born to this union. They resided in Austin until 1944, when they moved to Minneapolis where Bill drove a gasoline transport. In 1950, they moved to La Crosse, Wisconsin and in 1951, returned to Minneapolis. In 1952, Bill moved his family to Briggsdale to join his brother Jim and father in the farming operation. In 1954, the family moved south of Walnut. June passed away in 1966. In 1971 , Bill married Loree Oman. He retired from farming in 1975 and moved to Cozad, Nebraska where he built his own home on a lake so that he could enjoy one of his favorite pastimes, fishing. Loree passed away in 2001. In 2002, at the age of 91, Bill moved back home to Walnut.
Bill had many hobbies and interest. He loved farming and gardening. At 93, his doctor told him if he drank enough tomato juice, he would live forever. So…he canned 92 quarts. At 97, he thought if he ate an apple a day, it would keep the doctor away. So…he froze 85 bags of apples, and…planted an apple tree. His apple pies were the best. He always wished he was back on the farm.
He loved all kinds of music and dancing, but especially Polka. He had a passion for photography and developing his own pictures. Bill was a great artist and enjoyed teaching his grandchildren and great-grandchildren his skills. He especially loved to draw cartoons.
He was always tinkering. He could fix everything, and everything he did, he did it well. Bill was a compassionate man with a wonderful sense of humor. From beginning to end, he was a joy to be around. He was deeply loved by his family. His sister Peg said, “If the whole world was like Bill, it would be a wonderful place”.
With his family at his bedside, Bill went Home on July 28, 2009. In addition to his parents and both wives, Bill was preceded in death by his brothers, Raymond and Carl. He is survived by his children, Monica Joyce of Sidney, Nebraska; Susie Sievers and special friend Mark Petersen of Avoca; and Margo (Doug) Matthies of Walnut; 8 grandchildren, 9 great-grandchildren, his sister Margaret “Peggy” Lippold of Omaha and brother Jim of Briggsdale, Colorado; many nieces and nephews; step-children Bob and Mary Oman of Holdredge, Nebraska; Dick and Sharon Oman of Omaha, Nebraska; Sheryl and Brian Jones of Broomfield , Colorado; Dave and Maureen Oman of Grand Island, Nebraska; and 16 step-grandchildren 14 step-great-grandchildren, 1 step-great-great-grandchild, and many friends.



In Memoriam
William Cleveland League, Jr.
January 9, 1921-August 7, 2009

William “Bill” Cleveland League, Jr., the son of William Cleveland and Maude Pearl (Reddington) League, Sr., was born on January 8, 1921, in Walnut, Iowa. After graduation from Walnut High School in 1938, Bill worked in the family dray business. In 1943, he joined the United States Army and was shipped to England in 1944. On August 21, 1945, Bill married Marian Pattie Taylor at St. Anne’s Church in Bowden Hill, England. After Bill’s discharge from the service in April 1946, he and Marian moved to Walnut, where they lived until entering the Avoca Nursing and Rehab Center in Avoca, Iowa, in May 2007. Marian died on March 17, 2009 in Avoca.
Bill Was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Walnut, Iowa, where he served as a trustee and elder, and sang in the choir. He was a member of the AMVEST Post 45 in Walnut, and a past member of the Walnut Fire Department. Bill had the honor of serving on the Walnut City Council for eight years. Hen he was younger, he liked to spend time hunting and fishing.
William C. League, Jr., died on Thursday, August 7, 2009, at the Avoca Nursing and Rehab Center in Avoca, Iowa, having reached the age of 88 years, 6 months, and 30 days.
Bill was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Marian League; on sister and brother-in-law, Clara May and Gordon Tooley; and one brother, Jerry League. He is survived by one son, Ted League and his wife, Kathy, of New Braunfels, Texas; one sister, Adele Pedersen of Walnut, Iowa; four grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; nieces and nephews, and other relatives and friends.




Thank-You

- To everyone that helped make our Summer Youth Trips so successful.

- To Diane Book and Marge Kobs for filling in for Connie Jensen on piano/organ.


Shell, Wyoming
Mission Trip

The first week of August Chuck & Linda Ploen, Pastor David & Linda Krueger took seven teen-age girls to Shell, Wyoming (at the foot of the Big Horn Mountains) to work on a new addition to the Presbyterian Church there. Jason, Heather & Zach Ploen joined them, bringing a truck full of tools.
The girls that went were, Karley and Jessica Helms, Josie Cable, Valerie and Lauren Sievers, Alyssa Becerra, and Emily Mitchell.
Chuck Ploen’s excitement over the trip and Linda Ploen’s organization and planning were instrumental in making it such a success.
Along with the work there were fun times; driving through the Big Horn Mountains, attending the Cody, Wyoming rodeo and spending a day in Yellowstone National Park. The people from the Church/Community welcomed them into their homes to stay, had a pot luck supper for them, held a BBQ for them at the preacher’s house and many friendships were made.
The girls worked so well together and remained cheerful throughout the work and the 2400 miles traveled.

Several things stand out to me (Linda Krueger) as being especially meaningful. The girls wrote us (and Ploen’s) a special note at the first motel and slipped it under our door.

At the Pot Luck Supper Jerry Ewen, a member of the church and contractor for the addition, stood up to talk and told the girls, “You girls are the answer to our prayers”. The congregation there had prayed and prayed for someone to come and help them. There church had no kitchen, no bathroom (they had an outhouse behind the church) and no handicap access. Another special moment for me was Sunday during their church service. Augie Garcia, from their church, played his guitar and sang,

“Why Me Lord?” by Kris Kristofferson.
“Why me Lord, what have I ever done
To deserve even one,
Of the pleasures I’ve known.

Tell me Lord, What did I ever do,
That was worth love FROM you,
Or the kindness you’ve shown.

Lord help me Jesus, I’ve wasted it so,
Help me Jesus, I know what I am.
Now that I know, that I’ve needed you so,
Help me Jesus, my soul’s in your hand.

Tell me Lord, if you think there’s a way,
That I can repay, all I’ve taken from you.
Maybe Lord, I can show someone else,
What I’ve been through myself,
On my way back to you.

Lord help me Jesus, I’ve wasted it so,
Help me Jesus, I know what I am.
Now that I know, that I’ve needed you so,
Help me Jesus, my soul’s in your hand.”

Special people that we met were our host families:
Richard and Judy Burton
Richard and Darla Saam
Jeff and Karen Grant
Merle and Kitty Gipson
Gary and Rev. Becky Anderson
Of special note also were Kathy Ewen that led the church (and our girls) in song and the famous artist Charlene Collingwood who is a member of the church.
Everyone there was so kind and generous (there are good cooks in Wyoming!!) and I’m sure that helped make the girls (and adults) feel welcome. I think we all left feeling not only that we had done a service to a church in need but also received the gift of hospitality. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “The only gift is a portion of thyself.”


CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations to our Pottawattamie County Fair Winners:
---to Ty Johnk on his Champion Heifers and Steers
---to Hunter Nielsen on his Champion Goats and Sheep
---to Bailey Nielsen on her Champion Sheep and Poster


Just A Little Taste of Heaven
By Shelly Storey
I love to go camping. Sitting by the fire, watching the smoke rise and curl heavenward, relaxing with dirt under my fingernails and no real agenda…aah, that really does it for me. I may have even said once or twice, “This is Heavenly!” We all have places where we have felt like that, where the peace and beauty of the setting seems to wash the cares of life away for a time. Some may say it is at the beach, or on a mountainside, while gazing at a sunset, or even on a lawnmower. Our little “tastes of Heaven” are the beautiful places that bring us joy and peace of soul. As humans, we strive to seek out the beauty of this world and wonder, is that what heaven will be like??
I, however, have truly found a taste of heaven on this earth, and I call it Pilgrimage. This time the camp was fairly brown and overcast, so to call it “beautiful” would be stretching the truth a bit. This time I got very little sleep, so to call it physically “relaxing” would be a lie. This time I served in more that one capacity, so to claim that I had no real agenda or demands on my time would be wrong.
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things (Col. 2:3). Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming (Col. 2:5-6). “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying. ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” (Rev. 21:3-5a)
In Pilgrimage, more that any other place before or to come, I have truly found that little piece of Heaven. It is a place where no one fights, no one lusts, no one condemns, no one is judged, no one slanders, and no one has any other gods. A place where everyone is accepted as God’s workmanship. Where everyone is loved. Where everyone can give praise and receive grace. A place where the presence of the Lord is literally tangible, and where His community is blessed. The physical beauty of the place—or of the participants, for that matter—does no affect the atmosphere of Pilgrimage. It is simply God’s community, designed by feeble humans, knit together by Him, for His glory, and at that place, even if for only three days, the “things of the world” pass away.
My mind cannot conceive the physical beauty of heaven (it says so in 1st Corinthians 2:9), and therefore my desperately human attempts to compare it to campfire smoke, the ocean surf, the orange sunset, the mountain air, or the smell of cut grass are well, desperately HUMAN. My mind cannot conceive it. But we are assured in scripture that in Heaven the old will have passed away, and with it all the heartache of this world.
Until Pilgrimage, that is something I could not conceive of either. Now I can. To Him be all the glory.

--Contact Pastor David if you would like to find out more and/or would like to attend the next Pilgrimage October 15-18


October Ushers and Communion Servers
Ushers: Jeff & Pam Neilsen, Linda Sieck
Communion Servers: Linda Ploen – chm, George Mertz, Linda Sieck, Pam Nielsen. September ushers and communion servers are at bottom of calendar.


Flowers for Pulpit
September 6 -------Avis Mortensen
September 13------ Paula Griffith
September 20 ------Julie Nash
September 27 ------Dixie Schirm

Walking, walking, walking…
Open Door Mission is having a walk-a-thon September 20th from 1-5pm. Participants
receive a T-shirt, water bottle, and soup/bread. The soup and bread will be prepared especially
for this event by area chefs. You can tour the Open Door Mission also. There will be a shuttle
back to the start or you can walk. The walk will be from the Gallup University parking lot (by
Quest Center) to the Open Door Mission. Adults - $19.20 (provides 10 meals at the mission) or for
Children 8 and under - $9.60 (provides 5 meals at the mission.

CROP WALK – The annual Crop Walk will be held in Walnut this year for the first time.
It will be on October 11 so mark your calendars now!
NEIGHBORS WALKING TOGETHER TO COMBAT WORLD HUNGER


MOP Wants YOU!

Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) is looking for compassionate and caring volunteers for their organization. As a “Mopppet” you will be engaged in providing a safe, Christian learning
environment for children, ages birth-6years, during the MOPS meetings. This is a great chance for Moms to get some adult time and for the kids to explore and learn about interaction and cooperation. The Council Bluffs Chapter of MOPS meets the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays, Sept. 16-May 6th. The time is 9:30-11:30. The location is Living Hope Community Church. It is out Hwy. 92, (east of CB).
If you are interested, please call Living Hope Comm. Church @ 712-323-3227, leave message
for Cindy, Moppets coordinator.


Sunday September 27, 2009

We have invited Doug Orbaker, a missionary from Nicaragua, to speak to us. We will worship and hear about Doug’s experience in Sough America sharing the gospel. The United Church of Avoca will be joining us for our 9:00 AM worship on Sept, 27th.



Ordinary Things
Our oldest son and his family (wife & four kids) returned from their vacation to the SW United States, over 3600 miles. I asked Sadie (5 years old) what was her favorite memory. She said, “Albuquerque” just because she likes to say the word. Then she thought and said, “My very, VERY favorite was when it was raining real hard and we had to run to the van and mommy held my hand and we laughed and laughed and laughed”.
To think they traveled 3600 miles, saw the Grand Canyon, went to water parks, rode burros etc, etc, and her favorite memory was running in the rain, holding mommy’s hand and laughing.
Linda Krueger