of lutheran

Voice

CALC

Canadian Association

of Lutheran

Victory Lutheran ‘A Church For The City’

A Church FOR the City

To pursue the kingdom of God:

By building up the family

By impacting the community

2018

Victory Voice

www.victorylutheran.ca

Pastor Jim Bredeson

purpose or……. Join in with other women for this exploration of finding peace in the storm.

LUNCH INCLUDED Please register at the Welcome

Centre

~~~~~~~~~~~ Humble yourselves, therefore,

under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for

you.” I Peter 5:6-7

The book of I Peter points again and again to the authority of God and our position under God’s authority. The act of sub-mitting to God and then submit-ting to one another is a part of the Christian life.

We are just finishing the season of Christmas where we see Jesus Christ humbling himself by coming to earth as a child. Jesus’ humility is demonstrated for us in that act. When Jesus calls us to follow in his steps, it is a call to follow in the way of humility, counting others as bet-ter than ourselves.

This is the Christian life, one of humility under God’s hand. But in that place of humility we find ourselves in the place of love. God loves you. God loves all that he has created. It is not frightening to live under the hand of God. Rather it is a won-derful place to live. We can cast our anxieties on him who is in authority knowing that it is the best place to be.

Serving Christ together with you,

Lila de Waal

Our New Year starts off with strange visitors from the East. They came unexpectedly and rather much out of the blue. Who were these strange peo-ple and why were they looking for the King of Jews? It certain-ly caused a stir in Jerusalem

We’ll follow that unusual visita-tion with a visit to an exotic port-of-call just off the Mediter-ranean. This city was filled with sailors and visiting business-men and filled with all the temptations that such a place brings. It was a place that had very modern problems. This city is Corinth.

There is a common theme here as we move into the sea-son of Epiphany. Jesus is the King of the Jews but also the King of Kings and Lord of lords. His birth drew wor-shipers as his legacy and enduring presence continues to do to this day. His message transformed (and transforms) lives and impacted society. The book of Corinthians is filled with issues and problems that still resonate today.

Those strange visitors brought unusual gifts for a baby shower. What gift will you bring?

Happy New Year!

Pastor Jim

MORNING PRAYER

O God, early in the morning I cry to you. Help me to pray And to concentrate my thoughts on you: I cannot do this alone.

In me there is darkness, But with you there is light; I am lonely, but you do not leave me; I am feeble in heart, but with you there is help; I am restless, but with you there is peace. In me there is bitterness, but with you there is patience;

I do not understand your ways, But you know the way for me… Restore me to liberty, And enable me to live now That I may answer before you and before me.

Lord, whatever this day may bring, Your name be praised.

– Dietrich Bonhoeffer

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LADIES RETREAT Peace in the Storm

When the storm Hits - Strat-egies for the Christian Wom-an

Jan 27th, 10 am – 1 pm

We all experience storms. They can involve family, finances, grief, seeking for

Diaconal Minister

Lila de Waal

Is not thinking less of yourself

but thinking of yourself less.

C.S. Lewis

Page 3


Camps - Salvation Army Pine Lake Camp

Daily shelter, coffee and con-versation in a safe, warm place during office hours 11 - 3

Hot Supper Meals - Mon. through Fri. at 5:00 p.m.

Church services, Bible studies and other small groups

Rise and Shine Daycare - offers love, respect, acceptance as well as showing Christian mor-als and principles for children in their care. They provide en-riched, positive learning experi-ences to meet physical, social, cultural and recreational needs.

Salvation Army Thrift Store - empathetic and secure environ-ment to shop in, providing low cost options for clothing, house-hold products and furniture.

Center of Hope Shelter for men and women in crisis, offering crisis support, a warm bed, laundry services, hot showers and nutritious meals from 7:30 pm to 7:30 am.

Donna extended an invitation that everyone is welcome to drop in at the Resource Center at any time for a coffee and a visit and are welcome to ex-plore areas where volunteer help is appreciated.

- submitted by Terry O’Neill

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SATURDAY, JANUARY 6 EPIPHANY

10 AM TO 2 PM

The theme will be around the visit of the Magi to the Baby Jesus with reflections on the gifts which the magi brought: Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh.

Our guest convener will be the Rev. Oz Lorentzen, pastor of St. Barnabas Anglican Church here in Medicine Hat. Oz previ-ously has taught at Prairie Bible Institute and worked at King’s Fold Retreat Centre.

Lunch will be served. Please register at the Welcome Centre

ADVENT TEA

Thank you to the 40 people that attended the Advent Tea on Dec. 3 and those that were un-able to attend but made dona-tions to the Salvation Ar-my. $604 dollars was collected through the offering as well as donations of toiletries, towels and clothing. Donna Miller, the director of the Salvation Army Resource Center, was our guest speaker. Donna and her husband also serve as chap-lains at the Medicine Hat Re-mand Center. She gave a very informative talk which included her personal background and testimony as well as an expla-nation of all the programs that are provided to meet the needs of Medicine Hat which include:

Community Resource Center (in lower level of 5th Ave. Me-morial United Church) pro-vides:

Bridge and Loan program - of-fers interest free loans for rent or damage deposits

Spiritual Support - Bibles, devo-tional and inspirational materi-als, spiritual support,

Family Assistance - provides various forms of assistance through thrift store vouchers, identification and prescription assistance, limited bus tickets

Community Warmth - assis-tance with utility payments

Christmas Support - food and gifts

Computer usage for job search and connecting with family

TUESDAY, JANUARY 2

12:00 p.m.

NEW YEAR STARTERS

“Small deeds done are better

done than great deeds

planned.” Peter Marshall

Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One who is leading. Oswald Chambers


CHRISTMAS PAGEANT 2017

Page 5


Our donation will help feed many children. Thank you for supporting this program.

Please keep the children, teach-ers and helpers in your prayers.

Barb Beifus

SPLASH Coordinator

Youth has been going well and

we are not up to 11 youth a

night! That’s a bug growth since

September. As youth goes on

we are always looking for more

youth to come. December end-

ed very well with the youth cele-

brating with a Christmas party!

As we start the new year we are

looking towards March 10

where we will be holding a

youth conference! This event

will be looking to gather youth

from around the city and tell

them about Christ. The travel-

ling band from Briercrest and

some students from CLBI to be

joining us as well. This event

looks to be promising!

Young adults ended well we ended with around 3 young adults. Throughout the year we went through Psalm 119 and discussed the impact that it had on our lives as we went through it. It has been really great to grow along side them and learn together! I look forward to where this year is going to go.

We are beginning the year on January 7th with a game of Bible Jeopardy. This will be a review of the lessons taught since September. The children are divided into two teams. A category and point amount is chosen and the question is asked of the team. If the team is unable to answer the question correctly, the question is passed to the next team to earn more points. As a team they must consult one another before answering and ensure everyone gets a turn answering a ques-tion. The score is kept, prizes awarded; the children enjoy this game immensely.

On January 14th we will be

learning about Jesus as a boy in the Temple. The children heard this lesson last year but this time they will learn more about what goes on at Victory Lutheran besides Sunday ser-vice and Sunday school.

The last two weeks are still a work in progress. The lesson will be about Jesus’ baptism.

Our pre-schoolers group has grown to 6 registered children. Our attendance records fluctu-ate; whether one or six, they are always excited to be kept busy with painting, play-dough, stories and puzzles. A Pre-School Teacher is still needed. I am concerned if there is no teacher, we will not be able to keep this class active. Please look into your heart and sign up to volunteer leading our little ones for a few weeks on a rotation basis.

It has been a few weeks since the children of Victory presented their Annual Christmas Pag-eant. Thank you to those who organized the pageant and all who participated to bring us the good news of Jesus Birth.

Over the past year, our Sunday school offering has grown. A cheque in the amount of $192.81 has now been given to the Brown Bag Lunch Program operated by the Medicine Hat Food Bank. Each school day, there are 500 – 700 children in need of lunches at Medicine Hat and surrounding area schools. Each receives a peanut butter and jelly or meat and cheese sandwich, as well as fruit, fresh vegetables and a snack.

S.P.L.A.S.H Coordinator Barb Beifus [email protected]

N E W S


Legend:

Sanctuary = S

Christian Education Room = CE

Fellowship Hall = FH

Worship Area = WA

Ark = A

9:00 a.m. Worship Service


Holy Communion Sunday

9:30 a.m. Adult Bible Study:CE

9:30 a.m. Teen Bible Study:YO

10:45 a.m. SPLASH: Ark

CHURCH OFFICE CLOSED

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

1:30 p.m. Private Booking: CE

5:30 p.m. TOPS: A

12:00 p.m. Revival Prayer: S

6:00 p.m. TOPS: A



2018 Elder Installation











Holy Communion Service



12:00 p.m. Revival Prayer:

7:00 p.m. Bethel Series:

5:45 p.m. Confirmation:

6:00 p.m. TOPS: A

7:00 p.m. WWJD: S

7: 00 p.m. Victory Sowers:

9:00 a.m. Happy Rippers: FH


5:30 p.m. TOPS: A

6:30 p.m. Young Adults: YO

7:00 p.m. Coin & Stamp: CE

8:00 p.m. A.A: FH

10:30 a.m. Caregiver’s:


1:30 p.m. VLW: CE


6:00 p.m. TOPS: A


7:00 p.m. WWJD: S



6:00 p.m. TOPS: A


7:00 p.m. WWJD: S

7: 00 p.m. Victory Sowers:



6:00 p.m. TOPS: A


7:00 p.m. WWJD: S



5:30 p.m. TOPS: A

5:30 p.m. Private Booking: S

8:00 p.m. A.A: FH


10:00 a.m. Lila at Teeoda


5:30 p.m. TOPS: A

7:00 p.m. Elder Meeting: S



5:30 p.m. TOPS: Ark

7:00 p.m. Community Prayer

8:00 p.m. A.A: FH

9:00 a.m. Quilting: FH


5:30 p.m. TOPS: A


7:00 p.m. Teddy Bear Club: A



5:30 p.m. TOPS: A




5:30 p.m. TOPS: A




5:30 p.m. TOPS: A


Monday Sun- Tuesday Wednesday

1

7

16 14

8 9

15

23 22 21

29 30

JANUARY 2018

12:00 p.m. Senior’s Lunch: FH



5:30 p.m. TOPS: A

8:00 p.m. A.A: FH

2

28



6:00 p.m. TOPS: A

9:00 a.m. Quilters: FH

1:15 p.m. Foundations Band:: S

10:00 a.m. Epiphany Day of

Prayer

11:00 a.m. Al-Anon: CE

10:00 a.m. Ladies Retreat

10:45 a.m. Worship Team: S


10:45 a.m. Worship Team: S




7:00 p.m. Bethel Series: CE

5:45 p.m. Confirmation: YO

6:00 p.m. TOPS: A

7:00 p.m. WWJD: S

7: 00 p.m. Victory Sowers: FH



6:15 p.m. Victorians: S

7:00 p.m. Jubilee Singers: S

7:00 p.m. Youth Group: YO

8:00 p.m. 4 Victory Quartet













10:30 a.m. Caregiver’s: CE


1:30 p.m. VLW: CE


6:00 p.m. TOPS: A


7:00 p.m. WWJD: S



6:00 p.m. TOPS: A


7:00 p.m. WWJD: S

7: 00 p.m. Victory Sowers: FH



6:00 p.m. TOPS: A


7:00 p.m. WWJD: S

Saturday Wednesday Thursday Friday

6

11

17

10 13

19 18

12

20

26 25 24 27

31

JANUARY 2018

4

5 3


we will be staying in the com-munity of Maralal which is in the Samburu Region of Kenya. This is a more rural area and during our time there we will be participating in development jobs such as tree planting, digging a trench for water pipes and helping with a travel-ling medical clinic. We will also have the opportunity to work with the Bible Translation League, which will assist us in learning Samburu—the lan-guage spoken by the people in this region (although Swahili is the main language in Kenya).

Some of our primary goals for this trip include:

To reflect the servant heart of Jesus in our interactions as well as in the opportunities that we have to serve.

To come alongside, support and encourage those who have dedicated their lives to these ministries.

To grow in humility and maintain open minds as we engage with a different culture.

As we embark on this adven-ture, we ask that you would keep us in your prayers. Pray-er is crucial to the effective-ness and purpose of our minis-try and it is the best way you can support our team during this trip.

Some specific prayer requests are:

That we would be a blessing to/be blessed by the Kenyan host families who are graciously open-ing their homes to us as well as to the missionaries and organiza-tions we will be working with.

Youth has been going well and we are not up to 11 youth a night! That’s a big growth since September. As youth goes on we are always looking for more youth to come. December ended very well with the youth celebrating with a Christmas party! As we start the New Year we are looking towards March 10 where we will be holding a youth conference! This event will be looking to gather youth from around the city and tell them about Christ. The travelling band from Briercrest and some students from CLBI to be joining us as well. This event looks to be promising!

Young adults ended well we ended with around 3 young adults. Throughout the year we went through Psalm 119 and discussed the impact that it had on our lives as we went through it. It has been really great to grow along side them and learn together!

I look forward to where this year is going to go.

Happy New Year!

Nick

Dear Friends and Family,

Greetings from Caden, Peter, Anya, Rebekah and Gillian, or, as we are otherwise known, Team Kenya! We are a team of students from the Canadian Lutheran Bible Institute in the IMPACT (Intentional Ministry, Prayer and Cultural Training) program, and we will be travel-ling to Nairobi, Kenya in mid February of 2018. Thank you for joining us on this journey and being willing to support us throughout this ministry oppor-tunity!

The first week of our trip will be spent in Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya, working with an organization called Heart to Heart. There we will be helping with childcare as well as as-sisting in leading Bible studies with HIV and AIDS support groups. Our time in Nairobi will also include spending time at Prince of Peace elementary school where we will be in-volved in leading games and activities for the students.

For the remainder of our trip,

Family & Youth Director Nick Csillag [email protected]

Page 9

our lives”. Yet one firefighter does not have his life and no one can forget the cattle in the fields or the blackened prairie. These losses have a way of changing us.

Even though you can probably think of many blessings from this past year, the fires have reminded us of our vulnerabil-ity. Life is fragile. The grass-lands are fragile. The plants and animals that we depend on for our sustenance are frag-ile. We are fragile. And that makes us look up. When we are aware of these things God has a chance to speak into our lives, remind us that we need Him and that He is there, standing beside us in the midst of it all.

Hear these lyrics, written to the

tune of Auld Lang Syne by the

band Rend Collective…

”From mountain top to valley low Through laughter and through tears Surely the goodness of my God Will follow all the years”

God is on the mountain top, laughing and enjoying life with us. God is also in the valley low, struggling and weeping with us. And God will be there in the future, longing for us to look into his face and find hope. As we move from Christmas into the new year, remember that Almighty God loves us so much that he entered our bro-ken world as a baby to bring us healing and hope. May you look forward to the year ahead with the hope and the love of Christ. Happy New Year! Lila de Waal Printed in MH News December 2017

For our team to be united and consistently grounded in prayer and the Word (both in preparation and during our trip).

That God would work through us to bring glory to Him and fur-ther His Kingdom.

For the Prince of Peace School as they look to expand and build a high school for their graduating students.

That God would prepare the hearts of those who we will be serving and ministering to and that He would break our hearts for the sake of His people in Kenya.

Your prayer support is much needed and appreciated. If you would also like to support us financially, you can send an e-transfer to [email protected] or make a cheque payable to CLBI (specify donation for the IMPACT program and if you so desire, team Kenya). All dona-tions are tax deductible. Our trip is mainly paid for through fundraising, so every little bit helps!

To receive team updates you can visit www.clbi.edu or follow @clbi_camrose on Instagram. If you are in or around Cam-rose on February 13

th, 2018,

we invite you to attend a Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper at 5:00 pm which will be followed by a commission-ing service at 7:00 pm at CLBI. As well, there will be an IM-PACT presentation night at CLBI upon our return to Cana-da. This will take place on March 22, 2018 at 7:00pm. We would love for you to join us for these different events and would be glad to talk with you more about our trip during these occasions.

Thank you once again for your support and involvement!

For Jesus and His Glory,

Team Kenya

Caden, Peter, Anya, Rebekah and Gillian

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Does New Years Eve make you reflective? Does it make you think over the years that have passed and wonder where you have come from and where you are going?

At New Years we look back as well as forward. It is good for us to look back once in a while and review what has hap-pened. We look at those things that have happened to us as well as those things that we have made happen. Wisdom is gained from looking back. Wis-dom is needed to look forward. When I look back on the expe-riences of this community from this past year I can’t help think-ing about the fires. There were so many in our surrounding communities that faced the ter-ror of the prairie grass fire. Fearing for your life makes you think thoughts that you would not ordinarily think. I hear peo-ple say things like…”it was just stuff…we are thankful to have


mailto:[email protected]

http://www.clbi.edu

What a wonderful day was had here at the church!

The kids were off school for a PD day. They all helped pre-pare the noon meal by peeling potatoes and carrots and stuff-ing the chickens. Then they made Christmas cookies. The meaning of the shape of the pretzel was told to them while they made pretzels. They played parking lot hockey, re-enacted the Christmas story, learned a memory verse, sang Christmas carols and made advent wreaths.

If that wasn’t enough, the Fire-men came by to do a routine inspection of the church and they invited the kids to come out and see the Fire truck. That was bonus fun!!

Thank you to the huge team who made this possible and to the wonderful kids that we spent the day with!!!

“For to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11

Beth Taves Spiritual Formation Elder

Page 10 Victory Voice


CHRISTMAS CAMP

Hand-in-hand with our commit-ment to pure teaching and confession of the faith, is, and always must be, our equally strong commitment to reaching out boldly with the Gospel and speaking God's truth to the world. That is what "confession" of the faith is all about, in the final analysis. Indeed, "It is writ-ten: I believed; therefore I have spoken.' With that same spirit of faith we also believe and there-fore speak" (2 Cor. 4:13). This is what it means to be a Lutheran.

From the Book of Concord

SO WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE LUTHERAN?

Being a Lutheran is being a person who believes the truths of God's Word, the Holy Bible, as they are correctly explained and taught in the Book of Con-cord. To do so is to confess the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Genuine Lutherans, confession-al Lutherans, dare to insist that "All doctrines should conform to the standards [the Lutheran Confessions] set forth above. Whatever is contrary to them should be rejected and condemned as opposed to the unanimous declaration of our faith"

Such a statement may strike some as boastful. But it is not; rather, it is an expression of the

Spirit-led confidence that moves us to speak of our faith before the world.

To be a confessional Lutheran is to be one who honors the Word of God. That word makes it clear that it is God's desire for His church to be in agreement about doctrine, and to be of one mind, living at peace with one another (1 Cor. 1:10; 2 Cor. 13:11). It is for that reason that we so treasure the precious confes-sion of Christian truth that we have in the Book of Concord. For Confessional Lutherans, there is no other collection of documents, or statements or books that so clearly, accurate-ly and comfortingly presents the teachings of God's Word and reveals the Biblical Gospel as does our Book of Concord.

PRAY FOR THOSE

IN AUTHOURITY

Page 11


January 7, 2018 Councillor Jim Steinke, Redcliff

Majors Murray & Annette Jaster, Salvation Army

January 14, 2018 Mayor Ted Clugston, Medicine Hat

Pastor Kevin Schwartz, Southview Church of God

January 21, 2018 Councillor Robert Dumanowski, Medicine Hat

Rev. Dr. Oz Lorentzen, St. Barna-bus Anglican

January 28, 2018 Councillor Julie Friesen, Medicine Hat

Rev. Jeff Lackie, St. St. John’s Presbyterian

CHRISTMAS CAMP

http://biblia.com/bible/esv/2%20Cor.%204.13



Victory Lutheran Church 2793 Southview Drive SE Medicine Hat, AB T1B 2H1 P:403-527-5617 E:[email protected] W: www.victorylutheran.ca

SENIOR PASTOR: Jim Bredeson

DIACONAL MINISTER: Lila de Waal

SENIOR’S VISITATION MINISTER: Dallas Hjorth

FAMILY & YOUTH DIRECTOR: Nick Csillag

SPLASH COORDINATOR: Barb Beifus

OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR: Judy Brown

POWERPOINT/PUBLISHER: Leah Ebelher

NEW YEARS YUCKS Page 12


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