Dear Friends in Christ, As I write this, we are within little more than a week of the end of January and little more than two weeks from Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Perhaps you might wonder how dates for seasons like Lent and Easter are arrived at, because I’m sure most of us know that the times of these observances are different every year. For those of us who are “descendants” of the “Western Church” whose center has been Rome for more than a thousand years, the date of Easter is arrived at from a “lunar calendar.” From times that pre-date Martin Luther by more than a thousand years, Easter Sunday has been celebrated on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the Spring Equinox (the first day of spring). This year that Sunday happens to be March 31st. I should note that Christians who are a part of the Eastern Orthodox tradition use a different and somewhat more complex way of determining what Sunday Easter Sunday is set on. AND, on most years the date is on a different Sunday; occasionally they can land on the same Sunday, but not often. The center of the Eastern Orthodox traditions, again for more than a thousand years, is in Constantinople (if you’re Christian); Moslems call the same city—Istanbul. So, our season of Lent begins this year on the seventh Wednesday (February 13th) before Wednesday of Holy Week. We call this season, Lent. It is called Lent because it occurs during the period of time when the hours of daylight lengthen. In Old English these are days that “laenkten” (that is become longer). It is the word from which our word and label for the season was derived and—I don’t know how many hundred years ago—was shortened to Lent. In our “Western” Christian tradition it has for centuries been a period of time when we prepare for the celebration of Easter by meditating on Jesus’ suffering and death for our sins and celebrating His victory over sin and its wages, namely death on the cross, when He rose from His tomb on the first Easter. During these weeks many, if not most churches growing out of the Reformation tradition, have had midweek services whose themes focus on repentance for our sins and what God has done for us in the death and resurrection of Jesus to save us from them. Easter is therefore the central, most important, celebration in the Christian Calendar. So, make some time during these coming Lenten days to ponder God’s gift of grace become flesh in Jesus and thank Him for the means of salvation and life today and forever in Jesus’ death and resurrection.

~ Pastor Fred Rosin

BADGER LUTHERAN CHURCH

Badger, SD A Congregation of the North American Lutheran Church

February 2013 Newsletter

Fred Rosin, Interim Pastor Office: 785-3277

Home: 605-628-2121 Website: http://badgerlutheranchurch.org

Email: sallyrosin@hotmail.com Office Email: trinityc@itctel.com

February

2 Ralph Christensen 3 Ethan Fonder 3 Jama Graves 4 Trace Damm 7 Kahne Hanson 7 Richele Lemme 7 Mary Ann Schultz 8 Phyllis Norgaard 9 Nealy Williams 10 Dexter Thorsteinsen 13 Sam Hicks 16 Trish Andersen 16 Adam Sorenson 17 Bonnie Nessan 21 Peyton Ramstad 23 Brad Weiss 26 Desmond Jones 26 Daryl & Phyllis Norgaard 28 Carolyn Spilde 29 Tyler Ramstad

Happy Birthday!Happy Birthday!Happy Birthday!Happy Birthday! Happy Anniversary!Happy Anniversary!Happy Anniversary!Happy Anniversary!

Church Council Council members, please note the next meeting is set for Monday, Feb. 11, 6 p.m., due to Ash Wednesady on Feb. 13.

Quilting

The ladies will meet again at 10 a.m. on February 20 to quilt. If you have crochet thread not being used, the ladies could use it to tie quilts together.

Contact Information

Pastor Rosin: 628-2121 Trinity Office: 785-3277 Pastor’s Email: sallyrosin@hotmail.com Office Email: trinityc@itctel.com

Mailing Address: PO Box 230, Lake Norden SD 57248

PRAYING FOR OUR MEMBERS Feb. 3: Jennifer Gronewold; George and Phyllis Milldrum; Evalynn Spilde; Carla Aker Feb. 10: Sara Larsen; Lisa Yant; Paul and Joanne Nelson Feb. 17: Willis & Cynthia Frederick; Daryl and Phyllis Norgaard; Michelle Andersen Feb. 24: Jama Graves; Donna Phelps, Angie and Darci; Doug Auck; Leslie Gronewold.

Thank You to the Town of Badger!

The Badger Lutheran Church wishes to express their sincere thanks to the town of Badger for supplies and equipment used for snow removal at the church this past month! The congregation is blessed by your kindness in helping them make it through a “snowy” month! God’s blessings to all who made this possible!

Are You Looking for a Summer Job?

Youth, are you looking for a fun and rewarding job for the summer? Lutherans Outdoors has jobs available at all their camps, including Joy Ranch, the closest camp to Badger. For more information check out their website: www.losd.org/staff/employment/2013. Working at a camp for the summer is an un-forgetable experience! You would enjoy it!

THERE WILL BE NO CONFIRMATION CLASS

DURING LENT. ALL STUDENTS ARE ASKED TO

HELP WITH LENTEN SERVICES AND TAKE

SERMON NOTES.

Note: Bishop John Bradosky of the NALC sent a powerful letter to pastors and congregational leaders

at the time of Thanksgiving. One can consider every day as a day of “Thanks-giving” to God for His

many blessings. Printed below are excerpts from his letter.

“Paul writes, ‘Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for

you in Christ Jesus.’” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) Paul encourages us to pray. There is nothing passive about prayer. It requires our devotion, our attention,

and our heart, mind and soul. It is a way to give ourselves completely to God, to place ourselves in His

presence. It is my hope…that you take action and engage in prayer. It is not always easy to give thanks in all circumstances. I know that some of you have experienced

profound grief and pain during these past years, others are now in the midst of such grief, and still others

can see the storm clouds forming. Our joy is never found in our circumstances. Our joy is found in the One

to whom we turn in prayer. Our faith is not in a God who makes everything in our life easy and wonderful,

even during a season of celebrating the harvest. I am reminded of the story of Pastor Martin Rinkart, who served the church in Eilenburg, Germany, many

years ago. In the first half of the 17th century, Germany was in the midst of wars, famine and pestilence.

During an especially oppressed period when other pastors had died, Pastor Rinkart conducted up to 50

funerals a day as a plague swept through the town and as the Thirty Year's War wreaked its own terror.

Pastor Rinkart buried members of his own family. Yet during those years of darkness and despair, when

death and destruction greeted each new day, Pastor Rinkart wrote 66 sacred songs and hymns. Among

them was the song, Now Thank We All Our God. Pastor Rinkart wrote,

Now thank we all our God, With hearts and hands and voices,

Who wondrous things hath done, In whom His world rejoices;

Who, from our mothers' arms, Hath blessed us on our way

With countless gifts of love, And still is ours today. His circumstances were filled with great grief and despair, yet he was able to focus on the One who was

with him in the midst of it. Christ is both our consolation and present help. His promise is to be with us

always, even to the close of this age. And He is! May your hearts be filled with true joy, taking time for prayer and turning the grace you have received into

action for others.” ~ Bishop John Bradosky

Faith in a prayer-hearing God will make a prayer-loving Christian.” ~ Andrew Murray “As is the business of tailors to make clothes and cobblers to make shoes, so it is the business of Christians to pray. ~ Martin Luther “The true church lives and moves and has its being in prayer.”

~ Leonard Ravenhill “The word of God is the food by which prayer is nourished and made strong.” ~ E.M. Bounds

“Ten minutes spent in the presence of Christ every day, aye, two minutes will make the whole day different.” ~ Henry Drummond

2013 LENTEN SERVICE SCHEDULE

TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH, LAKE NORDEN, SD and

BADGER LUTHERAN CHURCH, BADGER, SD

DATE TIME & PLACE (WED. NIGHTS) Feb. 13 7:30 PM at Trinity (Ash Wed.) Feb. 20 7:30 PM at Badger Feb. 27 7:30 PM at Trinity March 6 7:30 PM at Badger March 13 7:30 PM at Trinity March 20 7:30 PM at Badger

HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE: Maundy Thursday: March 28 7:30 PM at Trinity Good Friday: March 29 7:30 PM at Badger Easter Sunday: March 31: 7:30 AM - Youth Service at Badger followed by breakfast 7:30 AM - Sunrise service at Trinity followed by breakfast 9:30 AM - Easter Festival Service at Badger

Nothing in my hands

I bring…

Simply to thy

cross I cling…

Programs Available at Joy Ranch

Special programs have been planned for Joy Ranch for 2013. They include the following:

Feb. 23-24 “We Get It” Family Retreat

March 7—8 Church Youth Directors Retreat

April 5-7 Crafty Chicks Retreat

April 11 Date Night (Gourmet Dinner)

Nov. 21-24 Quilters Retreat

April—May Basic Horsemanship for Women

May 7-8 Retired But Not Tired

June—Aug. Summer Programs For more information call 886-4622, or check it out at www.JoyRanchSD.org. Click on “Photos” and you will be amazed at how this camp has been built from the ground up!

Lighthouses are now a popular decorating theme. Many images are infused with light to symbolize Christian faith and hope. Yet the purpose of a lighthouse is not to look pretty against a sunny sky, although it does, but to illumine a ship’s way beneath heavy, dark clouds or a moonless night. The lighthouse itself doesn’t light up until its surroundings grow dark! Surely Jesus loves to share our joys, and we praise Him during life’s bright times. But God’s primary purpose for coming to live among us was to save us from the storm of sin; to illumine our path through the darkness of death, in all its forms; to be the light guiding all people safely home. Jesus’ light shines for us day and night, rain or shine, to bless us with faith and hope. ~ The Newsletter Newsletter

Revisiting the ‘Facts on Growth’ study

Odds are that many of you have not taken the time to check out the Hartford Institute’s 2010 study of over 11,000 congregations. I’ve decided to summarize the most helpful insights from that study. The complete study can be found by going to: www.FaithCommunitiesToday.org, then clicking on Facts on Growth: 2010. First the ministry challenges cited in this study; then the recommended ministry strategies for addressing these challenges: Current Ministry Challenges 1. North Americans are less likely than ever to be-long to any off-line social organizations. The digital age has only increased the odds that the typical American is not a part of any voluntary group or community that actually meets physically (as opposed to online). I just read in the New York Times that there are now one billion people on Facebook. Facebook has only been available for seven years! 2. Children and teens, especially in middle and upper middle income households, are overprogrammed. Between sports teams and extracurricular school activities there is very little discretionary time left for church activities and groups. 3. Our current weak economy has impacted congre- gations in multiple ways; including less discretionary income (reduced charitable giving), many adults having to work multiple part-time jobs (less available time for volunteering), and fewer new people moving into the community. The overall financial impact of the last four years on congregations has been significant. The 2010 study states, “Congregational economics are much more precarious today than in 2005.” 4. The changing landscape for the American family has added to the challenge congregations face when trying to reach out to residents in their surrounding communities. The new demographic realities include a) 44% of American newborns are now born to single mothers, b) fewer adults are choosing to marry, and c) of those who marry, fewer are choosing to have children.

5. The aging of the American population in general and mainline Protestants in particular has made it even more difficult to reach younger adults, youth and children. Generational barriers are real. A congregation with a median age of 60 or 65 will have a difficult time reaching single adults or couples in their 30’s and 40’s. Suggested Ministry Strategies 1. Many growing congregations are offering, as a way of connecting with the unchurched, parenting classes and/or events, marriage enrichment opportunities, and sports ministries. 2. Growing congregations try to provide scheduling options as a way to connect with increasingly busy households. Obviously, this is a strategy much more difficult for smaller congregations to manage. But the days are long gone when you can expect most of your members or “prospects” to be available on the same evening. 3. Growing congregations offer small groups (offered at different times, of course) to integrate and disciple busy people. And the larger your congregation the more essential small groups are. 4. Growing congregations are more likely to offer contemporary music in worship. Please note this is not only contemporary music. However, it is far less likely that a congregation will grow if it only offers traditional worship music. Finally, some direct quotes from Kirk Hadaway, the author of this study: + “Most important to growth is the ability of congre- gations to attract younger adults and families with children.” + “At least part of the explanation for mainline decline (as opposed to relative evangelical growth) is the lack of a clear motivating purpose…It helps to stand for something.” + “In terms of the character of worship itself, the descriptors most strongly associated with growth are ‘joyful,’ ‘innovative,’ and ‘inspirational.’” + “Congregations that involved children in worship were more likely to experience substantial growth.” + “The primary way people first connect with a congregation is through someone who is already involved.”

~ Pastor Don Brandt

Pastor Don Brandt serves as pastor

of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in

Salem, Ore. You may reach him at

DonB@oursaviorssalem.org

Bits and Pieces

Envy gnaws at a man’s life like a moth eating away at a wool blanket. ~ The Fountain By perseverance the snail reached the Ark. ~ Spurgeon What we are hereafter depends upon what we are after here.

~ From Clouds without Water by Bill R. Austin One of the sanest, surest and most generous joys of life comes

from being happy over the good fortune of others. ~ Rutledge

Who Will Take the Son...

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art. When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son. About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, 'Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly... He often talked about you, and your love for art.' The young man held out this package. 'I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this.' The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. 'Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift.' The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected. The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection. On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. 'We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?' There was silence... Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, 'We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one.' But the auctioneer persisted. 'Will somebody bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?' Another voice angrily said, 'We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Gogh's, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!' But still the auctioneer continued. 'The son! The son! Who'll take the son?' Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. 'I'll give $10 for the painting...' Being a poor man, it was all he could afford. 'We have $10, who will bid $20?' 'Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters.' The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections. The auctioneer pounded the gavel. 'Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!' A man sitting on the second row shouted, 'Now let's get on with the collection!' The auctioneer laid down his gavel. 'I'm sorry, the auction is over.' 'What about the paintings?' 'I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will... I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets everything!'

God gave His son over 2,000 years ago to die on the Cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is: 'The Son, the Son, who'll take the Son?' Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything!

FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON;

WHO SO EVER BELIEVETH, SHALL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE...

THAT'S LOVE ~ Submitted by TLC Member

Address Correction Service Requested

Badger Lutheran Church PO Box 145 Badger, SD 57214

Badger Lutheran’s Mission Statement

Having experienced God’s grace, love and forgiveness as given to us by the risen Jesus Christ and received through the Word and

Sacrament, Badger Lutheran is sent out to witness, to serve, and to

steward all that God has given us.

Officers: Trustees:

Joel Williams, Pres. 983-5947 Gary Christensen 203-0878 Paula Bergan, Vice Pres. 983-3254 Casey Hansen 530-3168 Joanne Nelson, Sec-Treas. 983-5014 Tucker Nelson 983-5802

Deacons: Church Staff:

Alison Gilbertson 983-5047 Interim Pastor Fred Rosin 628-2121 Ryan Ramstad 690-3904 Brody Gilbertson, Janitor 983-5047 Austin Gilbertson 983-5047 Sue Falconer, Fin. Sec. 983-3341 Laura Wilson 203-0864 Ryan & Amber Ramstad, Head Ushers 690-3904 Shirley Skoglund, Sec. 785-3277; Cell 880-0580 Email: trinityc@itctel.com

Happy

Valentines

Day!