north star update- december 2010 – volume iv, issue 7
DESCRIPTION
Featuring a report on 2o years at Baxter for Pastor Dave Grotzke and a Christmas meditation by Bob Fuller, Jr.TRANSCRIPT
dreams can get in the way of
rejoicing in reality. When we
compare “what is” with what we
had hoped “might be,” “what is”
may pale to shades of gray.
What we had hoped “would be”
still has all the glitter and bright-
ness of its inception, yet it re-
mains elusive, unattained – a
dream, still. So which do we
yearn for? Which are we
Dreams – not the mind-
bending experiences of our
sleep, but our hopes and aspira-
tions for the future.
One of the hardest things a
person can do is turn his back on
his dreams, his expectations for
the future. Our dreams for the
future can be nearly as dear to us
as our children and giving up a
dream like turning our back on
our child.
At Christmas children
know what they want, and they
dream of getting it. What we all
learn early is that those dreams,
regardless of our age, may or
may not happen. For the child of
God, the difficulty is that our
dreams may come in conflict
with God’s plans, or God’s gifts.
Dreams tend to define ex-
pectations. At first a dream may
be an amorphous “Someday I
would like to/will do this or
that.” We can have these dreams
about our mates, our children,
our jobs, our schools, even our
politics. Then, our dreams be-
come plans. We might call them
“planning ahead.” Plans are
things we think we can get done,
or are controlled by things that
we never think will change.
This leads to a potential
danger. Dreams easily become
standards of evaluation. We
have a dream, and we strive to
see it realized. If it is not, then
we start looking for reasons
why. We do not like facing the
fact that they are the product of
planning on possibilities that are
often outside of our control.
Sometimes we think that we can
control enough to make some-
thing happen. When it does not
we might ask, “Is this all there
is?”.
We may blame others or
ourselves, and maybe even God.
Either way, we open ourselves
to frustration and bitterness.
Regardless of where we put the
blame, it is evident that we have
invested a lot of our well-being
in the fulfillment of our dream.
This happens because
Meditation on Getting the “Wrong” Gift Dr. Robert Fuller, Jr.
Grotzkes 20th Year at Baxter
On Sunday, October 3, the
congregation at First Baptist
Church of Baxter joined in cele-
brating Pastor Dave and Cindy
Grotzke’s twenty years of minis-
try at First Baptist. As a special
surprise, the Grotzke’s son Seth
came home to preach. He chal-
lenged the congregation to honor
God and give God the praise for
all things.
The Grotzkes were
thrilled to have all their
children home for the
day as well as some ex-
tended family. Several
special musical offerings
were presented, and a
sweet time of testimonies
reminiscing on the last
twenty years was shared.
A delicious carry-in dinner was
served followed by an afternoon
service.
A PUBLICATION OF THE MINNESOTA BAPTIST ASSOCIATION
December 26, 2010 Volume IV, Issue 7
North Star Update
Calendar
January 24: 10 AM, MBA
Executive Committee
1 PM, MBA Full
Board
January 28-29: Parent-Teen
Conference at First
Calvary, Inver Grove
Heights, “Digging
Deeper”
March 18-19: State Ladies
Meeting, Camp
Friendship
April 4-5: State Pastors’ &
Wives’ Retreat in Bax-
ter
June 24-25: MBA Annual
Meeting in St. Francis
Fellowship Foundations 2
Ladies Fellowship 3
Inside This Issue:
Continued on page 3
Continued on Page 2
These fall months, Sep-
tember, October, and November
have gone by swiftly. My previ-
ous report ended with August
29. This Update report will
advance from there.
September 5 – Calvary
Baptist, Pengilly. Pastor Bart
Goetz (Carol) had to be away,
and he invited me to teach Sun-
day School and preach the
Morning Service. I also pre-
sented an update on the Pills-
bury College Campus sale, and
reported on the happenings in
the MBA. The friendliness of
the people there and their deli-
cious “Baptist Buffet” are a
blessing.
September 17 – I attended
the MBA Executive Committee
and Full Board Meetings held at
Camp Friendship in Annandale.
The Trustees are to be com-
mended for their sacrifice of
time, and for the input/decisions
that they needed to make.
September 24 – I attended
a Meeting of the Pillsbury Fi-
nance Committee that had been
called to discuss the progress of
the sale of Pillsbury Campus.
October 3 – I was privi-
leged to attend and participate
some in the special 25th anni-
versary service of Lighthouse
Baptist in Cottage Grove, Pas-
tor Loren Bjokne (LaVonne). I
recalled to those in attendance
of a “next town outreach” can-
vassing endeavor held for the
church 25 plus years previ-
ously. I had the privilege of
participating in the effort to
seek out prospective attendees
for the church. A delicious meal
was served to all and many old
friends were there for celebra-
tion and fellowship.
October 17 – At the invita-
tion of Pastor Tim Barr
(Elayna) of First Baptist in
Adrian, we visited and I
preached at the Harvest Sunday
event. It is always a blessing to
be with the Barr family and to
fellowship with the people of
that church. It was wonderful to
think of the history of the
church, and to recognize that
any celebration of the present
has been conditioned by the
past, and is a preparation for the
future. They have made some
great improvements on the
interior and exterior of their
building.
October 31 – We took the
occasion to visit Faith Baptist in
Hinckley, Pastor Reed Owens
(Pat), and our friends there.
Pastor Reed allowed me time to
give an update to the church on
Pillsbury College sale progress,
and recent MBA happenings. It
is always a blessing to attend
Faith Baptist.
November 4 – As Interim
State Missionary, my wife
(Rhoda) and I attended the 25th
anniversary celebration of the
Metro Women’s Center (crisis
pregnancy center). The former
long time Chairman of the
Board, Pastor Max Day, was
guest speaker, along with others
who gave testimonies. What a
great work for God is being
accomplished by Director Col-
leen Tronson and her co-
laborers at MWC!
November 19 – Attended
the Pillsbury Trustees Board
Meeting held at New Prague.
As you know now, prayer is
greatly needed for the sale of
the Campus.
November 28 – We visited
the Bible Baptist church,
Crosby, pastor Gerald Fisher
(Maxine). Pastor Fisher allowed
me time to present an update
regarding the MBA and Pills-
bury College. It is always an
inspiration to visit our churches
that are away from the metro-
politan areas, and to see them
continuing a great testimony.
December 2 - Attended a
Meeting of the Planting and
Watering Committee chaired by
Pastor Doug Roman. The
Committee is fine tuning their
report to the MBA Executive
and Full Board Committees at
their next gathering. Good pro-
gress has been made to get our
Association on track for church
planting.
December 7 - Besides
being Pearl Harbor Day, it was
a privilege to attend a Meeting
of the Pillslbury Baptist Bible
College Board of trustees
chaired by Dr. Bob Fuller,
Jr. Prayer is yet needed in great
concourse for the sale of the
Campus.
December 19— I will be
preaching at First Baptist Int'l
Falls. That church has called
Ted Clarke to be their pastor
beginning in January. If I can
be of any assistance to you or
your church, please contact me.
have woven their subtle web
around us they interfere with
moving forward. For thousands
of years, men and women have
dreamed of being able to ele-
vate themselves to attain God’s
approval, or at least their own.
But that dream has remained
tempted to desire? The dream.
And in so doing, we ignore that
which God has already given
us. We diminish His present
grace – His gift – and we artifi-
cially enhance the gift we did
not receive.
In the end, when dreams
outside of our individual, and
collective, ability. That is why
at just the right time, God sent
His Son (Galatians 4:4).
I do not know all God
envisioned in this gift, but I do
Fellowship Foundations By: Rev. Robert Fuller, Sr. Interim State Missionary
The “Wrong” Gift, from page 1
Page 2 North Star Update
Continued on Page 4
as they point others to Christ.
They are not the ones trying to
gain the attention of others. In
fact, if they had it their way,
their ministry anniversary
would have quietly passed with
a regular Sunday service doing
the same things they do every
Sunday! God has truly blessed
First Baptist Church with the
ministry of the Grotzkes, and
the church is looking forward to
the next twenty years!
In the afternoon service,
the ladies of the church pre-
sented Mrs. Grotzke with a
beautiful book of memories,
and the church gave Pastor and
Mrs. Grotzke a love offering in
appreciation for their ministry.
The lives and ministry of
Pastor and Mrs. Grotzke could
be summed up into two words,
humble servants. They are will-
ing to do whatever God leads
them to do, and they always
want to reflect the praise back
to God. They lead by example
Grotzke, continued from page 1
Page 3 Volume IV, Issue 7
Date: March 18-19th
Location: Friendship Camp is
located on Clearwater Lake, 60 miles northwest of the Twin Cities, near Annandale.
Cost: $75 per person Cost includes: 1 night stay
at the camp + 3 meals = $55 Registration = $20
Speaker: Sarah Zakariasen
missionary to Africa
Theme: “Mission Possible,” from Romans 1:16
know that it is far better, far
more effective, infinitely more
glorious, and finally, the only
hope that we really have. It
becomes a template for us to
evaluate all of our dreams. Let
us not be blinded to God’s
grace by looking only at what
we thought we should have had.
Let us rejoice in what God has
given. He gave His Son, and in
His Son the Father has be-
stowed every spiritual blessing.
“Is this all there is?” Oh,
how small those words are.
How majestic! “Praise God
from Whom all blessings flow.”
The “Wrong” Gift, from page 2
A PUBLICATION OF THE MINNESOTA BAPTIST ASSOCIATION
PO Box 527
Willmar, MN 56201-0527
We’re on the web! http:www.mbaoc.org
MBA Contacts
Minnesota Baptist Association
Rev. Gerald Stephens, President
Community Baptist Church
PO Box 212
New Prague, MN 56071
(952) 758-3287
Interim State Missionary
Rev. Robert Fuller, Sr.
1549 118th Lane NW
Coon Rapids, MN 55448
(763) 568-4078
MBA Office
Minnesota Baptist Association
PO Box 527
Willmar, MN 56201-0527
Send Contributions to:
Mr. Brian Veth, MBA Treasurer
c/o Coon Rapids Baptist Church
11164 Hanson Blvd.
Coon Rapids, MN 55433
Send Update Articles and Pictures to:
North Star Update Editor
315 S. Payne St.
New Ulm, MN 56073
(507) 354-3323