|
Our Services in August / September
7. August
11.
Sunday after Trinity
English
9:45 a.m.
German 11:00 a.m.
Pastor
Stefan Wolf
14.
August
12.
Sunday after Trinity
English
9:45 a.m.
... The
English Service will be conducted by Congregational Members
German 11:00 a.m.
Pastor
Gerhard Hille
21.
August
13.
Sunday after Trinity
English
9:45 a.m.
German 11:00 a.m.
Pastor
Herbert Harms
28.
August
14.
Sunday after Trinity
English
9:45 a.m.
German 11:00 a.m.
Pastor
Peter
Mikelic
4.
September
15.
Sunday after Trinity
English
9:45 a.m.
German 11:00 a.m.
Services will be conducted by Congregational Members
11.
September
16.
Sunday after Trinity
English
9:45 a.m.
German 11:00 a.m.
Pastor
Stefan Wolf
With the Celebration of Holy Communion
18.
September
17.
Sunday after Trinity - JOINT SERVICE
German and
English 11:00 a.m.
Pastor
Dr. Thies Gundlach and Pastor Stefan Wolf
25.
September
18.
Sunday after Trinity
English
9:45 a.m.
German 11:00 a.m.
Pastor
Stefan Wolf
We express our thanks for all donations and for the active attendance of
our Church Services, and
cordially invite you to stay for a while after the Services for a cup of
coffee! |
Our Groups and Circles
Camp
Lutherlyn:
Sunday July 31st to Saturday Aug 6th, 2005
The Groups and Circles of our
Congregation meet regularly in September again! No meetings in August!
Board of Directors of the Nursery
meets on Tuesday, September 6, at 6:00 p.m. at the Church.
Confirmation Instruction
takes place on
Monday, September 12 and 19,
at the Parsonage
The Literary Circle
takes place
on Tuesday, September 13,
4:00 p.m., Parsonage, 3203 Gatliff Ave., Mississauga (east of Dixie Road,
south of Bloor Street).
The English Bible Discussion
Circle
meets on Tuesday, September 13,
at 7:30 p.m. at the Church.
The Women’s Group
invites on Wednesday, September 14, at 7:00 p.m., at the Church.
The Church Council
meets on Wednesday, September 14, at 7:00 p.m., at the Church.
The Seniors’ Circle
does not meet on the 3. Tuesday of the month this time, but on the
4. Tuesday(!), September 27, at 11:00 a.m. at
the Church.
The German Bible Discussion Group
takes place on Wednesday,
September 28,
7:00 p.m. at the Church.
The Visiting Service Circle
meets on Friday,
September 30,
before choir
practice at 6:00 p.m. at the Church.
Radio
Dedication
in German
every Sunday 9:30 a.m. Ciao Radio AM 530.
Any donations for this program would be welcome - please indicate your
envelopes "for radio program".
Please
send us an email, if you want to receive our newsletter regularly. |
He is the living God, enduring forever;
His kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end.
(Daniel 6, 26)
Devotion on the Verse for the
Month of August 2005
Dear Congregation,
The situation is not
particularly positive: Someone is sitting in the lions’ den. He has been
betrayed, because he did not stop praying to his God, against the law of the
king. But that is not the real reason. The true reason is that the two other
rulers who have something to say in the land, do not want to tolerate
someone else, who is smarter and besides, a foreigner on top of everything.
They therefore try to put this rival away in a particularly perfidious way.
They plot against him. Cunning is necessary. For
the king would not permit his best subject to be simply eliminated. But it
is not easy to pin something on Daniel. There is actually nothing of which
one can accuse him. He does good work, he is well-renowned, favoured,
diligent – but he is also religious. Therefore, if there is a weak point,
then it is this, that his loyalty to the king does not go so far as to
renounce his God. That is the solution: They must convince the king that all
important people in the country think, a law must be come out that everyone
who makes a request for something during the next thirty days, can only ask
the king – otherwise he will be thrown to the lions to be devoured. – An
ingenious plan: One claims that all want this, one flatters the king by
emphasizing the importance of his person and guarantees that everyone pays
homage to him and must ask him humbly that he, the King Darius, will help
them – that sounds great – and, besides, Darius can test who is loyal and
who is not. Darius falls for it and does not see through the plan. And
Daniel acts as is expected, of course he prays to his God, indeed, he can
not do otherwise – and bang – the trap closes. “Daniel does not care for
your laws, King!” – The king is shocked, but what should he do? He will be
ridiculed and lose his power, if he does not take his own decrees and laws
seriously. Of all people, it strikes one who has not planned anything evil.
Praying is nothing bad, the king knows that, too. Darius, wringing his hands
till evening, searches for a solution, but the fact weighs heavily on him,
that up to that point, a law of the Medes and Persians has never been
revoked. Therefore, it is executed – into the lions’ den with Daniel. The
king has one last, and surely, in all his desperation and helplessness one
sincerely meant advice: “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver
you!” – First, one is not allowed to pray, and now Darius urges Daniel to do
this? Nothing but praying will help now. Darius has a sleepless night and is
angry at his own decision. Early in the morning, he can stand it no longer.
He hurries to the lions’ den. He calls. And – what miracle – Daniel answers.
He is unhurt. An angel, he says, has protected him, as he is guiltless
before God! Quickly he is lifted out, and now revenge is taken on the men
who have plotted against him. They themselves land in the lions’ den, but
without an angel who helps them. And then the king of a
foreign people with a foreign religion confesses:
He is the living God,
enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion
shall be to the end. –
Happy end – everything is well. This story has always fascinated me. As a
child, because there were lions in it, as an adult, because it is still
relevant and unfortunately the strategy, to “mob” someone from his position
and, in an ice-cold manner saw off his chair, is still practised today. I am
disturbed by the fact in this story that laws can be terribly unjust when
the individual case is no longer taken into consideration. The king occupies
my thoughts, who, in spite of all naivety and attachment to power, has a
heart. I am fascinated that God protects a person because he holds on to
faith, even though the situation is hopeless. I see that Daniel remains
faithful to his belief, although his life is at stake, and I ask myself,
whether I could do that, too, in the same way? In any case, it is an
exciting Bible story of Daniel in the lions’ den – about faith that proves
itself, and God, who saves lives.
With best wishes for August and September,
I remain with kind regards, your Pastor
Stefan Wolf
We said
Farewell to Pastor Eberhard W. Schwantes
 Unfortunately,
we had to say fare-well to Pastor Schwantes on July 18th, who has
served our congregation for 36 years as Pastor. Pastor Schwantes died on his
birthday at the age of 76 years. He had been sick for an extended period of
time, but he still took an active part in the life of the congregation as
much as he could. A Thank-you goes out to all who helped in organizing
(serving lunch, preparing the rooms etc.) and in actively participating in
the Church Service to turn this sad occasion into a dignified fare-well. I
am certain that the memory of Pastor Schwantes will continue to accompany us
and that he would certainly have had joy in the caring which found
expression in the sympathy. We will miss him. To his wife and his family, we
want to express our sympathy once again and wish that God’s be with them in
the future. Our thanks also go to Pastor Günter Dahle and Bishop Bill Huras,
who attended the Service as representatives of the Synod, as well as
colleagues and friends, who accompanied these last steps.
Pastor Eberhard Schwantes
*July 18, 1929 - †July 18, 2005
We also buried...
Erika Koester
Jesus
says: I am the way and the truth and the life.
John 14, 6
Anniversary of the
Martin Luther Congregation in Ottawa
On October 16th, the Martin Luther Congregation in
Ottawa celebrates its 40th anniversary. It would really be nice
if we would visit the EKD sister-congregation of the same name. I want to
ask here if anyone in the congregation is interested in accompanying us on
that weekend to Ottawa. A small delegation of the congregation would indeed
be a nice gesture, because the congregational members from Ottawa plan to
attend our anniversary. Please contact me in time, so that the stay in
Ottawa can be planned.
Stefan Wolf, Pastor
Sermon of Oberkirchenrat Dr.
Thies Gundlach
 On
September 18th, Oberkirchenrat Dr. Thies Gundlach will preach in
a joint Service, as the official representative of the Evangelical Church in
Germany (EKD). Thies Gundlach is head of the department “Preaching, Services
and Works of the Church”. Since September 1st, 2001, he leads
department 22 and is, thereby, at the same time member of the College of the
Church Office, therefor also a part of the “internal leadership”. Many of
his specific duties have to do with the so-called “theological core
business” of the Church; namely, with Church Service and Church music, with
special pastoral care and missionary services, with the relationship between
“Christians and Jews” and the encounters with the Catholic sister Church. He
was born in Lübeck in 1956, is married and father of two children.
DELKINA Conference from September 20th to 26th in Ottawa
The
conference of the Evangelical-Lutheran Congregations in North America meets
every two years for sharing ideas. As official representatives of the
congregation, Mr. Heinz Gutsch and Pastor Wolf will travel to Ottawa, where
the conference takes place this time. The program includes reports from the
congregations. The focal point of the working conference is: “Messengers of
the Church – the Public Mission of our Congregations.”
Married
were...
Andre Thomas Gutsch and Donna Ruth Palmer
Complete my joy by being of the same mind,
having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
Philippians 2, 2
Thanksgiving on October 2nd 2005
 Pointing
out already to mark down October 2nd 2005. For that is the
date of Thanksgiving, which we again want to celebrate with a Joint Service
followed by a luncheon. The detailed program will await you in the next
Bulletin!
Andrea
Wienecke in Mexico
Andrea visited
Mexico with a group of her Bible College. Here is part of her report:
Mexico is
not just another place but rather a whole different world. And this world
cannot be experienced in a resort or a 5 star hotel. But this world can only
be shown in the places and faces of the people in the heart of Mexico. When
we planned our trip to Mexico it wasn’t for a leisurely vacation. But to
know, learn and understand the culture. As well as to see how God is working
is the lives of others around the world. I don’t know weather Mexico is as
all ‘bad’ as some
of us think. I will tell you that the everyday Mexican people I did meet
were so nice and welcoming. If they had nothing, they would give you the
world and weather or not they ate …it didn’t matter…they were horning their
guest. The Food was amazing….I never once liked spicy foods before….I always
thought it burned my mouth, but after a month in Mexico of eating a spicy
dish, after spicy dish, I fell in love with the little extra zing. The
Christians in Mexico are unlike most Christians in North America. When they
go to worship, they go to WORSHIP. Not like the norm of just sitting in a
pew listening to a sermon, but learning hands on in small groups, and
beforehand giving everything, they have for the Glory of God. They raise
their hands in the air…but not to show off; but to raise their hands TO God
our father in praise and thanksgiving. Women who can’t carry a tune go up in
front of a whole congregation, and sing their heart out; not to please the
people, rather to bring a song to God. As the lyrics to one of my personal
favorite songs goes: “I’ll bring you more than a song, for a song in itself
is not what you have required. You search much deeper with in through the
ways things appear…your looking into my heart” And they sing for God, they
praise God, they use their bodies, their laughter, everything. Just how they
describe King David dancing on the streets for God that is what the Mexican
Christians do for God as well. Mexico is a rich country poorly governed, yet
rich with people. I went there to discover something so amazing: We as one
world one nation, one people are all trying to do the same thing. Find the
beauty of it all, find God, find Jesus in this world. In the second part of
the trip, we did a drama 12 times on the streets, and over 200 adults became
Christians and over 100 kids as well. And I thought just standing there
watching these people come forward and receiving Christ for the first time….
I will always keep the best memories from Mexico for it was there that I saw
the world come together through Christ. As Pastor Ezekiel said in one of the
small-group sermons: “We don’t need to go to other countries to become
missionaries. But we can be missionaries to our own next door neighbor.” So
to my dear Canadian next door neighbor, whether you see it or not, you are a
Child of God, one who is cherished and dearly loved. God has His hands
outstretched waiting for you to take it. And I assure you, when you do, you
will stop searching for the answers…because God is right for everybody! God
bless you, and may the love of Christ fire a storm deep within your heart.
Andrea Wienecke
Supply during the Vacation of Pastor Wolf
During my absence at Summer Camp and on vacation, in emergency cases please
contact:
from July 31st to August 12th, Pastor Katharina
Möller, Telephone: (905) 277-2631 and
from August 13th to September 5th,
Pastor Joachim Knaack, Telephone (416) 243-5469.
Furthermore, there will be someone at the Church office – except Wednesdays
– during the week. Mrs. Kleinau can assist you at any time.
All
Dates at a Glance
Mission Circle
every Wednesday morning from 9:30 a.m. except 14.09.!
Church Choir
every Friday, 7:30 p.m., Church.
Nursery Board of Directors
Tuesday, 06.09., 6:00 p.m., Church.
Confirmation Instruction
Monday, 12.+19.09., 7:00 p.m., Parsonage!
Literary Circle
Tuesday, 13.09., 4:00 p.m., Parsonage!
English Bible Discussion Group
Tuesday, 13.09., 7:30 p.m., Church.
Women’s Group
Wednesday, 14.09., 7:00 p.m., Church.
Church Council
Wednesday, 14.09., 7:00 p.m., Church.
Seniors' Circle
Tuesday, 27.09.(!), 11:00 a.m., Church.
German Bible Discussion Group
Wednesday, 28.09., 1:30 p.m., Church.
Visiting Service Circle
Friday, 30.09., 6:00 p.m., Church.
The anniversary casts a long
shadow… …and therefore it seems
necessary to invite the guests in the beginning of September. We would like
to make sure, that also those who have once belonged to our congregation or
consider themselves to be affiliated with the church although they might not
be officially registered as members can be invited.
We would like to ask you to
provide us with names of people of whom you know that they would like to
take part in the festivities. Use the form below and please give us also a
reason why this person should be invited – for example: “Former member” or
“has been confirmed in our church”. Your help is very much appreciated. We
ask you to bring this form to church or to send it in. There will be a box
setup in the entrance area, where you can drop off the portion below.
With kind
regards Your Anniversary Committee
………………………………………………………….(please
detach here!)……………….
Your Name:
____________________________________________________________________________
Phone number (just in case!):
________________________________________________________________
I
suggest inviting the following person(s):
Name:
_________________________________________________________________________________
Address:
_______________________________________________________________________________
Phone:
_________________________________________________________________________________
Reason fort the invitation:
__________________________________________________________________
The
Last Word
Humility is the courage to count on God.
(Anke Maggauer-Kirsche) |
