Heritage Herald – July 2024 Edition
From Pastor’s Desk
Our Obligation to Our Elders
Genesis 9: 20-27
20 Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard. 21 He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. 23 Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father’s nakedness. 24 When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said, “Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.” 26 He also said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant. 27 May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant.”
At the conclusion of the great flood, Noah was 600 years old. That’s old by any estimation. Noah and his three sons, and their wives, were the only surviving humans. God commissioned them to replenish the human race. When they were back on dry land, Noah became a farmer. On his farm, he planted a vineyard and harvested the fruit of the vine, which naturally fermented and became alcoholic wine. This is the first mention in scripture of either a vineyard or the making of wine. It is reasonable to understand that Noah, as the first man to taste wine, could not anticipate the effects of drinking too much wine. Having drunk too much wine, Noah behaved in a most unbecoming manner. Yet we must not say he was guilty of sin. He simply was acting in ignorance and inexperience. Noah was the patriarch, the prophet, the leader of mankind. He was not perfect but deserved to be shown honor, dignity and respect. Noah’s youngest son, Ham, somehow became aware of his father lying exposed in his drunkenness in the privacy of his tent. Ham took advantage of the opportunity to humor himself with the sight of the great Noah in this unfortunate condition. Rather than protect his father, Ham made him the subject of ridicule and scandal, and he went out and told his brothers all about it and with a grin on his face. The two brothers, Shem and Japheth, did the right thing. They showed honor, dignity and respect for their father by covering rather than exposing his unfortunate condition. They took a garment, a robe, such as was worn in that day, and walking backwards into the tent, they covered their father without looking upon his weak and defenseless condition. They left the tent without saying anything to anyone. This is what Ham, their younger brother, should have done. The nobel action of Shem and Japheth exemplifies how all of us should demonstrate dignity, respect and honor to our elders, especially when they are in a vulnerable condition. Ham, together with his son, Canaan, fell under the curse of God for Ham’s behavior. Shem and Japheth were blessed by God for their honorable behavior. Shem was chosen by God to be the ancestor through whom the Messiah would come. God promised Japheth that he would be the father of many peoples and he would dwell in the tents of Shem, that is he would be Shem’s true brother and support.
We live in a day and time when dignity, respect and honor toward our elders are in short supply. When we see a father or grandfather or grandmother or elder in our church or in our neighborhood in a weak state, due to old age, Alzheimer’s, dementia, this is not an opportunity for ridicule or humor at their expense. It is our obligation to protect and defend them and thereby preserve their dignity, honor and respect. They are not responsible for the natural decline associated with getting older. This story, unusual as it may seem, has been preserved by God to teach us our obligation and responsibility to the elders of our generation. What Ham did was shameful. What Shem and Japheth did was the will of God. We need fewer Hams and more Shems and Japheths.
– Pastor KJ Anderson
VBS
Thank you to everyone who volunteered their time and talents, donated food items or other supplies, and brought their children to participate in VBS. We had about 50 children each day and we were able to share God’s word, sing songs, make new friends, eat fun snacks, play fun games and make awesome crafts! We ended our wonderful week of VBS on Thursday with a visit from the Kona Ice truck for some delicious shaved ice with lots of yummy flavors and of course singing our VBS songs and reciting our Bible verses for the parents.
Summer Camps for 3-6 year old children
Science Camp is coming up this month – July 15th – 18th from 9 am until noon. This is a very popular camp among the children and volunteers! There are still spots available if you would like to sign your child up or help spread the word to friends and neighbors. Camp Flyer 2024 Reg
FY24 June Financial Summary
Council Update
Director Reports
In reach – VBS planning continues with additional volunteer positions still available. Additional fundraising efforts and donations are needed to support the LYA trip with 5 Heritage youth, 2 chaperones, and 8 WELS youth friends attending with the Heritage group.
Spiritual Oversight – Jason Eisenbeis has been added to the Spiritual Oversight board. An additional spot for an Elder role is available.
School Board –The School Board is looking for additional members to serve on their board. Preparation of the classrooms with painting and waxing is going very well. Science Camp will be taking place the week of July 15th. Onboarding for MaKenna will be happening on July 1. Teachers will complete home visits in August. Installation for MaKenna is being planned.
Outreach –The VBS finale party planning is coming together with Kona Ice scheduled to be there to celebrate. The Outreach board is also planning a Back to School/End of Summer party and Heritage Night Out events.
Properties – Painting is complete in the classroom and library, and floors have been waxed. The old office has been renovated to be used as a workroom with extra storage for VBS, TLC and Sunday School. There was some damage to the playground fence from a fallen tree.
Treasurer – none
Chairman– Larry Sickmann will be transitioned in as the new V.P. Jodi Nikoley will be assisting with the staffing of the new school summer programming to begin in the summer of 2025.
TLC/Office– Funds from the Fiesta Night were donated to the youth for their annual LYA travel and registration costs. The new copier/printer is in place.
TLC – The Ladies’ Connection
The Ladies’ Connection will take a break for the summer.
Member Photo Directory
The photo directory is in the process of being updated. If you have a recent picture that you would like us to use, please send it to Katie & Kevin Henricks – 2k2nhenricks@charter.net
Adult Bible Study Opportunities
Women’s Bible Study.
Men’s Bible Study
The Men’s Thursday Morning Bible Class is taking a break for the summer and will return in the fall.
Members Helping Members
Companions in Prayer
My Prayer Story
Have I ever told you about my Aunt Bertha? She was quite a bit older than my Dad – I almost thought of her as another Gramma. Although she always seemed sober and stern, I liked her. Going to her house in Sioux Falls was always a treat. We always celebrated the 4th of July at her house. Mostly because she had such a tiny house and we wouldn’t fit at other holidays. It was 4 rooms – living room, bedroom, bathroom and kitchen – I think the whole thing including the garage would fit in our Fellowship Hall. There was, I would call it a root cellar, below the kitchen. I always thought it was fun to be sent down the almost ladder-like stairs to get some canned (home made) item off the shelf. On the 4th, aunts, uncles, cousins would gather. The backyard and small attached garage provided enough room for all. She had a big garden – lovely roses and a raspberry patch were what I remember most. I and my cousins would chase through the paths, but knew enough not to step on any plants! The reason I am telling you about my Aunt Bertha is because I remember her on the 4th and also because I learned what I think of as a special table prayer from her. Let me share it with you.
Great God, Giver of all good, Accept our praise and bless our food.
Grace, strength and help to us afford, Through Jesus Christ, our Blessed Lord.
If you would like examples of additional table prayers, there are samples for you to take on the bookcase in the Narthex.
Congregation Prayer Suggestions:
Intercessory prayer – prayers on the behalf of others – are a part of a Christian’s life. If you have a request for Companions in Prayer at Heritage to pray for you or someone you know, please contact Alice Schmidt, Pastor Anderson or the Office. Here are some suggestions to add to your prayer list.
- We celebrate the 4th of July to celebrate our country, especially the blessing of freedom of worship. While there are many views opposing our beliefs, we must be thankful that we are able to practice and share our faith.
- Pray for all those who have been impacted be the major storms that have devastated several area in our state and other areas the past few weeks.
Serving in July
July Greeters
7/7 – Fahning
7/14 – Frimanslund
7/21 – LaSalle
7/28 – L. Leary/B. Oachs
Greeter Guidelines
To provide a consistent, friendly, and sincere greeting every Sunday to all members and visitors to Heritage Lutheran Church, guidelines have been developed to help accomplish that goal. Following are some of those guidelines:
- Please mark your calendar for the date you are assigned. The date assigned will be published in the Heritage Newsletter for a two-month period.
- Please be ready to greet no less than 20 minutes before each service for which you have been assigned.
- As you greet visitors, please encourage them to sign our guest book. If there are two people greeting, one of you could escort them to the guest book while the other continues to greet. Ideally you should try to introduce them to another member standing nearby. Sometimes this is difficult to do as the service is starting. In that case, try to chat with them after the service and introduce them to other members after the service.
- Stay at the door until the service is underway; visitors quite often show up late and really need extra help in getting bulletins and a place to sit. Feel free to involve the ushers as needed.
- If you have a chance, get their contact information from the guest book or by asking them for it, and then follow up with a thank you text, email, or note sent to them thanking them for visiting our church. If you inform the church office, they could help with this task.
- If you are unable to greet at both services, please ask someone to fill in for you. If you find out at the last minute, text the following who are willing to help – Remus 651-800-5827, Braun 612-237-1064, Fahning 952-200-2870, Eisenbeis 651-230-4423, Barb Oachs 952-465-5272
- If you have a conflict with the date you were assigned, please contact someone from your month or the next month and trade with them. This helps those doing the scheduling with juggling all the rescheduling. Thank You!
July Ushers & Acolytes
7/7 – 9:00 – Josh Mears, Phil Holz/Josiah Mears
7/14 – 9:00 – Craig Remus, Jef Sutton/Ushers
7/21– 9:00 – Steve Cook, Luther Krueger/Jaycen Steward
7/28 – 9:00 – Kevin Henricks, Nicholas Henricks/Ushers
July Recording
7/7 – Stan Miller
7/14 – Stan Miller
7/21 – Stan Miller
7/28 – Stan Miller
July Altar Guild
Hannah Anderson/Bonnie Kooy
July Fellowship
7/7 – Remus/Tarras
7/14 – Calhoun
7/21 – Natvig
7/28 – A. Schmidt
July Birthdays
2 Rhoda Siewert
5 Maddison Sargent
6 Sandra Bobka
6 Laura Mears
8 Tim Oachs
9 Dan Schwanz
14 Sarah Salava
18 Julie Damico
18 Rhonda Eisenbeis
18 Marie Mears
18 Dustin Balliet
22 Alex Meany
23 Carly Sutton
23 Sondra Frimanslund
23 Raelyn Spaulding
24 Nathan Nikoley
26 Brooke Oachs
29 Dave Boldt
29 Debbie Krueger
29 Gavin Meany
30 Barb Oachs
30 Joe Talbot
31 Josh Mears
31 Kurt Arehart
31 Elizabeth Schmidt