GOODNEWSletter NOVEMBER 2008 ******************************************************************************* PERPETUAL THANKSGIVING Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7) A suspicious test result merits more tests from the doctor. A sick child causes a family to cancel a long-awaited vacation. A co-worker's mistake creates hours of extra work for you and your team. None of these scenarios seem to give us a reason to rejoice. Instead, similar situations may often lead to grumbling, questioning God and a spirit of discontent. It doesn't take much effort as we trudge through the doldrums of our daily lives to find something to complain about. It can be as simple as the gray weather, our jobs, or our never-ending workload. Or perhaps it is something which seems to merit complaining like health problems or troubled relationships. However, when we stand back and look at our lives through the glasses of God's grace, things appear much differently. We find that, although difficult at times, we can stand back with the apostle Paul and give thanks at all times and rejoice in all situations. Put on the glasses of God's grace this month (and every day) and consider all the blessings at your feet. First and foremost, examine the spiritual blessings that come to us from the cross of Christ and his empty tomb. A conscience freed from guilt, sins completely forgiven, peace, eternal life, no fear of death, and a loving Savior who walks beside us and helps us with every detail of our troubled lives. Christians, who view their lives' circumstances in this way, have a true sense of peace that transcends all understanding even in the midst of life's most bitter storms. Our spiritual blessings are so great that we haven't even touched on the abundant physical blessings we receive from our gracious God daily. Revisit the articles and their meanings in Luther's small Catechism. Luther wrote these great checklists of all the physical and spiritual blessings that have been heaped upon us. Listen also to the verses of Psalm 106 that are used so commonly at our dinner tables. "Praise to the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord or fully declare his praise?"(Psalm 106:1-2) So when the hard knocks of life threaten to take us down a road of discontent, frustration and despair, view your life through the rose-colored glasses of God's grace. Even in times of trying adversity, we are more than conquerors because of the work of Christ. We are blessed beyond words, beyond expression. Our greatest comfort in heartache comes in the fact that our pain and frustration are only temporary. An eternity of living with Christ in joy and happiness awaits. Perpetual thanksgiving is much easier, when we remember to put on the glasses of God's grace. See yourself and your life for what it really is this Thanksgiving - A perfectly planned masterpiece by the mastermind of all creation! Thanks be to God! ******************************************************************************* November Schedule Northwood, England - Northwood Methodist Church November 2, December 7 - Worship at 13:00 - Bible Class at 14:00 with fellowship following Savior of the Nations Lutheran Church Wicker, Germany (Frankfurt Area) - At the Evangelische Gemeindehaus November 9 and 23 - Worship at 11:00, Fellowship, Bible Class and Sunday school following the service Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany - At the Southside Chapel November 9 and 23 - Worship at 16:00 with Bible Study, Sunday school and fellowship to follow Vilseck, Germany - Main Chapel on Vilseck Army Base Saturday, November 15 - Worship at 10:00, Bible study at 11:00, potluck meal to follow Switzerland - Home of Christian and Jill Geissendorfer Sunday, November 16 - Worship at 11:00, Bible study, Sunday school and fellowship to follow ******************************************************************************* Thanksgiving Day Service Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, November 27, 2008. We will have a special service of thanksgiving to our gracious God at 11 am. There will be a potluck Thanksgiving dinner to follow. Join us as we give thanks to our gracious God and enjoy fellowship together. Look for a sign-up sheet to be emailed out as it gets closer. ******************************************************************************* Drop Us a Line! If you have need of pastoral assistance or just want to talk, please contact us. Your e-mails, phone calls, & letters are welcomed. Pastor Joshua and Katie Martin Im Holzweg 4a 55288 Spiesheim Telephone: (+49) 6732-965-9813 Email: WELSChaplain@gmail.com www.welseurope.net ******************************************************************************* Our Gift of Thanks The amount of offerings gathered in Europe in the month of October was the equivalent of EUR 6,517. Since the beginning of 2008, we have collected the equivalent of EUR 34,490. Thanks for supporting the Lord's work in Europe! ******************************************************************************* Advent By Candlelight On Saturday, December 13th, there is a tentative women's event on the calendar. Advent by candlelight is an evening of Bible study and fellowship for the women of the congregation. It is tentatively planned at the parsonage depending upon how much interest it generates. Men and children of the congregation are also invited to come as there will be other activities for you as well. If you would be interested in attending, please let Pastor Martin know as soon as possible so that we can continue making plans. ******************************************************************************* Fall Reformation Retreat 2008 The 2008 fall retreat has come and gone and many of us are still thinking over the great time we had. The theme was Making the Most of God's Gifts and we learned about living a life of service to our Lord out of a thankful heart for all he has done for us. On Friday, we had an opening devotion that reassured us of God's care even in this trying time of elections and financial upheaval. On Saturday, following our two Bible study and Sunday school sessions, many of us hiked or rode to the top of the Feldberg which is the highest point in the Black Forest. There, we were blessed with a reminder of how amazing our God is as we viewed the beauty of His creation from the summit. It was a clear, sunny day and we could clearly see the Alps. The spiritual highpoint was the worship service on Sunday with special music by the adult and children's choir and a special message from Pastor Martin. We are so thankful for this opportunity to worship our great and glorious God together. A heart-felt thank you to all the people who helped make the retreat a success. We had people attending from Germany, Poland, Portugal, England, and the USA. Thanks to: Mike and Diane Tracy, Angela Enderle, Stefan Bachmann, Sarah Bachmann, Abi Tracy, Thomas Bachmann, Josh Bachmann, Rich and Melinda Gribble, and Leah Bauer (and anyone else we may have forgotten). ******************************************************************************* Easter Retreat 2009 Mark your calendars! The dates have been set for the 2009 Easter retreat. It will take place on Thursday, April 9-Sunday, April 12. The location has not yet been determined. Keep checking the newsletter for updates! ******************************************************************************* England Retreat We are in the preliminary stages of planning a retreat in the British Isles. If you live in mainland Europe and would consider attending a retreat, please contact Pastor Martin. We are considering whether a location near public transportation or one that is more remote would be better suited to those attending. A date has not yet been set and we will continue to keep you posted on any new developments. ******************************************************************************* Prayer Chain Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened unto you. (Matthew 7:7) God in His Word encourages Christians to pray continually. It is such an important gift that our loving God has given us in which we can communicate with him and he blesses us. As a Christian congregation that is spread out across an entire continent, we may often find it difficult to know what is going on in the lives of our brother and sisters in Christ in order that we may offer prayers of thanksgiving and supplication for each other. In an effort to keep us united in prayer to our loving God, we are beginning a prayer chain. Melinda Gribble has volunteered to help put this together on a weekly basis. At the beginning of each week, you will be sent an email asking if you have any special prayer requests for yourself or a loved one. At the end of the week, the prayer will be sent out to all members with email addresses. Please feel free to submit all prayer requests to Pastor Martin or directly to Melinda Gribble at rmgribble@aol.com. If you do not have an email address but would like to add a prayer request, please don't hesitate to call Pastor Martin directly. ******************************************************************************* Special Christmas Services 2008 At this time, we have heard that many members will be away from Europe over the Christmas holidays. At this time, we are planning services tentatively depending upon how many members will be able to attend. Please let Pastor Martin know as soon as possible if you would be able to attend. Wednesday, Dec. 24- 6 p.m. - Devotion, Dinner and Fellowship at the Parsonage in Spiesheim Thursday, Dec. 25th - 11 a.m. - Christmas worship service in Wicker *******************************************************************************