Annual Convention 2007

The Church of the Lutheran Brethren annual convention this year was held at Marysville Word of Life Church on June 17th-June 20th.

The theme for the convention was "Thy Kingdom Come."

The first evening, our church president Joel Egge spoke from Mark 1:14-15. He talked about how perplexing, yet amazing God's kingdom is. He emphasized the facts that when God's kingdom comes to us it 1) calls us to repentance from sin, and 2) it comes at just the right moment.

As we closed the opening service, the worship leader, Micah Nordtvedt, together with the worship band, led us in singing "The Lord's Prayer." Joining our hands and praising the Lord in this manner moved many in the congregation to tears, and seemed to set the tone of a unified spirit that continued to reign throughout the coming days of prayer, worship and communion, business deliberation, and decision-making.

On Monday morning, the Church of the Lutheran Brethren voted to accept a new church into membership- the Grace Community Church in Wesley Chapel, Florida. Pastor Jeff Olsen and his family have been serving there for the past couple years and have witnessed the hand of God as they have seen their numbers grow and people commit themselves to serving the risen Lord.

As a district, we also rejoice in the news that one of our own churches, RockChurch in Chandler, Arizona, has become self-supporting and will be going off financial subsidy this year. Unfortunately, their pastor, Forrest Erickson , was unable to attend the convention due to illness. We pray for God's healing and for a speedy recovery.

On Monday evening, before Pastor Thor Foss (Succasunna, NJ) spoke, a commissioning service was held for our missionaries leaving this fall. Steve and Janice Flude, (the couple on the left)together with their family of nine children, will be leaving in September for nine months of language study in France before they begin their ministry in Chad.



Linda Low (on right) will be leaving in August to begin her two-year ministry of teaching the Venberg children in Doh, Chad. We continue to praise God for His call to these servants of His, and pray for their protection, wisdom for their studies, and grace as they adapt to new cultures and situations. The Flude family

We rejoice in the task that God has given to us as a church body and pray for His guidance as we seek to do this work. Our desire, as a church synod, and as a district, is that people everywhere be brought into God's kingdom of saving, sustaining and strengthening grace.

For more information on the convention go to http://www.clba.org/

Convention 2007--Marysville, WA

On Saturday, June 16th women from many different LB congregations gathered together in the beautiful Marysville Word of Life Church for their annual women's convention.

Our theme for the convention this year was "Come, Now is the Time... to Worship, to Witness, to Serve.

We enjoyed a wonderful time of worshipful singing, held our business meeting, heard updates from several missionaries--both at home and abroad, enjoyed a time of prayer, and were blessed by the wit and Godly wisdom of our special speaker Rhea Briscoe.

After a lovely noon luncheon, the ladies were offered several options for seminars: on leadership, personal spiritual growth, broadening our vision, teaming up and edifying one another, and bridging the generation gap.

All in all, in was a wonderful and beneficial day. Besides, it was a great time of re-newing friendships, and making many new friends! For more info please go to www.wmclb.com

A time of praise and worship of the Lord.

Living Word Youth Group Outing

Calvary CC has the unique privilege of being located close to many fun attractions for kids. So this past weekend, several adults from Living Word (our church in Phoenix) brought eleven of their young people from the junior high group to Fullerton, California. After a long road trip on Saturday, the group settled into their new "quarters," the upstairs Sunday school rooms at Calvary. (Or, as one young lady called it "the church/motel")


Sleeping conditions at the "church/motel" were rather simple. The kids were tough and just rolled out their sleeping bags and slept on the floor...


...the adults, on the other hand, really wanted a good night of sleep, so they came with sleeping bags AND air mattresses!


On Sunday, the youth group joined the Calvary worshippers for the morning service, and also sang a special number for the congregation.
The afternoon was a time for them to kick back and relax, so the group travelled to a local beach to soak up the California sun and waves.
On Monday, with perfect weather, the whole group spent the entire day at Knott's Berry Farm. (Hopefully, more pictures of that fun time will be posted.) A very tired group of kids and adults crawled into their sleeping bags that night-- completely exhausted--but very happy!

In the cool mist of Tuesday morning, everyone packed up their belongings and loaded the cars for the long trip back to Phoenix.
This is the second time that some of the adults in the group have participated in this type of outing. They are encouraged as they see the young people draw closer to each other during the weekend, and also have the opportunity to experience God's blessing in their lives.
Calvary CC also benefitted from the presence of these friends from Arizona. It gives the people from our different churches a chance once again to experience the bond that we have in Christ, and to profit from the encouragement that we can give to each other in the Lord's work. Hopefully there can be further opportunities to foster community within our district.