1711 Grant Street
Hopewell, VA 23860
NAZARETH EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH
Thanks and Giving by Pastor Voss
2009 has been a year of loss for
many. Surely you have been
directly affected by a lost loved
one, a lost job, or even a loss in
your physical health. That’s
just scratching the surface.
What do you tell someone who
is suffering in these ways?
Unfortunately, many think it is
uncaring and trite to say, “God
will provide” and that is a
shame. Telling someone that
“God will provide” does more
than we imagine when we bun-
dle that with His Word.
“Look at the birds of the air;
they do not sow or reap or store
away in barns, and yet your
heavenly Father feeds them. Are
you not much more valuable
than they? Who of you by wor-
rying can add a single hour to
his life?” – Matthew 6:26-27
Reminding someone that “God
will provide” is the most im-
portant gift you can give them.
When you remind them that
God is our provider, the bur-
Hometown News
dens and self-perceived fail-
ures of that individual are
rightly shattered by the power
and providence of God. You
remind them that they have a
heavenly Father who values
them and actively cares for
them.
Martin Luther once said, “It’s
obvious that we’re incapable of
providing for our basic needs
www.nazluthchurch.com
NOVEMBER 2009
TO GOD BE THE GLORY
Inside this issue:
without God. This alone should Lutheran History 2
be enough to make us Chris- Mystery
tians and to keep this thought
in mind, ‘Undoubtedly, I never
held in my own hands even one What is Christian 2
fleeting moment of my life.’” Giving?
Those who reject faith in Jesus
Christ will very likely consider A letter from Phil and 4
suffering a personal failure and Sally Tappert
they will become isolated for
that failure, because the world,
Advent and Christmas 4
including family and friends,
Worship Information
rejects failure. It is why we will
always have people who are
poor and live in the streets and Pray for One Another 6
the poor in spirit who are
lonely and afflicted. Jesus said,
“You will always have the poor Mission Opportunities 8
among you." – John 12:8
But, for those who know Jesus
Photo Gallery 9
Christ by faith, they will know
that their suffering is a time for
patience and reflection in the
LORD. We know from the very
(continued on page 2)
The Hometown News is
a publication of
Nazareth Evangelical
Lutheran Church.
Member of the Lu-
theran Church—
Missouri Synod.
 Page 2
Thanks and Giving, cont.
life of Christ that God some-
times calls even His most right-
eous people to suffer. The
paradox is that through suffer-
ing, God provides. It was Jesus,
dying on a cross, who was seen
as a failure, a suffering joke in
the eyes of man, but through
His suffering God provided for
the salvation of all men. We
suffer and through that trial
God provides for us the impor-
tant truth that we cannot rely
upon the world or even our
own bodies – we can only rely
“The Cross of Christ is
upon God. When our friends or
a reminder that our family reject us as being a fail-
suffering does not last ure, the Cross of Christ is a gift
to us, because God is with us in
forever.”
our rejection as He was with
Christ and God is the only one
who can provide for our true
restoration.
November Birthdays
The Cross of Christ is a re-
Happy Birthday to... minder that our suffering does
not last forever. God raised
Jesus Christ from the dead to
Mary Blaho, 4th
Joy Voss, 6th
Juliana Layne, 10th
Christian History Mystery
Polly Sodat, 11th
Our future is in God‘s
hands and so was our past.
There is a lot we can learn
from those who have come
before us. Are you ready
to be a detective of the
divine? A sanctified sleuth?
Each month, the Home-
town News will offer clues
and a picture of someone
or something from our
Christian Faith that will
require wisdom, wit, and
Who Am I?
really good investigation
Hometown News
receive a crown of glory for the
salvation of mankind. The
prophet Jeremiah looked past
the suffering of his sinful and
dying generation to a future
with hope. We read from the
Book of Lamentations that,
"Men are not cast off by the
Lord forever. Though He
brings grief, He will show com-
passion, so great is His unfail-
ing love.” Saint Paul, in the
Book of Philippians, tells us
that God, “will meet all your
needs according to his glorious
riches in Christ Jesus”. God
may not meet the needs of the
suffering as we expect, but God
provides all that He knows we
need.
Through our Baptism in Christ,
God has provided for our eter-
nal needs. Through our regen-
eration by the Holy Spirit, God
strengthens us to provide for
one another’s temporal needs.
“For we are God's workman-
ship, created in Christ Jesus to
do good works, which God
prepared in advance for us to
do.” -Ephesians 2:8-10. This
skills to answer. The first
person to answer correctly
will get their name listed
right here! One guess per
person.
Your submissions may
come in person or via e-
mail! This is open to mem-
bers and non-members,
near and far.
This month‘s history mys-
tery:
means that by faith in Christ,
suffering was never intended
to be our final destiny.
Suffering may feel like a deep
pit that one cannot get out of
on their own. They are right.
We should give thanks they
have recognized they must rely
upon someone far greater than
they are. The only way out of
their pit is for it to be filled
with God’s grace by faith alone.
This comes through Word and
Sacrament and the body of
Christ – the church – whose
many hands and hearts for
Christ can provide according to
the compassionate will of our
Creator. Grace shatters our
meaningless dreams of earthly
prosperity and showers upon
us an eternal relationship with
our Creator defined by mercy
and love.
I give thanks that God is build-
ing us up in the image of Christ
so that together we are giving
the world what it so desper-
ately needs: the message that
God provides.
My portrait can be
found on the left
My father was a pastor
I came to America,
against my will and
fighting the decision
I gathered scattered
Lutherans into a tightly
knit family of churches
Good luck and peace be
with you!
 NOVEMBER 2009 Page 3

What is Christian Giving?

Let’s begin with the negative—with what giving is not. Giving is not paying your dues. It is not paying
for the privilege of using the church for Baptisms and funerals and everything else in between. It is not
doing your fair share. It is not to support the programs of the church.

Christian giving is giving to the Lord. Look at the graphic on this page. What is on the offering plate?
It is the cross of Jesus Christ! Whatever Christian giving is, and it does take many forms, it always
has its beginning and its motivation at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ.

Christian giving honors God and brings Him praise and glory. Psalm 96:8 reads, “Ascribe to the Lord
the glory due His name; bring an offering and come into His courts.” We are to bring offerings when
we come to church. The offering is for God, not for anyone or anything else. It is God who has
blessed us so that we can give. King David said, “Now our God, we give You thanks, and praise Your
glorious name. But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously
as this? Everything comes from You, and we have given You only what comes from Your hand.” (1 Chronicles 29:14)

St. Paul also understood this. He wrote: “Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase
your store and seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be gen-
erou s on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” (2 Co. 9:10-11)

What an amazing God! He tells us to give. He gives us what He asks us to give. He uses our ggifts for the good of His people. He
makes us rich so that we can continue to be generous. And all of this, which has been generated by God and circulates through the
giver and the receiver, goes back to God in the form of thanksgiving from His people. This is what God wants Christian giving to be.

REMINDER: Last year we

Sunday School and Nursery News
A MISSION GOAL MET!
On October 4, the Sunday
School met its goal of raising
over $400 to purchase a clock
for Christ Lutheran School in
Illinois, which was severely
damaged by a tornado. The
clock has been ordered, and it
will be here soon. All who do-
nated toward the clock are en-
couraged to sign the back of it,
once it arrives. Tina Doane will
take the clock to Illinois when
she goes up in December.
Abundant “thanks” to all who
Church Website is Your Resource
The church website is a con-
stantly updated resource built
for you and those inquiring
about our church.
Did you know that our website
(www.nazluthchurch.com) allows
you to...
Listen to sermons online.
contributed. -Your Sunday
School
CHILDREN’S NURSERY
Nazareth provides a Nursery for
children that are 4 years old and
younger. When you take your
child to the Nursery, please fill
out one of the Information
Sheets on your child. It is im-
portant to know if your child has
allergies, if they are taking
medicine or if they need special
assistance. The forms will be
located outside of the Nursery
View the Order of Service
days in advance.
Access Synodical Resources
such as Concordia Theol-
ogy online and Lutheran
Hour Ministries
Get frequent updates on
what is happening at church
during the week via our
Twitter updates
View the church calendar
made a commitment to fi-
nancial support the work of
door. It is also important that ABLAZE! over a five year pe-
you sign your child out or make
special arrangements with the riod. So far this year, our
contributions have lagged
nursery attendant. The Nursery
is located on the first floor near behind. Through your contri-
the sanctuary. If you need as-
sistance to locate the Nursery,
butions to ABLAZE!, the Lu-
theran Church-Missouri
please see an usher.
Synod reaches out to the
unchurched with the saving
NURSERY: HELP! We need
someone to be in charge of the news of the Gospel. Let’s
Nursery for next year. If you are continue to make that possi-
interested, please see Sandy ble by supporting the impor-
Wunder.
tant work of ABLAZE! Enve-
lopes for your contributions
are available in the Narthex.
Listen to a weekly broad-
cast of ―Words from Wor-
ship‖ from Pastor Voss
Find all the contact infor-
mation you need to com-
municate with the church
via telephone or e-mail
View an interactive guide to
Jesus Christ and the Small
Catechism
And much, much, more!
 Page 4 Hometown News

Walk the Walk A letter from Phil and Sally Tappert

Here is a special letter from Phil and Sally Tappert, of the University Christian Fellowship, in France:

Dear Church Family at Nazareth Lutheran Church,

Putting our faith into action by helping the students is an integral part of the CFU ministry. By setting an
example for the students to follow in their own lives, they have a living Bible study – Living out God‘s Word
daily! Love compels action.
Your support gift this month, as well as your prayers for us and for the CFU, show the stu-
dents that you also believe in living out God’s Word. Thank you for your partnership with us as
we reach out in love to these very special young people!
We often feel that we‘re a second set of parents to these kids. You can‘t push or coerce them, but
sometimes you need to take charge. Jonas, for example, hurt his knee playing soccer last fall. During our
March retreat, Phil realized that he was still favoring that leg because of much pain. Phil convinced Jonas that
―toughing it out‖ wasn‘t working, and Jonas agreed to see our family doctor, who ―just happens‖ (there are no
‗accidents‘ with God) to specialize in sports injuries. Dr. Bru recognized the problem immediately and sched-
uled a muscle scan in preparation for possible surgery. Phil continued to shuttle Jonas back and forth to his
appointments, so he wouldn‘t have to walk on that leg. In the end they decided to try out-patient therapy
“God bless you!
before surgery.
Thank you for your
Now Jonas was really thankful that Phil took the situation in hand when he did, before the damage be-
faithful support and came permanent, but we were thankful that God had put us here to help him out. It‘s a blessing to be in-
prayers!” volved in the students‘ lives and to reach out by putting our love and faith into action!
Truly, faith without works is dead, and we want the students to see that actions often speak louder than
words when it comes to witnessing. Much of their testimony among their non-Christian friends will be more
effective if they reach out to others in Jesus‘ name, rather the just saying they are Christians. Do they talk the
talk or do they walk the walk?
Again, we all thank you for your support and prayers as you reach out to the students in deed and in
truth (1 John 3:18) setting these new believers an example of conduct (1 Tim. 4:12) and demonstrating your
faith by your works (James 2:17). God bless you! Thank you for your faithful support and prayers!

Love in Christ, Phil and Sally

Advent and Christmas Worship

Join us for worship, prayer, and fellowship during
the Advent and Christmas Seasons. We will give
thanks and praise to our LORD in many righteous
ways. All services will include a homily.
DS= Divine Service, PS = Prayer Service
Christmas Services
Thur., December 24—7:00 PM, DS
Fri., December 25—11:00 AM, PS

Thanksgiving Service New Year‘s Eve Prayer Service

Thur., November, 25—7:00 PM, DS Thur., December 31—7:00 PM, PS

Advent Mid-Week Service During the Advent and Christmas seasons, we will
hold our Sunday worship services at their normal
Wed., December 2—7:00 PM, PS
time, 11:00 AM.
Wed., December 9—7:00 PM, PS
Wed., December 16—7:00 PM, PS
 NOVEMBER 2009 Page 5

The Hometown News

EDITOR: Susan Skalleburg CONTRIBUTORS
CO-EDITOR: Pastor David Voss We are looking for regular con-
tributors to the Hometown
PRODUCTION EDITOR: Karen Van Worth News. If there is a certain arti-
cle you would like to write on a
regular basis, please let us know
Thank you to all who submitted articles and
so we can discuss it with you.
information to this newsletter. Young and old are encouraged
to volunteer for this very impor-
tant newsletter.
SUBMISSIONS
We encourage you to submit your articles
SAVE MONEY AND PAPER
and ideas electronically to:
The Hometown News is posted
sueskallenberg@yahoo.com or call 731-6959 online at the same time it is
mailed. Please consider reading
Newsletter information is due in by the third it online so we can save on post-
age and paper. It can be found
Sunday of the month. on the home page of our church
website: nazluthchurch.com

Spiritual One Liners

―When you get to your wit‘s end, You‘ll find God lives there.‖
OPEN HOUSE
―Don‘t let your worries get the best of you; Remember, Moses started out as a basket case.‖
The Nazareth Lutheran Church
―Many folks want to serve God, but only as advisers.‖
Quilters are in the process of putting
―It is easier to preach ten sermons than it is to live one.‖ an “Open House” together for Novem-
―A lot of church members singing ‗Standing on the Promises‘ are just sitting on the premises.‖ ber 5, 6 and 7. We want to show off
our new abode and some of the items
we’ve been making that will be for sale.
We want to include our “church family”
in our plans by asking you to bring us
some baked items to sell. The hours
will be 10-2, November 5th; 11-4, No-
vember 6th; 9-2, November 7th. Please
join us for coffee and cookies.

We Support the Girl Scouts

GIRL SCOUTS
This November, the Girl Scout
Hopewell Service Unit are par-
ticipating in Hand to Hand
Help the Homeless’ Project.
Our Girl Scout Troop will be
collecting new socks, gloves,
hats, mittens, and scarves to
help all people who are in
need. If you would like to help,
please bring in your items and
place them in the basket.
________________________
This November, the Girl Scout
Hopewell Service Unit is par-
ticipating in the “Hand To Hand
Help the Homeless” Project.
Our Girl Scout Troop will be
collecting new socks, gloves,
hats, mittens and scarves to
help all people who are in need.
If you would like to help, please
bring in your items and place
them in the basket.
 Page 6 Hometown News

Pray for One Another Prayer List for November 1, 2009

Lord, in your mercy, hear us as we pray….

For our Brothers and Sisters in Christ in Nursing Homes: Mary Blaho, HHCC (229) , Velma
Fleming, HHCC (227), Mildred Skroback, HHCC, Barney Hampton, HHCC (216)

For our Brothers and Sisters in Christ who are home-bound: Louis Harvey, Elsie Voda, Mary
Petik

For our members and friends serving our country in the military: Bruce Layne, Danny Petik,
Chris Graha, Dustin Petik, James Eckenrode, David Petik, Scott Naumann, Jeff & Stacy
Crossen, Courtney Williams, Jeffrey Head, Steve Foxx, Brandon Edwards, Michael McKinzie

For our members and friends away at college: Landry Doane, Casey Davis, Brandon Edwards Our Father,
Thy Kingdom Come,
For our members who are sick, hospitalized or recuperating: Gerald Rayner & Family, Betty & Thy Will Be Done.
Al Schneider, Rowena Carter, Leann Eckstein, Annette Dry, Ilse Appleby, Tina Doane, Jordan
Layne, Charlene Logan, Steele Peden, Joey Flahart, John Petik, Sr.(JRH), Frankie Bobb(JRH), Kay
Grochowaski(St.Mary‘s), Brianna Thomas

For our friends who are sick, hospitalized or recuperating: Darleene Farley, Jonathan Weston, Connie Williamson, Pam
Maiberger, Joann Miller, Arlene Billings, Jeff Walter, Susan Mills, Mark Black, Francis Brinkley, Rita Joyner, Noel Compton

Thanksgiving For All the Saints: Benny Skroback, Sr. brother in Christ

In peace, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.

FAST FACTS

Bible Study and Catechism

BIBLE STUDY
SUNDAY AT 9:30 AM
WEDNESDAY AT 7:00 PM
CATECHISM (YOUTH)
WEDNESDAY AT 7:00 PM
FELLOWSHIP DINNER
WEDNESDAY AT 6:00 PM
Whether you are young
or old, visitor or pillar, we
have a Bible Study for
you!
SUNDAYS
Meet in the “Old Church”
Room at 9:30 AM for a
Bible Study led by Al
Schneider. Those who
desire to go over the ba-
sics of Christianity are
welcome to the God 101
class in the Sanctuary led
by Pastor Voss.
WEDNESDAYS
Our Men and Women’s
Bible Studies, along with
our Youth Confirmation
Class, will continue on
Wednesday evenings at
7:00pm with a supper
starting at 6:00pm. Bible
Stories will be read at
7:00pm to children who
also attend.
Join us for fellowship,
food, and faith strength-
ening by God’s Word!
 NOVEMBER 2009 Page 7

Opportunities to Give
THANKSGIVING is a won-
derful time to get together
with family and friends for
fellowship. However, there
are some people including
members of Nazareth who
will be unable to gather with
family and friends for the
Thanksgiving holiday.
Please remember those who
are hospitalized, shut-in or
away at college or on mili-
tary assignment in your
prayers. If you can send a
card, a letter or just a note;
make a telephone call or a
personal visit it would be
very meaningful for those
In Case You Didn’t Know...
FLU SEASON is a reality
we have to face. We have
provided hand sanitizer for
you in the narthex and en-
courage you to use in on
your way in and out of Wor-
ship (or anytime you enter or
leave the church). Please
respect, without offense,
anyone’s desire not to shake
hands during the sharing of
the peace. May God gra-
ciously comfort all who have
who cannot be with family
and friends on Thanksgiv-
ing. The names of our hos-
pitalized, shut-ins, military
and college members are
listed in our worship folder
and in this newsletter. If you
contracted the flu thus far.
INVITATION CARDS are
available in the Narthex in
the clear stand on the table
next to the door. You are
invited to take an enve-
lope. Inside you will find
two cards to leave with
someone to invite them to
worship with us at Naz-
areth. [You can return the
need an address for some-
one, you may call the church
office.
THANKSGIVING FAMILIES:
There are many people less
fortunate. For the Thanksgiv-
ing Holiday, Nazareth will be
collecting food for two families
in need. Look in your pantry
or pick a can or two up at the
grocery store. Monetary do-
nations are also accepted. If “Dear Brothers &
you cannot donate food, pray Sisters in Christ:
for the families in need. Let’s
show our Christian Outreach.
Thank you
for your prayers,
cards, visits and
phone calls during
my stay at JRH. I
am very blessed to
envelopes at any time for have such a caring
refills!] You might want to congregation.
carry them with you in your
wallet or purse, having them
ready to hand to someone Yours in Christ,
you've met. You might also Ilse Appleby”
want to consider leaving
them on the table if you go
out to eat, along with your
tip and a cross. Remember
our job is to ignite the world
with Christ's Love!

From the Pastors’ Desk

PRAYERS OF THE
CHURCH
Beginning in the new
church year, we will be
accepting individual
prayer requests to be
spoken by the Pastor dur-
ing the Prayer of the
Church. To submit a
name, please call or e-
mail Karen or Pastor
Voss with the name and
nature of the prayer (for
healing, for comfort,
etc.). We trust that the
LORD hears our prayers,
therefore we will not re-
peat the prayer the fol-
lowing week unless it is
resubmitted. If you have
any questions about this,
please contact Pastor
Voss.
TEACHER’S RETREAT
The teacher’s retreat is
just a few weeks
away. Keep an eye out
for a letter from Pastor
Voss. If you do not re-
ceive it by November 6,
please contact the church
office.
 Page 8 Hometown News

Mission Opportunities
Reverend Richard Finck recently sent out a notification of short-term mission opportunities. Please prayerfully consider if you
are called to serve in the Lord in this way. If you are interested in either opportunity, please Pastor Voss and he will put you in
touch with the appropriate contact person.

Honduras, March 13-21 by Janet Arnold

I am co-leading a medical mission team to Honduras from March 13-21. We
have a few spots open on our team for both medical and non-medical persons.
Do you feel called to travel to the mountains of the second poorest country in
the western hemisphere to share God's love while providing healthcare and
healing. We work with an organization based in Chesterfield County called the
Friends of Barnabas Foundation, fobf.org.
P.S. Not available to travel? Please pray for our team. That is the key to success
in our mission.

Florida, February 14-20 by Pete Adler

I am leading a mission team to Volusia County, Florida from 14-20 February,
2010. Volusia County has been designated a Presidential Disaster Area 7 times
in the past five years due to hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes. Many elderly,
handicapped, and underprivileged are living in storm damaged homes. Your
hands are needed to repair roofs, walls, floors, and most importantly lives.

A Prayer for this Month

Loving Lord Jesus,
The extent of Your love for Your children sent You to our world; a world filled with
pain and suffering and death.
The extent of Your love carried You to a cross where in Your dying breath you begged
Your Father to forgive us.
The extent of Your love reaches all people and does not cease to provide opportunities
for all to come to Your loving arms.
We pray Lord that our love for all Your children would model Your example.
We pray that we would persevere as Your disciples and never cease to open our loving
arms to all those who so desperately need to know You.
We pray that You would direct our hearts to love those who are heard to love, show-
ing unconditional love and forgiveness at all times and at all cost, just as You
have done for us. Amen.
 NOVEMBER 2009 Page 9

Photo Gallery Here is a sampling of the dozens of pictures that can be found and downloaded off of our website at www.nazluthchurch.com

Faith, Fellowship, and Fun

Nazareth Lutheran Church
1711 Grant Street
Hopewell, VA 23860

TO:

Nazareth Lutheran Church - A Community in Christ