1711 Grant Street

Hopewell, VA 23860

The Hometown News

www.nazluthchurch.com

August 2010
TO GOD BE THE GLORY

The Natural Knowledge of God by Pastor Voss

Inside this issue:

2011 and Beyond! 2

Historical Theology 4

Missions/Outreach 6

There is only one way humans can know of God—that is, by His own
self-revelation. We only observe God through the means that He chooses. Christian Music Quiz 9
To date, no bridge has been built to the heavenly realms and no computer
programmer has tapped into the mind of God. We simply can’t choose to
gather information on God He has not chosen to reveal to us. Has never Pastor‟s Corner 11
happened—never will—we must simply rely upon God to reveal Himself to
us.
God reveals Himself to us in two ways: First through His Word and
another way, which we don’t often talk about, through creation. Creation
bears the unmistakable stamp that says, “Made by God”.
“The invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are
clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His
eternal power and Godhead.” - Romans 1:20
A LCMS Lutheran theologian by the name of Francis Pieper once con-
cluded, “The law of nature will never permit anyone to entertain as his delib-
erate and settled conviction the conclusion that there is no God.”
We would have to admit that is true. Have you ever noticed that even
if someone doesn’t believe in God, they still find the need to talk about Him?
Have you ever noticed that there is no peace of mind for those who have
been created by God yet don’t acknowledge that fact?
The natural knowledge of God is not sufficient to attain salvation, but
what it does do is arouse the conscience of man. God, out of His love, com- The Hometown News is
pels all to remember Him. Regardless of what someone believes, they are a publication of
daily reminded that there is an order to this universe. At that moment, what Nazareth Evangelical
a wonderful opportunity to tell them about the other way God reveals Him- Lutheran Church.
self, through His Word, which points to Jesus Christ. It is through the revela- Member of the
tion of the Word all God’s people receive salvation and peace of mind. Lutheran Church—
Missouri Synod.
 Page 2 The Hometown News

Happy Birthday!
August 3 McKenna Stewart August 23 Dorothy McLoed
August 11 Lauren Engels August 23 Dustin Petik
August 14 Martha Staples August 23 Annette Lineman
August 15 Wanda Koren August 26 Karen Van Worth
August 16 Clint Rierson August 26 Dawn Appleby Lero
August 18 Evelyn Rayner August 30 Josh Staples

2011 and Beyond—Christ at the Center of Church Leadership

We have done a lot of mission planning in 2010 together. We have prayerfully considered what God has planned to reach
our community and how we can be a part of God’s plan. As your pastor, I cannot tell you how thankful I am that, through-
out all of our study, prayer, and discussion, we have remained united in Christ. That has been and always will be my primary
concern: that our focus remains on the Cross where we receive God’s blessings, forgiveness of sins, and everlasting life.

We are now moving into action for Jesus, not to earn blessings, but because we have so steadily received them! We want
to share this Good News with our community! What an important year 2011 will be for God’s people in our church and
community! I ask that you do some reflecting as we approach 2011 and prayerfully consider how God is directing you. Spe-
cifically, your role as a leader within this church.

Do you believe that serving on a Board for this church would be a blessing and an honor?

Please note that I did not ask if you thought that serving on a Board would be easy. I can assure you, it promises not to be.
Where God’s people are trying to advance the Good News, there the devil will be trying to thwart their attempts. But do
you believe serving on a Board important? Is God asking for you to serve His church in a new way? If not you, then who? If
not your skills, then from where will they come?

Through Abraham we learn that we need to trust God’s push even when we don’t know where He is pushing us.
Through Moses we learn that we need to trust God’s vision, even if we cannot see it yet. Through David we learn that we
must trust God’s forgiveness, even when we know we do not deserve it.

To serve in a Board, you do not have to be perfect, you simply have to be trusting in God—a gift that comes from the faith
you have been given in Christ. 2011 is a year that will require for us to trust in Him as we, like Abraham, are going to ven-
ture into new lands as we reach out to our community—and we, like Moses, are going to see things we have never seen
before, as we implement what we have thus far only talked about—and we, like David are going to continually rely upon the
forgiveness that comes through Jesus Christ in everything we do. In 2011, in what role will it be an honor for you to
serve God?

“Lord, it is my prayer that our people do not wait to be asked to serve you, but that you move their hearts to eagerly pro-
claim, „Here I am, send me, send me‟ into service and leadership at our beloved Church. Amen.”
 August 2010 Page 3

The Hometown News

EDITOR: Susan Skalleberg
ASSISTANT EDITOR: Pastor David Voss
PRODUCTION EDITOR: Karen Van Worth
Thank you to all who submitted articles and information to this
newsletter.
SUBMISSIONS
We encourage you to submit your articles and ideas electronically
to: sueskalleberg@yahoo.com or call 731-6959
Newsletter information is due in by the third Sunday of the month.
CONTRIBUTORS
We are looking for regular contributors to the Hometown News.
If there is a certain article you would like to write on a regular
basis, please let us know so we can discuss it with you. Young and Glory to God on the highest and praise to the lead-
old are encouraged to volunteer for this very important newslet- ers of each Committee who have provided updates
ter. to the congregation this month. Our communica-
SAVE MONEY AND PAPER
tion with one another not only keeps us united in
The Hometown News is posted online at the same time it is
mailed. Please consider reading it online so we can save on post- Mission, but engaged with each other and the op-
age and paper. It can be found on the home page of our church portunities to serve in our church.
website: nazluthchurch.com

ABLAZE—Let’s Fill the Bucket!

We are half way through our 5 year commitment to financially support the work of Ablaze!
However, our contributions have fallen way off with only $205 received for the year against our
yearly commitment of $2170. It is time to get those contributions back on track so we are bringing
back the ABLAZE! BUCKET!
Perhaps we should call it the Amazing Ablaze! Bucket because when that bucket was out
front where we could see it, contributions were very good. Remember, our contributions are sup-
porting the district’s mission work being planned, the work being implemented and the work ongo-
ing to share the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the unchurched in our district includ-
ing our very own community of Hopewell. Envelopes in which to place your Ablaze! offerings are
 Page 4 The Hometown News

A note from Pastor Voss: In 2008-09, I was blessed to serve as a vicar at Grace Lutheran Church in Durham, NC. While I was serving
at Grace, I made a good friend by the name of Jan Graham who writes wonderful articles on church history. She has been kind enough
to share her articles with us and she will serve as our „syndicated‟ columnist once and a while.

Hymns of Bernard of Clairvaux

- By Jan Graham

Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) is commemorated in August as a Cister-

cian abbot who was profoundly spiritual in his approach to God. Born into a
noble family, he entered a French monastery at the age of 17. At 25, he was
sent by senior monks to establish another monastic site accompanied by
others in his order. As Abbot of the new monastery, Bernard was adamant
that his monks follow the Benedictine rules regarding asceticism, prayer,
contemplation, and action in reforming the Church and its leaders when nec-
essary.
He was very critical of one of the great thinkers of that time, Peter Abelard,
who questioned theology in terms of rationalism and scholasticism. Bernard
was active in the Church council of 1121 which condemned Abelard’s book
on the Trinity as heretical and some 19 years later convinced another coun-
cil to pronounce Abelard as a heretic.
Martin Luther called him "the most pious (best) monk that ever lived, whom I admire beyond all the rest
put together." Luther also said "Bernard is superior to all the doctors in his sermons, even to Augustine
himself, because he preaches Christ most excellently." Bernard’s writings show humility, devotion to
Christ, and a reliance on grace that was rare before the Reformation.
Several hymns have been attributed to Bernard although present scholars are still debating this topic.
One that he probably penned that reflects his piety and love for Christ is ―O Sacred Head, Now Wound-
ed‖ (LSB 449). Others attributed to him are: ―Jesus, the Very Thought of You‖, ―O Jesus, Joy of Loving
Hearts‖, ―Wide Open Are Your Hands‖, and ―O Jesus, King Most Wonderful!‖ (LSB 554). ―O Sacred
Head‖ was translated from Latin into German by Leo Hassler in the 1600’s and set to music by Paul Ger-
hardt. The rest were translated from Latin into English and set to music during the nineteenth century
when many ancient hymns were brought to light through translation and published in various hymnals.

An Online Book Study with Pastor Voss begins January 1

Join Pastor Voss as he moderates discussion during the reading of “Simple
Church”, a highly regarded book that helps congregations consider how they can
transition towards a church structure that simplifies life and serves their mission.
Order the book on your own (on sale at Amazon.com for under $10) and then
access the study group online, anytime, at our website at
www.nazluthchurch.com.
We will read through the book together in January and February of 2011 and dis-
cuss via our online forum. Then, if we glean some good ideas from it, we will
formulate suggestions for the church from our discussions.
Register for this study anytime between Sept.1 and Dec. 31 on our website!
Simple Church by Thom S. Rainer and Eric Geiger
 August 2010 Page 5

Pray for One Another to UPDATE Prayer List updated as of July 25, 2010
For our brothers and sisters in Christ in nursing homes -
Velma Fleming, HHCC (227)
For our brothers and sisters in Christ who are home-bound -
Mary Petik
For our members and friends serving our country in the military -
Bruce Layne Danny Petik Chris & Jenny Graham Dustin Petik
James Eckenrode David Petik
Jeff & Stacey Crosson Courtney Williams Mike McKinzie
Jeffrey Head Steve & Bonnie Foxx Brandon Edwards
For our members and friends away at college –
Landry Doane Casey Davis
For our members who are sick, hospitalized, in need of spiritual care or recuperating—
Evelyn Rayner Rowena Carter Andy Petik Cierra Thomas
Tina Doane Annette Dry Jordan Layne Kathy Beahm Jenny Graham
Hobo Logan Marilyn Antunes
For our friends who are sick, hospitalized or recuperating -
Jonathan Weston Rita Joyner Joann Miller Jeff Walter Phyllis Kane
Suzie Hilton Dorothy Kunkel Freddie Gonzalez Kay Slade Bernard Carter
Garland Moss Joseph Hilton Austin VanWorth Jerry Van Worth Connie Williamson
Pamela Heithaus & Heithaus Family
For the families of the Saints departed

Bible Study,Youth, and Adult Confirmation

Whether you are young or old,
visitor or pillar, we have a Bible
Study for you!
SUNDAYS 9:30 AM
Meet in the “Old Church” Room
at 9:30 AM for a Bible Study on
Hebrews led by Al Schneider.
Pastor Voss leads a discussion
and Bible Study on the official
LCMS position on current
events, called “This We Be-
lieve” in the conference room.
We discuss everything from
abortion to capital punishment.
Be prepared to share, lis-
ten, and learn from God’s
Word. This is an entry
level class, we keep it
simple.
Arnie Slimmen will lead an
eight week adult confir-
mation class in the
church basement meeting
room. The start date is
TBD, but will begin within
the next month. If you are
new to the Lutheran faith
and/or would like to join
our church, please contact
Arnie to join in.
WEDNESDAYS 7:00 PM
Steve Foxx leads a Bible
Study on Revelation in the
Old Church Room.
Youth Confirmation begins
September 15, 7:00 PM with
Pastor Voss in the sanctuary
(parents invited to this
meeting).
Join us at 6PM on Wednes-
days for a meal and fellow-
ship!
 Page 6 The Hometown News

The Shepherd’s Place

Located in downtown Hopewell, the Shepherd’s Place has been in business as a non-profit thrift store for 31
years. The store has the objectives of providing free emergency clothing to residents within an 11 mile radius of
Hopewell and making low cost clothing and household items available to the community. Free clothing is provided
upon referral from churches, social services, schools, the American Red Cross, and the Salvation Army. Funds re-
ceived from the sale of donated clothing and household items are contributed monthly to the Salvation Army to be
used for individual utility bills and rent requests, as well as to the Hopewell Food Pantry. The Foster Care Enrich-
ment Christmas Program is also supported by an annual gift.
The Shepherd’s Place is sponsored by the Hopewell Ministerial Association and run by volunteers from area
churches. Many ladies from Nazareth support the Shepherd’s Place regularly and have done so for years.
Visit us at our new location the end of August:
201 Broadway, in Hopewell
Hours will be Monday-Friday 10:00am – 2:00pm
Phone number is 458-0227.
Directions from Colonial Heights and Fort Lee: Take Route 36 past Cavalier Square Shopping Center. Go
left on Sixth St., then right on Broadway.
Directions from Chester: Take Route 10 past John Randolph Medical Center to Broadway. Go left on
Broadway.

Board of Missions and Outreach

has a special mission project for August:
Sandra’s Closet
Sandra’s Closet was developed in memory of Sandra Smith Williams who was a member of Naz-
areth Lutheran in the late 60’s and 70’s. She attended with her sister Karen Smith (Habb) . Sandra’s
closet was developed in memory of Sandra after she passed away from breast cancer in 2002. The Jun-
ior Women’s Club has placed a closet in each Elementary School in memory of Sandra.
Sandra loved to shop, and she often bought items on sale for many children that could never
have afforded them. These closets are now being stocked with school supplies for children in the city
that can not afford to have the supplies needed for their education. Some of the many items that are in
the closets are: pencils, paper, note-
books, glue, crayons, scissors, book-
bags, markers, colored pencils, fold-
ers…Just any thing that is needed by
a student.
Our mission in August is to
help fill these closets in memory of
one of our former members. More
information will be available soon
about how to donate. ♦
 August 2010 Page 7

Praise and Thanksgiving –His Light

by Sue Skalleberg

I am a sucker for light, to the point of being a little

weird. I once worked in a huge building, a manufacturing cen-
ter, that had a series of courtyards off the wide main hallway.
Tall, two- story windows looked out onto the garden court-
yards from the hallway. I enjoyed watching the light change in
the gardens, depending on the time of day or even the time of
year, noticing a dramatic difference as the earth rotated
through the seasons and the angle of the sun shifted in the
gardens. There was blazing sun at midday in summer and
deeper and deeper shadows as fall approached. It came to me
Dr. Maier Seminar Planning Meeting
one day that light is one way our Creator shows His majesty
in nature! Wednesday, Aug. 4, 5:00 PM
When Christ commands us to walk in the light it is a
way of telling us to follow His commands and draw close to
CHESAPEAKE DISTRICT
Him. God’s created world is full of beauty that reminds us of
Him. Look around! LWML CONVENTION 2010
As an artist, I appreciate the shadows as much as the September 24-26, 2010
light. Without shadows in a painting the light would not have Holiday Inn Select—Koger South
the impact it does. But the Gospel reminds me that Jesus
1021 Koger Center Blvd.
died and rose so I might be drawn out of the hopeless shad-
ows of sin into His everlasting presence, His Light. Richmond, VA 23235

“In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.”
Deadline for Registration: August 23,
John 1:4 2010

Church Website Statistics for July (nazluthchurch.com)

What is the location of our website visitors? Location and number of individual visitors from that loca-
tion. Be sure to tell people in the Hopewell/Ft. Lee area about our website!
1 Richmond 69
2 Highland Springs 15
3 Hopewell 8
4 Chesapeake 7
5 Ft Lee 4
6 Midlothian 3
7 Hampton 2
8 Chester 2
9 Harrisonburg 1
10 Quantico 1
 Page 8 The Hometown News

A New Bible Study Opportunity is Coming

On Wednesday, August 11, at 11:00 AM, we will begin a day time mid-week Bible study
designed to help and support us as we deal with events that occur in our earthly lives. Our first
study will deal with the grief we face after the loss of a loved one. The study guide is titled
“Living with Grief” and consists of six lessons - Grief: Facing Your Loss; Grief: The Cry of Pain; Grief:
The Cry of Longing; Grief: The Cry for Supportive Love; Grief: The Cry for Understanding and Grief: The
Cry for Significance.
Initially, we are planning to meet every other week. Lunch will be served after Bible
study to provide opportunity for fellowship. This Bible study will be a wonderful opportunity to
invite friends and neighbors to attend with you. If you would like to take part in this Bible study,
please register by placing your name on the sign up sheet posted in the narthex so that a suffi-
cient supply of study guides are on hand. Al Schneider will lead this study.♦

General Announcements
LWML NURSERY HELPER POLICY
Our annual Can Drive for the City of Hopewell has We surely do need helpers in our nursery! There
begun! Please look in your pantry or get an extra are some times when we are almost overrun with
can or two at the grocery store. There are many children. However, we have to abide by the
adults and children in Hopewell that go without Standards of Operation for the nursery, which
meals daily. This is a great Christian Outreach to state that helpers must be 13 years old, in the 8th
our community. grade, and be enrolled in confirmation or else
have made arrangements to be enrolled. This
VACATION BIBLE may rule out a few eager young people, but it
SCHOOL does not rule out adult members. Please contact
The theme for this year is Sue Skalleberg at 731-6959 if your are willing to
"Planet Zoom" and it is help out. Thanks.
from Sunday, Aug. 8th
thru Thursday, Aug. 12th
at 6-8:30pm. THE LUTHERAN HOUR
There is a new time for The Lutheran Hour on
your radio. It is now at 8:30am. Find it at 1030
YARD SALE UPDATE on your radio dial.
The Boards of Missions and Outreach will hold a
Yard Sale Saturday, October 23 at the church, from
8:00am – noon. Table spaces will be available for
you to sell you goods, at $10 per space. More in-
formation will be coming later!
 August 2010 Page 9

Reflecting Upon Christian Music (Part 1), by Pastor Voss

Have some fun with a music quiz. For the moment, keep your Bible closed and don’t pick up a Hymnal (if
you have one by you). Do the following: draw a square around the hymns that you think come from our
Hymnal (there may be more than one). Draw a circle around the hymns that come from the Bible (there
may be more than one). Put an X through any hymn that you think does not reflect the truth about God or
our relationship with Him.
HYMN 1 HYMN 2
My soul rejoices, my spirit voices I will love You, O Lord, with all of my heart;
Sing the greatness of the Lord! You're my Strength, my Shield, my Safety.
From Your glorious Truth I'll never depart;
For God my Savior, has shown me favor
You're my Rock, my Tower, my Victory.
Sing the greatness of the Lord!
With praise and blessing, I'll call on the Lord, who's worthy of praise,
Join in confessing And I shall be saved from my enemies;
God, who is solely I'll call on the Lord for all of my days;
Mighty and holy For no other Name is worthy.
O sing the greatness of God the Lord! No other Name is worthy.
His mercy surely
Shall rest securely
On all who fear Him,
Love and revere Him
O sing the greatness of God the Lord!

HYMN 3
Mighty, awesome, wonderful Is the holy cross
Where the Lamb laid down His life to lift us from
the fall
Mighty is the power of the cross
HYMN 4
Glory to God, we give You thanks and praise;
Of heavenly joy and earthly peace we sing.
We worship You, to You our hearts we raise,
Lord God, almighty Father, heavenly King.

What restores our faith in God?
What reveals the Father's love?
What can lead the wayward home?
What can melt a heart of stone?
What can free the guilty ones
What can save and overcome?
By your wounds we are healed
By your wounds we are saved
Mighty is the power of the cross
Thank You Jesus for the Holy cross
Lord Jesus Christ, the Father’s only Son,
You bore for us the load of this world’s sin.
O Lamb of God, Your glorious victory won,
Receive our prayer, grant us Your peace within.
Alone, O Christ, You only are the Lord,
At God’s right hand in majesty most high:
Who with the Spirit worshiped and adored,
With all the heavenly host we glorify.

Was it easy to pick out which lyrics came from our Hymnal? Was it easy to pick out the lyrics that came
from the Bible? Did you cross any of them out (that is, did any of these lyrics not speak the truth about God
or our relationship with him)?
Please follow me to page 10….
 Page 10 Newsletter Title

LCMS Convention Election Results

President: Rev. Matthew C. Harrison

Harrison 643 (votes), Kieschnick 527, Mueller 8, Fick-

enscher 5, Gard 1

Vice President: Rev. Herbert C. Mueller, Jr., John C. Wohlrabe, Jr.,

Paul L. Maier, Daniel Preus, Scott R. Murray
Mueller 631 (votes), Diekelman 339, Preus 82, Schulz 81 , Schrank 64

Reflecting on Christian Worship (Part I) continued…

Three of these songs were written in the past 20 years:

Hymn 1— Steven Starke, 1991
Hymn 2— David, >900 BC (Psalm 18)
Hymn 3—Chris Tomlin, 2004
Hymn 4— Edwin Le Grice, 1991

Two of the songs are from our Lutheran Hymnal (I and 4) one of them is a Psalm (2), and one of them is from
what many consider a “contemporary Christian artist” (3). Since Hymn 2 is the very Word of God, there is no
doubt these Words have special meaning for us, and they certainly work faith. They are not the only words we
can or should sing in worship. Why not? This is where we need to jump back into history…. join me…

Regulative versus Normative Principles of Worship

The Protestant Reformation resulted in two conflicting attitudes to hymns: the regulative principle of wor-
ship and the normative principle of worship. The regulative principle of Worship considered anything that
was not directly from the Bible was to be rejected. The normative principle of worship is the principle that
worship in the Church can include those elements that are not prohibited by Scripture. As a result, the norma-
tive principle of worship produced a burst of hymn writing for worship. For example, Martin Luther is notable
not only as our church reformer, but as the author of many hymns including A Mighty Fortress Is Our God. Obvi-
ously, we at Nazareth apply the normative principle to our Worship life. If the Scriptures do not prohibit us, we
have the Christian freedom to sing lyrics either old or new.

Based on this initial review of Christian lyrics, when music was written does not qualify or disqualify it from be-
ing sung in worship. Next month, join me for Part II in this series as we discuss what instruments are allowed
in our Worship. The following month, Part III we will cover what types of music are allowed in our Worship.
PASTOR’S CORNER
Worship Time Research
Research into possibly changing the worship time to 10AM is completed. Your
voices have been heard. The vast majority who have spoken to me about this in
the open forums or personally have said they do not prefer we change our wor-
ship time from 11AM and we will not do so.

Church Organist
I have interviewed one candidate thus far and, after sharing the information from the interview
with the Elders, we collectivity agreed we must continue our search. Please pray that the Lord pre-
sents us with the right candidates for this very important role within His church.

Mission Planning Meeting IV– Debrief and Discussion—Saturday, August 7, 9-noon

We have added an hour to the time of this meeting. It will now go to until noon. Light snacks will be
provided. The goal of this meeting will be to look at what we have planned thus far and agree upon
a unified vision moving forward. Please consider joining us! We need your input!

Gospel Contacts
Anytime you share the Good News that Jesus Christ is Lord with someone, please add a paper fish to
our fish net. Simply write your first name, the date, and if you want, the first name of the person
you shared the Gospel with. Our goal, as a congregation, is to have 240 fish in our net by the end of
the year! Can you share the Gospel with someone this month? The Lord will provide the oppor-
tunity, and the words. Trust in God—He will use you to grow His church.

Youth Confirmation Begins September 15

All confirmation students and their parents are invited to a 7PM meeting in the
Sanctuary with Pastor Voss. We will discuss expectations for the coming year, go
over the schedule of studies, and discuss how parents can support their children in
their Confirmation studies. Pastor Voss will then meet with the Confirmation stu-
dents every Wednesday at 7PM.

Pastor’s Calendar for August

August 15—VBS Themed Worship Service (includes VBS readings, hymns, and themes)
August 20-27—Pastor and Family on vacation to the Midwest

DR. MAIER IS COMING SOON, HAVE YOU PURCHASED YOUR TICKETS?

On September 18, from 9—3:30 PM, Dr. Paul L. Maier will be giving a presentation on Jesus
Christ that will truly amaze you. The question is, have you bought your tickets yet? We are
on the verge of announcing this event to our circuit and to churches in the area, so if you
have not purchased your tickets yet, now would be the time. Seating is limited! We are not
accepting reservations for seats, so please purchase them through the office or online as
soon as possible and receive your $5 Nazareth Member discount today.
 Nazareth Lutheran Church
1711 Grant Street
Hopewell, VA 23860

TO:

Nazareth Evangelical Lutheran Church

"Reaching out to all in faith and love, sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ, and serving joyfully!"