News

The 2008 National Spelling Bee was held about a month ago and 13 year old Sameer Mishra from Lafayette, Indiana was the winner. The word which propelled him to victory was guerdon, which means “to receive or earn a reward.”

The Spelling Bee is not just for geeks and nerds. It has become a huge event and actually garners not insignificant television ratings. But one area that is off limits to the TV cameras is something called “The Comfort Room.”

For those participants who are eliminated from competition, The Comfort Room provides a private sanctuary where they can deal with disappointment and receive encouragement from others who had met a similar fate. Snacks and sodas helped make the losing a little bit easier to take.

I think the idea of The Comfort Room is a splendid idea. Who hasn’t experienced loss in their lives? Who hasn’t had their hopes set high, only to have them cut down to size? Whether its misspelled words or missed opportunities, the resulting feelings of discouragement and pain can leave us all in need of a little comfort.

Here’s an idea – why not establish a “comfort room” where you live. It should be a quiet place with some privacy. Retreat to your comfort room but do so with your Bible.

When you are seeking comfort from life’s disappointments, God will speak His Word of comfort and care to you from Scripture. The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.

I was in a spelling bee once. My 4^th grade class competed against the other classes in our school. Every one of my classmates spelled perfectly. So did the other team. Then my name was called and I was given a word to spell. My heart began to race – I knew this word. Maybe I was overconfident because I blew it. Our class lost and we lost a whole week of extra recess because of my spelling error.

I began to cry. But then a neat thing happened. My classmates came up to me, put their arms around me and comforted me. They told me they didn’t really want the extra recess (totally untrue). But they made me feel better. They comforted me. God will do the same for you. Make a “comfort room” in your house this week. Be sure to have your Bible nearby. God’s Word will comfort you.

Many of our church family are away on vacation throughout the summer months. The LWM society at Life in Christ is on vacation for July and August as well. The Board, however, will be busy planning the mission projects, meetings and events to begin in September. At the June monthly meeting, three board positions were voted on. These three positions are Secretary – Michele Colla; VP of Service Resources – Joann Shiber; VP of Christian Care – Lucille Beyer. Welcome gals!

Thank you to all who have participated this past year in filling their own personal Mite Box. Mite Boxes are always available by the big Mite Box on the LWM patio display table each 1^st Sunday of the Month. LWM will be collecting your MITES each 1^st Sunday during the summer months. Your donated pennies, dimes, etc. add up!!

At the LWML Biannual District Convention held in June, the Pacific Southwest District LWML announced that approximately $130,000 in Mites had been collected during 2006 – 2008. Locally, the recipients receiving grant monies from these Mites are:

· Trinity Lutheran Church Preschool, Casa, Grande, AZ received $9,647 to purchase and equip the preschool with needed equipment for additional classrooms:

· International Friendship House, Tempe, AZ received $9,950 to continue their efforts to share the love of Christ with students from around the world through Bible Study, ESL classes and cross-cultural exchange.

· Springerville Center, Springerville, AZ received $10,000 to enlarge their Living Hope Women’s Center to accommodate more clients who come for pregnancy test, pre-natal and parenting classes, abstinence education, Bible Study and the message of “Life” for the unborn!

Outreach to Children and Families in Southwest

Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ received $9,935 to purchase new outreach and community-based VBS programs to bring children and families into worship and build their faith in Christ through The Word & Sacrament.

Did you hear that we have a new official name? .....Gifts from the Heart was chosen for our group of women who will be joining together every 4^th Saturday of each month to use their talents and gifts to support mission needs within our community.

There is a task for everyone – just come and be a part of the fellowship and enjoy learning from each other and from our teacher, Joann Shiber.



	Life In Christ Lutheran Church Missouri Synod
	News Items - July 2008 JUST A THOUGHT ……..from Pastor Spicer The 2008 National Spelling Bee was held about a month ago and 13 year old Sameer Mishra from Lafayette, Indiana was the winner. The word which propelled him to victory was guerdon, which means “to receive or earn a reward.” The Spelling Bee is not just for geeks and nerds. It has become a huge event and actually garners not insignificant television ratings. But one area that is off limits to the TV cameras is something called “The Comfort Room.” For those participants who are eliminated from competition, The Comfort Room provides a private sanctuary where they can deal with disappointment and receive encouragement from others who had met a similar fate. Snacks and sodas helped make the losing a little bit easier to take. I think the idea of The Comfort Room is a splendid idea. Who hasn’t experienced loss in their lives? Who hasn’t had their hopes set high, only to have them cut down to size? Whether its misspelled words or missed opportunities, the resulting feelings of discouragement and pain can leave us all in need of a little comfort. Here’s an idea – why not establish a “comfort room” where you live. It should be a quiet place with some privacy. Retreat to your comfort room but do so with your Bible. When you are seeking comfort from life’s disappointments, God will speak His Word of comfort and care to you from Scripture. The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. I was in a spelling bee once. My 4^th grade class competed against the other classes in our school. Every one of my classmates spelled perfectly. So did the other team. Then my name was called and I was given a word to spell. My heart began to race – I knew this word. Maybe I was overconfident because I blew it. Our class lost and we lost a whole week of extra recess because of my spelling error. I began to cry. But then a neat thing happened. My classmates came up to me, put their arms around me and comforted me. They told me they didn’t really want the extra recess (totally untrue). But they made me feel better. They comforted me. God will do the same for you. Make a “comfort room” in your house this week. Be sure to have your Bible nearby. God’s Word will comfort you. Peace in Christ, Pastor George Spicer Many of our church family are away on vacation throughout the summer months. The LWM society at Life in Christ is on vacation for July and August as well. The Board, however, will be busy planning the mission projects, meetings and events to begin in September. At the June monthly meeting, three board positions were voted on. These three positions are Secretary – Michele Colla; VP of Service Resources – Joann Shiber; VP of Christian Care – Lucille Beyer. Welcome gals! Thank you to all who have participated this past year in filling their own personal Mite Box. Mite Boxes are always available by the big Mite Box on the LWM patio display table each 1^st Sunday of the Month. LWM will be collecting your MITES each 1^st Sunday during the summer months. Your donated pennies, dimes, etc. add up!! At the LWML Biannual District Convention held in June, the Pacific Southwest District LWML announced that approximately $130,000 in Mites had been collected during 2006 – 2008. Locally, the recipients receiving grant monies from these Mites are: · Trinity Lutheran Church Preschool, Casa, Grande, AZ received $9,647 to purchase and equip the preschool with needed equipment for additional classrooms: · International Friendship House, Tempe, AZ received $9,950 to continue their efforts to share the love of Christ with students from around the world through Bible Study, ESL classes and cross-cultural exchange. · Springerville Center, Springerville, AZ received $10,000 to enlarge their Living Hope Women’s Center to accommodate more clients who come for pregnancy test, pre-natal and parenting classes, abstinence education, Bible Study and the message of “Life” for the unborn! Outreach to Children and Families in Southwest Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ received $9,935 to purchase new outreach and community-based VBS programs to bring children and families into worship and build their faith in Christ through The Word & Sacrament. NEW MISSION OUTREACH GROUP! Quilters, Crocheters and Knitters Did you hear that we have a new official name? .....Gifts from the Heart was chosen for our group of women who will be joining together every 4^th Saturday of each month to use their talents and gifts to support mission needs within our community. There is a task for everyone – just come and be a part of the fellowship and enjoy learning from each other and from our teacher, Joann Shiber. Would you like to know more about this group??? Please call Call Joann Shiber (623-337-0850) or Judy Allen (623-334-4269) Newsletters (Adobe Acrobat Format) July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008
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