Renovare...in the Community

Following a study on transforming discipleship, Renovaré groups joined with others from our church family to help heal the destruction of the floods of 2008.
While some baked 45 dozen chocolate chip cookies in the church kitchen to feed hungry volunteers, others peeled shingles off roofs, pulled up sidewalk forms, and painted everything from sheds to bathrooms to foundations in the Time Check area with Block By Block, an organization that works to rebuild neighborhoods destroyed by the flood.
If you would like to be part of a small group that not only studies together, but also serves together, please call Marcie Watson, Director of Spiritual Transformation, at (319) 365-1494 or email marciew@firstlutherancr.org.

Cameras a hit!

The very talented people of First Lutheran absolutely "blew the roof off the joint" with their musical talents all day long Sunday! There were choirs, an orchestra, and kids singing their hearts out for the Lord. The best part? We caught every minute of it on tape! A simple idea kicked around in early December by FLC's newly formed "New Media Dream Team" quickly became a reality thanks to the hard work of Justin Schaefer, Shannon Hauerwas, Mark Scheibe, Drew Schaefer, and others.

Justin lined up some equipment for us to use once only free of charge to conduct a "viability test" inside the walls of our church. He brought three high quality cameras, a machine to switch seemlessly from one camera to another and run the powerpoint and audio all through one system. Justin was present overseeing the production the whole time. Did anyone else notice there wasn't one glitch during worship?!

Many larger, growing churches use this equipment and a person like Justin every week at a minimum to record the sermon and put the audio and video on the church website to expand the ministry of God. Other churches "rebroadcast" the pastor's message -and even the entire worship service- live in house, much like we did with both the 8 and 9:30 and the children's program. If we were to do something like this, the equipment would cost $20,000-$30,000. Wouldn't this be an awesome opportunity for someone to gift our church with the money to be able to do this? Could you just imagine how our church would grow and it would expand the ministry of Jesus Christ?

Justin also recorded both the choir's performance of "The Messiah" and the Children's program, "Here He Comes." We're looking into what we can do legally with the master copies, whether we make it available for check out in the church library or pay someone to make copies for us and give them out for a suggested donation to cover the costs. Another possibility might be to put both performances on our website for grandmas and grandpas snowbirding in Florida and Arizona to see with a simple click of the mouse.

New Financial Peace Class Starting in January!

Want Financial Peace during these tough, economic times? Who doesn't? I coordinate a class through our church that helps families and individuals get a game plan, dump debt, and build wealth. It's called Financial Peace University and features nationally syndicated radio talk show host and best selling author of "My Total Money Maker," Dave Ramsey. It's sweeping the country and it absolutely works. Our last class just saved an average of $1,500 and paid down debt of $3,500. Please tell your family and friends who would like a $5,000 change in their financial position in 90 days to contact me immediately!

Our Free Preview is 6 PM Sunday, January 3rd at First Lutheran Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. You can sign up by clicking on the title of this post above.

Hometown Heroes Help My 'Little Brother'

Don Cummings and Jim Salts from Fairfield put up baseboard at Dorothy and Marcus' house.

I stopped by Dorothy's house today for a quick visit to see the progress the Methodist volunteers are making. As I climbed out of my pickup truck, the silver haired gentleman looked up from his saw and said, "Well hi, Craig!" I couldn't believe it. I recognized him immediately. It was Jim Salts from First United Methodist Church in my hometown of Fairfield. I had no idea these guys were coming to Cedar Rapids and certainly not to work on my "Little Brother" Marcus' house. What a pleasant surprise. God is so good.

I fretted for months about who would work on Dorothy's house since I wasn't going to be working there and the Lord provided in a big way. Jim is a good friend of my family's as is Don Cummings, who served as a mentor to me growing up. I was good friends with his two sons, Todd and Steve. These are quality guys and to see them working on Marc's home nearly brings me to tears. It is truly inspirational how everything works together for the good.

Dorothy's home is speeding along. It will be a close call on whether or not the house will be ready in time for Marc to start school at Cedar Rapids Kennedy. He'll be a sophomore there this year and they are no longer paying to bus him from his FEMA trailer in Marion. I keep praying about it and I ask that you would too. God is certainly listening as He keeps sending his "angels here on earth" to come to our side.

Heartsick for Parkersburg

I've had a chance to interview the Packer's Aaron Kampman a few times back when he was an Iowa Hawkeye and I've come to know and like him as a man, father, and follower of Christ. Aaron and I had a good conversation last summer about my leaving TV to go to seminary. He asked me a lot of questions and he told me about his theology degree he recently earned as well. He has a very grounded understanding of faith. I'm not surprized to see what he told ESPN about the late Coach Ed Thomas, who was tragedically shot today. "Coach Thomas was very special to me and many other young men from the Aplington-Parkersburg communities," Kampman said in a statement. "His legacy for many will be associated with his tremendous success as a football coach. However, I believe his greatest legacy comes not in how many football games he won or lost but in the fact that he was a committed follower of Jesus Christ. He lived his life trying to exemplify this faith and convey those values to those under his influence." See the full ESPN story here: http://sports.espn.go.com/highschool/rise/football/news/story?id=4283443

Social Security Not Sustainable on Present Course

The above chart from the Social Security Administration shows that a 37 year-old or younger will NEVER see 100% of our social security without any changes to the present system. Real World EXAMPLE: I'm 34 years old today; I turn 67 in 2042, which means I will only receive 73% of benefits. A 26 year-old today will only ever see 68% of their benefits. What this says is DAVE RAMSEY IS RIGHT…don’t rely on Social Security for your retirement!

This is from our U.S. Federal Government's SSA website:

	I'm 37 years old in 2009. If nothing is done to change Social Security, what can I expect to receive in retirement benefits from the program?
	Unless changes are made, at age 65 in 2037 your scheduled benefits could be reduced by 24 percent and could continue to be reduced every year thereafter from presently scheduled levels. See the 2009 Trustees Report.
	I'm 26 years old in 2009. If nothing is done to change Social Security, what can I expect to receive in retirement benefits from the program?
	Unless changes are made, when you reach age 54 in 2037, benefits for all retirees could be cut by 24 percent and could continue to be reduced every year thereafter. If you live to be 100 years old in 2083 (which will be more common by then), your scheduled benefits could be reduced by 26 percent from today's scheduled levels. See the 2009 Trustees Report.
	Should I count on Social Security for all my retirement income?
	No. Social Security was never meant to be the sole source of income in retirement. It is often said that a comfortable retirement is based on a "three-legged stool" of Social Security, pensions, and savings. American workers should be saving for their retirement on a personal basis and through employer-sponsored or other retirement plans.

Q & A Source: http://www.ssa.gov/qa.htm
Chart Source: http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/TR/TR04/II_project.html

YOUR Top Ten Worship Songs

The people have spoken! We are proud to announce the Top Ten Hymns as chosen by YOU, the people of First Lutheran Church. We collected 171 song suggestions and ranked them by popularity. What are your Top Ten? You will have to come to church this summer to find out! They are all classics! You won’t want to miss a single week.

Each week our featured song will be the theme for the sermon and be sung as the Hymn of the Day. Read about the song’s backstory in the bulletin’s “liner notes” and discover the theology behind the lyrics you love. Our countdown begins on the weekend of June 13^th and 14^th and marches towards #1 on August 15^th and 16^th. See you in church!