Q: Why is the Apostles’ Creed used on some Sundays and the Nicene Creed on others?

A: First, let us start with what a creed is. A creed is a statement of faith that a group of people hold as true. The Lutheran tradition holds to three Creeds: the Apostles’, the Nicene, and the Athanasian. The Apostles’ Creed is the oldest of the three and our oldest writings on it accredit it to being from by the Apostles themselves. In other words, this is how Jesus’ Apostles summed up what our faith system is all about. It was important for the Apostles to distinguish themselves from others who were claiming Jesus’ ministry meant something very different. The Apostles held strong that theirs was the true faith since they were the ones chosen by Jesus and had followed and been trained by him for three years as well as the ones who experienced his death and resurrection.

The longer a faith exists the more questions arise about that faith and so the Creeds that describe our faith also develop. The Nicene Creed is the next oldest and is longer than the Apostles’. If you look at the differences in language you can get a sense of some of the questions that developed. One of which was the nature of Christ: how was Jesus fully God and fully human? The words “begotten not made” were added to combat a growing idea that Jesus as the Son of God did not exist before he became human.

The Athanasian Creed is the newest, the longest and the most confusing to read. It is the fullest statement of the Trinitarian Faith in abstract metaphysical terms. It is hardly ever used in worship (excepting on Trinity Sunday in some congregations).

So with that out of the way, why do we use the Apostles’ some Sundays and the Nicene other? Well, as you may have already guessed the creeds were originally used as teaching documents (i.e. at home where it was learned and memorized for baptism more than as a regular part of the regular liturgy. It was spoken as a part of the baptismal service and the creeds seem to have worked their way into a part of our weekly liturgy through that the baptismal rite. In Lutheran practice, the Apostles’ Creed is the one associated with baptism, and is usually chosen for Lent as the season of baptismal renewal and preparation, and for all the Sundays in the Time after Epiphany and the Time after Pentecost (which both emphasize our walk and maturing in faith). The Nicene is usually chosen for festival days and during the seasons of Advent, Christmas and Easter. While the creeds can be omitted, they have been generally kept as a part of worship since as early as the eleventh century.

Do you have a question about religion, faith, the Bible, etc. that a pastor would have the answer to? Look forward in future Callers for a regular feature entitled "Ask the Pastor". Members are encouraged to submit their questions to Pastor Matt. He will try to answer them in the Caller.

JOIN US FOR OUR THANKSGIVING WORSHIP

Wednesday, November 23

at 7:00 P.M.

At this time of Thanksgiving, when we have so much to be thankful for, please bring non-perishable items for the Ashippun Food Pantry to help those less fortunate.

St. Olaf Sunday School Presents

The Miracles of Jesus

Nov. 20-Dec. 18

You may be in the middle of a miracle right now and simply not see it. It may be that you are waiting for a miracle. You’re discouraged because things seem to be at a standstill. You do not see any evidence of God’s supernatural work on your behalf. God is still working glorious, instant wonders in the world today. We just need to open our eyes to see them around us. We’ll be looking at various miracles in this rotation—Jesus calming a storm, Jesus healing a paralyzed man who has some friends who really believe Jesus can help, and Jesus walking on the water. These were some fantastic events that sometimes we can hardly believe—but yet they are acts of God, and they still happen around us every day. We will be focusing on how we can focus on God and not get distracted from God’s activity around us every day.

In the Oasis Café we will make Baked Alaska which shows that things can happen that may not believed easily.
In Colors of Faith we will focus on Jesus walking on the water and make jars that show Jesus in a storm, overcoming everything.
In Jammin’ with Jesus we will play some exciting games that recreate the healing of the paralyzed man and the faith of his friends.

Contemporary Worship

Our Praise worship services will continue with the first Sunday of each month at 10:30 a.m. Get the word out, pray for us, and join us!

Joyous Light
Join us every 3^rd Saturday of the month for our evening prayer service called "Joyous Light" written by Ray Makeever. Ray is a graduate of Luther Seminary and a well-known musician. This worship service is a beautiful way to center ourselves and celebrate God's Light in our life and in our world.

The new envelope system we will begin using in 2012 necessitates a change in our counting form. The new form may prove a bit tricky if you’ve never seen it before. Therefore we will be holding a training session for the counters on Sunday, November 13 at 10:15 am. It should only take around a half an hour. Please plan on attending. Please RSVP to Denise at finance@st-olaf before November 7. Thank you.

Our Sunday School is getting ready for another UFF-DA day. UFF-DA stands for Uniting Faith and the Forty Developmental Assets. We will meet on Sunday, November 13 during our education time at 10:15. The entire family is invited to share some time together and learn more about our faith journey together. Hope to see you there!

What do two angels (named Lo and Behold) have to do with Christmas? An awful lot. They will be teaching us all about the Christmas story for this year's Christmas program. Come, see and hear a humorous, inspirational retelling of the night Jesus was born at our Christmas program “Lo and Behold--Seeing is Believing!” It will be held on Sunday, December 11 at 3 p.m. Practices will be on Sunday, December 4th during Sunday School (and going a little later than usual) and on Saturday, December 10 from 9-11 a.m. Please bring your children to Sunday School each week so we can learn the songs for the program. After our program we will have the Seeing is Believing party for food and fellowship, so please join us. This is an all church production, so if you would like to help in any way please contact Anne Hautala. Let us celebrate the birth of our Savior together.

Whatever it was, it was probably given out of love. Love comes to us as a gift from God, and we are called to share it with others. The best gifts are those that deepen our relationships with one another. They are unexpected. They are filled with love. And, they are impossible to wrap. ELCA Good Gifts make great gifts for your loved ones and carry that love on to others, making a difference in their lives and the world. Take a few moments to explore the catalog, and discover the life-changing ministry we do together as a response to Christ’s love in our lives. You can give a gift right now to support the work of ELCA World Hunger. With an ELCA Good Gift for World Hunger, you can: provide fresh water for an entire community; give a goat to provide families with food, funds, and fertilizer; plant an orchard to bear good, nutritious fruit for years to come; offer a micro-credit loan to help a woman start a small business or help a child buy school supplies.

You probably have some people on your list who already have everything they need. Share God's love and give them a gift that helps others. Visit elca.org and go to Good Gifts or check out the catalog hanging on the bulletin board by the mailboxes.

I know it seems hard to think about the new year already, but it will be here before you know it. One thing we have to look forward to is switching to a different offering envelope system. We are retiring the monthly packets of envelopes mailed directly to your home. We are going back to an annual box of envelopes you will need to pick up at church sometime in December. This is a bit different from the boxed sets we’ve had in the past, however. The new sets have a COMBINED single envelope with specific lines for the general and mortgage funds. Now you will be able to contribute to both funds with just one check. All you need to do is specify how you want your contribution broken down on the front of the envelope. Keep in mind that we will once again need to renumber the membership so please pick up your new 2012 envelopes before the first of the year. And please ONLY use your current 2011 envelopes in calendar year 2011 and your new 2012 envelopes ONLY in calendar year 2012 as you will have different member numbers in the different years. Thanks in advance for your cooperation.

Tired of fiddling around with envelopes entirely? Go electronic. St. Olaf’s has an electronic funds transfer program called Simply Giving that can be set up to automatically debit your checking account weekly, semi-monthly, or monthly, whichever frequency works best in your situation. Many of you use EFT debits for other regularly recurring transactions, so why not use it for your church contributions? With the popularity of cash back credit cards, more and more of us are using our credit cards for routine financial transactions. Simply Giving can be set up to charge your Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express card. Either way, Simply Giving is a great tool to help you stay on track with your stewardship intentions. Sign-up is easy. There are forms at the usher’s table and in the office.

A big thank you is given to the Birkels for donating the new flags now properly positioned at the base of the stairs leading to the sanctuary.

Christmas is on its way and so many gift cards are purchased each year. This year why don’t you plan ahead and order the cards through the church. It saves you a lot of running around and helps the church at the same time.

There are hundreds of stores to choose from. So pick up the new list and start shopping!

We keep the following cards on hand, but with the holidays coming, we expect to sell a lot and might not have everything on hand.

Besides practicing financial stewardship through the collection plate, your time and talents have huge potential in supporting the ministry of St. Olaf's. One example was practicing good stewardship of the church land by raising a soybean crop this year. God blessed us with an excellent crop and a good price. The net profit to St. Olaf's from this year's crop is $3,339. Thank Frontier Coop. in Mapleton for donating the seed and Gary Sielaff for donating the use of his no till drill. WHAT TALENTS DO YOU HAVE THAT CAN BE CONVERTED INTO FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR YOUR CHURCH? All it takes is a little thought and a little effort. When you would like to increase your plate offering but just can't given the economic condition, turning your time and talents into financial support by doing things that you enjoy doing is the answer

The new church leadership team took office last May with a unified goal to build upon the good work of the previous team and make changes as necessary to improve our ministry and ensure a successful future for St. Olaf's. Toward that end, we had to prioritize the many areas of improvement we saw as necessary.

We felt that improving communications and interaction within the church and with the community we serve was the firm foundation that was needed on which to support the rest of our planned improvements.

Improving communications required an evaluation of our existing technology to see if it would support what we wanted to do. it would not do what we needed it to do to improve our communications, track our data, sell ourselves to the community, etc.

New technology options were evaluated as to what they would do for us and their affordability. Affordable replacement technology was found which will not require an outlay of funds from the general fund. The congregation will begin to see the fruits of this labor shortly when a secretary comes on board to operate the systems and use them to communicate and coordinate the activities of St. Olaf's.

Another high priority of the leadership team is the start of a Pastor/small group visitation program beginning with the home bound, hospitalized, ill, and injured. We want a communication/notification system where no one is missed or slips through the cracks. Our new technology and secretary will be instrumental in this effort.

We feel that small groups of people who are truly interested in certain projects are the answer to moving forward on the suggestions and good ideas submitted to church leadership. The first example was the establishment of a promotion / publicity small group that can assist committees and other small groups with the promotion and publicity for their projects.

It is the intent of the leadership team to keep the congregation informed through the Caller, announcements, and the new technology being implemented.

The leadership team welcomes suggestions and ideas from the congregation. It is committed to responding to the submitter and either seeking a way to act on the idea, keep it on file for future action, or explain to the submitter why it can not be accepted. Remember though that it takes people to move ideas forward. Submit to Ron Egelseer, June Sumnicht, Roger Johnson, or Mark Larson.

Can't make it to church next Saturday or Sunday? Your plate offering is needed when you can't attend. The Simply Giving program might be the answer for you. It certainly is the answer for your church. Even a portion of your planned regular giving would help a great deal to pay the bills. See Denise Cairns for details and an application. Giving through the Simply Giving program is easy, and those who use Simply Giving are glad they do.

The church now has a mortgage interest rate of 4.5%. There is no guarantee that the interest rate will be this low again when we have to refinance in a few years. When the interest rate goes up, less of our contributions to the mortgage fund will go toward the principal.

The large battery bank was placed just outside the sanctuary in October 2008 by the Finance Committee in an ongoing campaign to recharge the mortgage fund while the interest is low. For the first four months after it was placed there, spare change contributed by the congregation was averaging $250 / month. Spare change contributions have since diminished to an average of $40 / month.

Even though the mortgage fund has so far received a $4,300 boost through the battery recharge campaign, we could do so much more if more St. Olaf's families participated in this simple and painless way to support their church.

It may seem like a nickel and dime idea, but there is power in numbers. If only half of St. Olaf's families would take home one of the small battery banks and drop in their spare change, it would result in a $12,000 / year boost to the mortgage fund. Just think what a dent we could make in paying off our mortgage if every family participated!

Last year Thrivent instituted a new policy for directing funds to Lutheran programs, such as schools and churches. They no longer offer a matching funds program for projects as they have in the past. If you have a policy of $20,000 or more or pay $800 per year in premiums, you qualify for choice dollars. YOU get to decide where those dollars go; a Lutheran school or church (hopefully, you will choose St. Olaf Lutheran Church--it's one more way to help our church financially and does not cost you anything).

If you have not already updated your information with Thrivent, such as the church you attend, please contact Thrivent and do so. You may contact them either via the internet at Thrivent.com, or you may telephone Thrivent directly and talk to a real person.

5. have your date of birth and the last four digits of your social security ready

6. Representative will tell you whether you qualify to direct dollars (if you qualify, please consider directing your dollars to St. Olaf)

I also have some brochures available to explain how to register on Thrivent.com. I will have them at church the weekend of November 5 and 6. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have about Thrivent's programs.

It began before Halloween – Christmas trees appeared in the stores, red and green decked all of the commercial halls, displays and catalogs began their siren song of “buy me, buy me.” Anxiety washed over most adults and we girded ourselves for the Christmas marathon. We know we will spend too much, sleep too little, eat food that isn’t good for us, entertain people we aren’t crazy about, try to please everyone, without much success. As Christians, we know this is a holy season, not a commercialized, consumerist nightmare, and yet... Could it be different?

What would happen if you chose to do Christmas differently this year? But isn’t it too late to change? Won’t people protest? Won’t people be disappointed? And where would we begin?

Have a goal. Years ago, when Christmas had gotten utterly out of control and did not bring me much joy, I decided that on the 26th of December, I wanted three things:

That has been my North Star, the goal that guides my planning and experience and assessment. Has it always happened this way? Heavens, no!

Prioritize. Begin today by asking your family this question: What is the one thing that you need to see, hear, read, sing, eat, do or experience this Advent season to make it feel as though Christmas has really come for you? Then, let that be the focus of your Advent and Christmas season. This is a wonderful way to simplify.

Delegate. One person can’t do it all. Decide who will do what, and include everyone.

Collaborate. Have a family wrap-a-thon or make cookie baking a group activity. Put on carols. Enjoy one another, as well as accomplish what you have chosen to do.

Delete. Without apology, decide what you will not do this year. What are those things that drain the life and delight out of you. Decide not to do them. It makes space for those things that give you life and delight.

Do it differently. If you host Christmas Eve dinner, instead of slaving over a hot stove, consider serving a purchased lasagna, potluck, or make something ahead and freeze it.

Tell others what you are doing and why. Invite them to join you in a simpler, more joyous Christmas season.

1.Have the family conversation about what is really important to experience this season; then, focus on that.

2.Create a family Christmas calendar, with all of the planned activities AND quiet time to enjoy one another and to savor the spiritual.

3.What is the gift that you will give the Christ child this year? Plan a service project that you will do together.

4.Have an evening of storytelling. Parents, grandparents and beloved adults, tell the children what it was like for you as a child at Christmastime.

5. Remember those who are not with you this season. Light a candle in their honor.

There will be some changes in the contents of the kits that we put together for Lutheran World Relief. The names of some of the kits have also changed. This information is also available at lwr.org and on the bulletin board near the mailboxes.

¨ One light- to medium-weight, bath-size towel (approximately 52” x 27” or smaller, dark color recommended

¨ Two receiving blankets, medium-weight cotton or flannel, or crocheted or knitted with lightweight yarn, up to 52” square

¨ Four 70 sheets notebooks of wide-or college-ruled paper approximately 8”x10 ½”, no loose-leaf paper.

¨ One 30-centimeter ruler, or a ruler with centimeters on one side and inches on the other

¨ One sturdy drawstring backpack-style cloth bag approximately 14” X 17” with shoulder straps (no standard backpacks)

Date	Asst. Minister	Acolyte
Sat. Nov. 5 5:00 p.m.	Linda Fredrick
Sun. Nov. 6 9:00 a.m.	June Sumnicht	Destiny Krueger
Sun. Nov. 6 10:30 a.m.	Justine Cadena	Carlie DeBack
Sat. Nov. 12 5:00 p.m.	Cindy Schlieve
Sun. Nov. 13 9:00 a.m.	Bernie Krahn	Alan Cameron
Sat. Nov. 19 5:00 p.m.	June Sumnicht
Sun. Nov. 20 9:00 a.m.	Justine Cadena	Riley Smeaton
Wed. Nov. 23	Jane Christenson	Matthew Sutrick
Sat. Nov. 26	Jane Christenson
Sun. Nov. 27	Dave Kraemer	Thomas Guenther