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Thanksliving, Thanksgiving
“We thank
you, God, we thank you—your Name is our favourite word; your
mighty works are all we talk about.”
Psalm 75:1
November
2008
- Rev. Johnny Rhoad
While these days it may be hard to
reflect on reasons for giving thanks because of recent angst
in the financial markets worldwide, we do have legitimate
cause for giving thanks. And just as we have valid reason
for giving thanks for our lives it should not be regulated
just to a single day; or a month, either. 1 Thessalonians
5:16-18, relates, “Be cheerful
no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what
happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ
Jesus to live.”
So how can we give thanks in all
things?
As I write this I am gazing at the
current cover of the November 3rd issue of
Newsweek with the cover title “Nightmare on Pennsylvania
Avenue”. Of course the reflection of the leading article is
on the tremendous challenges that the next President of the
United States of America will face from day one - and as
some experts speculate, it is unprecedented; but I also
presume that is at least a little hyped. But I do believe
that often we can come to a similar conclusion in our lives
when we may personally face particular challenges and
hurdles. In fact, we may be faced with strife and turmoil
the likes of which we have never previously encountered in
our lives. In times like that it may be extraordinarily
hard to have hope, let alone give thanks. So I believe it
is helpful to turn our attention to Psalm 140:12-13
for some insight; “I know that you,
God, are on the side of victims, that you care for the
rights of the poor. And I know that the righteous personally
thank you, that good people are secure in your presence.”
Yes, Thanksgiving & thanks living,
only through the grace and mercy of our God. Amen.
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November
Birthdays |
November
Anniversaries |
November
Happenings |
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1 |
Gracelynn Taylor |
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2 |
Duane Jenner |
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6 |
Ron Woodburn |
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11 |
Chris Nelson |
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12 |
Peggy Bechtold |
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19 |
Charlotte Hyde |
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20 |
Joe Nadenicek |
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20 |
Tai Li Rhoad |
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23 |
Missy Slaathaug |
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29 |
Lana Laurenz |
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November 11, 1992
Dennis Pfrimmer & Cheryl Stone
November
27, 1972
Ken &
Cindy Droppers |
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2 |
Jenner DeJong Fish Fry...6 pm |
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4 |
Election Day |
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4 |
Buildings and Grounds Committee...6:30 pm |
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11 |
Veteran’s Day |
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11 |
PW at
Mary Jenner’s home…7 pm |
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18 |
Session Meeting…6 pm |
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20 |
Men’s
Fellowship Breakfast at Pier 347..6:30 am |
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20 |
OPC
Hosts “The Banquet” |
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23 |
PW
decorates their Capital Christmas tree |
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27 |
Thanksgiving Day Worship Service…10 am |
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~ Please click on photos to view enlargements ~
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PW’ers ATTEND WOMEN OF FAITH |
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On October 17th six of the OPC PW’ers
traveled to St. Paul to attend the Women of Faith.
The bus of 50 women departed Pierre at 6:30 a.m. on
a Friday morning and returned home at 2:30 a.m. on
the following Sunday. We arrived in Bloomington at
2 p.m.; checked into the Hampton Inn; re-boarded the
bus for the Mall of America where the group shopped
and dined until time to attend the Friday evening
conference which was highlighted by Nicole Johnson,
Anita Renfroe, Patsy Clairmont, Mandisa and Sheila
Clarke,
On Saturday we arose early to get our luggage and
ourselves aboard the bus to head back to the Excel
Center only to discover the bus would not start.
Another Foreman bus, in the cities for the
conference, was contacted and after delivering its
ladies returned to Bloomington and picked up the
Pierre bunch. The Saturday conference headlined
Marilyn Meberg, Luci Swindoll, Patsy Clairmont,
Nicole Johnson and Nicole C. Mullens. |
Peggy
Meyer, Mary Sherman,
Ruth Smith, Meleta DeJong
and Kate Nelson. |
We discovered that the musical entertainment next year
will be provided by Stephen Curtis Chapman. There
were 15,000 ladies in attendance. At five p.m. the
bus picked up the group and headed home where after
a long meal break, a missed turn and a stop in
Watertown we arrived back in Pierre at 2:30 a.m.
It was a tired but joyful group that attended
worship on Sunday morning. The photo shows only
five of the Pierre attendees as Margaret Ellefson
traveled and attended with relatives. |
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Kate Nelson washing
the feet of Mary Sherman.
[Photo contributed by Margaret Ellefson]. |
PW Studies Book of "Luke" for the Horizon
2008-2009 Bible Study
Tai Li
Rhoad was the leader of the Horizon Bible study,
chapter 3 in which the discussion of the washing of
the feet occurred. Setting an example of having
one’s feet washed and providing that service for
another each member of the Presbyterian Women took a
turn. It was an excellent example of service to one
another…both giving and receiving.
The
November PW meeting will be held at the home of Mary
Jenner on Tuesday, November 11th.
Margaret Ellefson will lead Bible Study # 4. |
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Washington Elementary
teacher selected
Pierre Washington Elementary teacher and OPC friend,
Kate Nelson has been named as the Teacher of the
Year by South Dakota Ag in the Classroom.
Nelson and her third grade students will be part of
the Ag in the Classroom’s annual meeting and
recognition luncheon set for Nov. 12 in the Ft.
Pierre AmericInn.
During the event, the organization also will present
its second annual "Friends of Ag in the Classroom"
award. |
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OPC ELECTS
NEW OFFICERS
At the annual
October congregational meeting the following were elected to
office at Oahe Church:
Candy Sowers
returned as ruling elder and Dennie Pfrimmer will be
ordained and installed as a ruling elder.
Shirleen
Fugitt returned as deacon and Chris Nelson will be ordained
and installed as a deacon.
John Ellefson returns as
Financial Secretary.
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Dennie Pfrimmer |
Chris Nelson |
Margaret Ellefson |
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Ruling Elder |
Deacon |
POSD Nominating Committee |
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Capitol
Christmas Tree
by
Candy Sowers
  OPC
Presbyterian Women were selected to decorate a
Christmas tree at the Capitol this year. We
requested a tree to showcase the baby caps for
African babies that have been knit or crocheted as a
mission project.
The
information we received included that the theme this
year is "Sharing Holiday Messages". A 7-10 foot
high tree is provided as well as a tree stand and
ladders for our use. We will supply the lights (no
motion or musical), a power strip, decorations, tree
skirt, and volunteers for decorating the tree.
 A
group of five [Shirleen Fugitt, Mary Jenner, Candy
Sowers, Margaret Ellefson and Glenda Woodburn] will
be decorating the tree at 1p.m. Sunday, November
23rd (just before Thanksgiving). If you are
interesting in helping with this project please give
Cindy Droppers, Meleta DeJong, Mary Jenner, Mary
Sherman or Peggy Meyer a call. We may be sharing
opportunities to prepare for decorating day too. |
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Report on
Presbytery Meeting
By Duane
Jenner, Oahe Commissioner
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On October 24, 2008,
Rev. John Rhoad, Jr., Meleta DeJong, Ken Meyer, Mary
Sherman, Kay (Boots) Johnson, and Duane Jenner
traveled to McIntosh, SD for the fall Stated meeting
of the Presbytery of South Dakota. The meeting was
constituted with prayer by Peter Reynen, Moderator
of the Presbytery.
Certainly the highlight
of the meeting for our church was the election of
Meleta DeJong as Moderator Elect. She will assume
the position of Moderator at the June, 2008 meeting
of Presbytery. Other action at the meeting included
the election of Margaret Ellefson to Presbytery
Nominating Committee. |
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After Meeting Meal in Mobridge |
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This was also the final
meeting for Rev. Bart Brenner who has been the
Interim Executive Presbyter. He has been in that
position for the past three years and has provided
much leadership in moving the Presbytery to a new
form of organization. Sessions of each church in the
Presbytery are currently studying the proposal and
have been asked to comment and recommend any changes
to Council. The organizational plan will be voted on
at the next Presbytery meeting to be held in
February, 2009 in Platte, SD.
Hal Neller from Mitchell
as agreed to serve as Presbytery Administrator until
a new staffing plan is decided and implemented by
Presbytery. This is a temporary and part-time
position. This will fill the role of the Executive
Presbyter being vacated by Rev. Bart Brenner.
During the very inspirational worship service the
Commissioning of Stephen Van Buren as Commissioned
Lay Pastor to the Spirit Lake Presbyterian Church
took place.
Other actions which took
place included receiving the reports of Council,
Commissions, and Standing Committees. Some
highlights included receiving the Treasurers report
which showed the Presbytery ending its budget year
in the black. Also the 2009 budget was approved. The
total budget for 2009 is $415,761.00. Also approved
was the 2009 per capita. The total for 2009 will be
$24.00 per member. This is broken down as follows:
Presbytery of SD $13.05, Synod of Lakes and Prairies
$4.80 and General Assembly $6.15. The Presbytery
also approved a mileage rate increase for committee
members. The new rate will equal the South Dakota
State Rate of $.375, effective November 1, 2008.
This is from the current rate of $.10 per mile.
The Presbytery also
received the General Assembly Commissioner report.
There was then a 45 minute Presbytery floor
discussion of the report with the main item of
discussion centering on the proposed change in
Ordination Standards. This and all the other
proposed amendments to the Constitution of the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and proposed ecumenical
statements approved by the 218th General
Assembly will be voted on at the February, 2009
Presbytery Meeting. For further details, please see
me or John as we both have a printed copy of this
document.
At the request of the
Presbytery Mission Committee, each person coming to
the meeting was asked to bring items for the local
food pantry in McIntosh. There as an excellent
response and many thanks were given by the operator
of the food pantry. What a great way for the
Presbytery of South Dakota to let the community of
McIntosh knows the love of Jesus Christ.
Presbytery meetings
continue to be a great way to see the Love of God
working amongst Presbyterians in the State of South
Dakota. If you have any questions, or would like
more details about various items, please let me or
any of the others who attended know.
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Nov 2 |
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Glenda Woodburn |
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9 |
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Shirley Eisnach |
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16 |
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Megan Vockrodt |
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23 |
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Ron Woodburn |
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30 |
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Peggy Meyer |
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Dec 7 |
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Kate Divis Nelson |
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14 |
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Paula Vockrodt |
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21 |
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Duane Jenner |
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28 |
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Ken Meyer |
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Jan 4 |
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Mary Sherman |
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11 |
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KayCee Hodson |
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18 |
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Candy Sowers |
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25 |
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Shirleen Fugitt |
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Feb 1 |
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Kate Nelson |
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8 |
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Duane Jenner |
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15 |
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John Ellefson |
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22 |
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Mike Fugitt |
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Need Coffee?
 Remember
you can make a difference by ordering from the
growers by going to:
http://www.justcoffee.org/
If you don't have internet access but would like
to order call Candy Sowers at 224-9693.
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Mission Outreach Committee at Work in the Black
Hills
Laying out a
possible roadway into the heart of Pioneer Camp…Larry DeJong
and Duane Jenner
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Count Your Blessings and Share Them
Personal reflections by Ken Meyer
Why should I give away a tithe of my hard-earned cash? The
answer, of course, is that everything I have comes from God,
including the opportunity and the ability (and the ambition)
to earn that money. I give out of gratitude for the
blessings I have received throughout my life, including a
lot more than money.
But God
doesn’t take credit cards, and I can’t send him a check, so
where should I direct my giving? I know that I am rich
compared to most of the world’s people, and I want to be a
good steward of all that has been entrusted to me.
My first
thought is that the church is worthy of support. But there
are other candidates too. The needs in this broken world
are immense, and every day in the mail I receive appeals for
contributions, most of them from worthy causes. There’s
Bread for the World and Church World Service and dozens of
others. What should take priority?
I
believe in the mission and ministry of Oahe Church and the
Presbyterian Church (USA). Those have become the center of
my life, along with my family. And they are not only
worthy, but needing my financial support. So my tithe goes
to Oahe Church, along with a share of my time and talents.
 But
after we give our tithe we still have an abundance. (I say
“we,” as Peggy is included in all of this.) Years ago I
discovered that we could afford to give more than I
previously thought possible. We grew up in hard times, and
the frugality we learned then has not entirely left us as we
prospered. That enables us to go beyond our tithe and give
to the special offerings of the church and to organizations
that work for peace and justice and the common good.
We have
been richly blessed, and we strive to be good stewards in
sharing those blessings. I hope all of you who read this
will count your blessings and prayerfully consider how God
is calling you to share them.
SUBJECT: What Happens in Heaven
Contributed by Mary Sherman
I dreamt that I went to Heaven and an angel
was showing me around. We walked side-by-side inside a large
workroom filled with angels.
My angel guide stopped in front of the first
section and said, "This Is the Receiving Section. Here, all
petitions to God said in prayer are received." I looked
around in this area, and it was terribly busy with so many
angels sorting out petitions written on voluminous paper
sheets and scraps from people all over the world.
Then we moved on down a long corridor until
we reached the second section. The angel then said to me,
"This is the Packaging and Delivery Section. Here, the
graces and blessings the people asked for are processed and
delivered to the living persons who asked for them." I
noticed again how busy it was there. There were many angels
working hard at that station, since so many blessings had
been requested and were being packaged for delivery to Earth
Finally at the farthest end of the long
corridor we stopped at the Door of a very small station to
my great surprise, only one angel was seated there, idly
doing nothing. "This is the Acknowledgment Section," My
angel friend quietly admitted to me. He seemed embarrassed
"How is it that there is no work going on here?" I asked.”
So sad," the angel sighed. "After people receive the
blessings that they asked for, very few send back
acknowledgments."
"How does one acknowledge God’s blessings?" I
asked. "Simple," the angel answered. Just say, "Thank you,
Lord." "What blessings should they acknowledge?" I asked.
"If you have food in the refrigerator,
clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep
you are richer than 75% of this world. If you have money in
the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish, you
are among the top 8% of the world ‘s wealthy."
"And if you get this on your own computer,
you are part of the 1% in the world who has that
opportunity."
Also.... “If you woke up this morning with
more health than illness ...
You are more blessed than the many who will not even survive
this day."
"If you have never experienced the fear in
battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of
torture, or the pangs of starvation ...
You are ahead of 700 million people in the world." "If you
can attend a church without the fear of harassment, arrest,
torture or death you are envied by, and more blessed than,
three billion people in the world."
"If your parents are still alive and still married ...you
are very rare."
 "If
you can hold your head up and smile, you are not the
norm, you are unique to all those in doubt and despair."
Ok, what now? ... How can I start?
If you can read this message, you just received a
double blessing in that someone was thinking of you as very
special and you are more blessed than over two billion
people in the world who cannot read at all. Have a good
day, count your blessings, and if you want, pass this along
to remind everyone else how blessed we all are.
ATTN:
Acknowledge Dept.: "Thank you Lord, for giving me the
ability to share this message and for giving me so many
wonderful people to share it with.
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