“Reacting to God‘s Love”

            Reacting to God’s love, really means living for the love of God in a way that advances in the world the cause of God’s love, which is only found in Jesus Christ. Loving Jesus Christ means that we no longer need to be our only main concern in daily life for if we live reacting to God’s love, in our very lives, we actually find that we are really living for others. This is really when we find ourselves living to God. The Christian life we aspire to is orientated to God as both its source and its goal.

            So what does reacting to God’s love mean for us today and what might our typical responses be to God’s actions toward us?

            God reacts toward us in many ways; but let us consider three important, fundamental actions of God toward us. First, grace; second, love and third, communion. First, considering God’s grace, I believe our initial reaction, once we allow ourselves to be overcome by God’s grace, is that we begin to trust and rely on God in a manner that we never could have previously. Second, considering God’s action of love, our response, as we are impacted by the enormity of the sacrificial love God made for us by the gift of Jesus, we respond with love for God and for others. And third, considering God’s action of communion with us we grow - we become the person, that God created and intended us to be.

            God’s actions and our responses give our life meaning and frame the way we live. Our faith toward God is connected to how we understand and live out our lives. Our responses to God’s actions in our life will be varied. We will have personal and particular roadblocks. It is never an easy call that we are given both collectively and individually as Christians. Most important though is entrusting ourselves completely to God’s care - to God’s gracious and loving provisions. As we are able to do this, then we can turn toward others with sincere hearts, and we can focus intently on God in our prayers. Certain things will compel us to trust, love and be in communion with God in prayer. None of our paths will be exactly the same because we have all had particular, and different experiences; but ultimately, our shared experience will converge in the glory of our Saviour and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

            The Apostle Paul, explains, that it is reasonable that we should live to God, through Jesus Christ, being dead to ourselves. 2 Corinthians 5:15 says, “Jesus died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.” Jesus Christ offers us a boundless love - it has been evidenced in His death. The very knowledge we have of this love, ought to limit our attention and affections that they may go in no other direction than that of loving Jesus in return. This should be our ultimate reaction to God’s love.

            I believe that it is impossible for anyone that truly considers and ponders Jesus Christ’s wonderful love, which He manifested towards us by His death, to truly not become affected by it, in some way within their personal lives. We grow and mature in our responsive love back to our Master, our Saviour. We are bound to Him and constrained by our inevitable union and then we can devote ourselves more wholly to His service. For Jesus is, the one who died for all. Jesus Christ died for us, that we might die to ourselves. To die to ourselves is to live to Jesus Christ; it is to renounce ourselves, that we may live to Jesus Christ; for Jesus Christ redeemed us with this perspective — simply, that He might have us under His authority, as His peculiar possession.

            It then follows that we are no longer our own masters. In Rom. 14:7-9, it proclaims, “None of us lives to our self, and no one dies to their self. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. 9 For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.” So we are dead in Jesus Christ, in order that all ambition for personal distinction in our own lives may be laid aside and we owe to Jesus Christ our life and death, because He has wholly bound us to Himself. As we believe God’s love is made perfect in Jesus Christ we then are compelled to live in a way that advances in the world the cause of God’s love. This simply is living and reacting to the love of Jesus Christ in our very lives.

            Yes, I want to live and act solely for my Master, Jesus. I hope you do too. Amen.

Rev. John Calvin Rhoad Jr

Please click on photos to view enlargements.

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June Birthdays       2 David Cahill   2 Josie Slaathaug     10 Tena Gaer    12 Stacy Johnson    20 Gillian Woodburn 21 Mary Nelson 24 Kay “Boots” Johnson 26 Todd Taylor

June Anniversaries 6/6/1987 Mark and Ruth Smith      6/8/1958 Dennis and Shirley Eisnach    - Happy 50th Anniversary! 6/9/1974 Delton and Vicky Tipton    6/10/1978 Monty and Peg Bechtold   6/20/1953 Ken and Peggy Meyer     - Happy 55th Anniversary!

	June Happenings
1	Pastor John on vacation, Rolly preaching  Communion Sunday
8	Pastor John on vacation, Rolly preaching
14	Kendra Woodburn/Michael Zuercher wedding
15	Sunday worship at Oahe Chapel 8 a.m.
23-26	Vacation Bible School at OPC
30	Session meeting 6:30 p.m.

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PHOTOS FROM THE PAST

Choir in the “olden” days..no soft chairs.  Terry Anderson as the choir director.	The Oahe carolers singing at the Capitol Christmas.	Caroling at Christmas.
The burning of the mortgage of Oahe Presbyterian was cause for celebration.  From a mission church to a church known for its mission giving.	Pastor Skip and “the boys” on a youth retreat.

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SPECIAL MUSIC FOR SUMMER

There is a summer calendar on the door of the secretary’s office.

Please indicate on the Sunday that you, a friend, or a family member would like to provide special music during June, July, or August.

Margaret will happily assist you if needed or desired. Music is so appreciated during the summer months.

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PHANTOM PLANTERS STRIKE AGAIN It’s spring and the new plants are in the prayer garden but this year the phantom planters were caught in action.   A big thanks for our new garden goes to KayCee Hodson and Cindy Droppers.
	KayCee, the gardener	Cindy, the assistant

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The Reason Why I Relay

by Tai Li Rhoad

 There are many people in my family circle and circle of friends whose lives are touched or devastated by cancer.

 A few years ago in 2002, my cousin- Susan Myers- was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was a widow with a then 5-year old girl. We took care of Elizabeth Mei En for over a month while Susan was undergoing chemotherapy. Elizabeth celebrated Christmas and her 6th (!) birthday with us. She had flown all by herself (as a 5 year old) all the way from California to Illinois. Ram (then 4) loved playing with her very much. She loved Jin Qiu who was only a little baby then.

In Earl Park, Indiana, one of my church friends- Suzy Schneidt- was a survivor of breast cancer too. Also in Earl Park, Indiana, there was a small 6 year old boy-Brandon Burdick- who was diagnosed with leukemia when he was 5.

In California, an aunt of John's -Nancy-Lowerre- is another survivor of breast cancer.

A son of a friend of ours-Bryce Klimek- is a survivor of leukemia.

Bryce's mother Sue Klimek's best friend -Fran Jefimenko- who also was the wife of a friend of ours did not survive long cancer.

The son-in-law of one of our previous pastors has cancer.

There is also a teacher in Lafayette, Indiana  who is a mother of 2 small children who needs a bone marrow transplant.

One of the missionaries of our previous church  has a recurrence of cancer. His name is Jim Crouch and he was a missionary in Nigeria.

The list goes on and on...

These people are the reason why I relay...

 I believe God has called us to help first to pray for these people and second do something.  That is why I have called my team The Fight Back Warriors. It's a war on cancer and by the grace of God we have made progress.

Love in Christ

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Vacation Bible School

For more info call: 224-2737 (OPC) 224-2030 (FBC) 224-5514 (UCC) Sponsored by: First Baptist Church (FBC) 1st Congregational United Church of Christ (UCC) & Oahe Presbyterian Church (OPC) Pre-Registration:  June 4 at OPC From 5 pm– 7 pm Registration Deadline:  June 9 at OPC A fun & free event for everyone!  Meals and transportation will be provided as well as an  Adult Bible Study option for parents!

Date: June 23-26 Place: Oahe Presbyterian Church Address:  2115 Capitol Ave, Pierre Time: 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm Ages: 3 years old - Grade 5

MAY 11th BUSY SUNDAY
It was Pentecost.   It was Confirmation.   It was Mother’s Day.
It was Pentecost. The choir and congregation dressed in red for Pentecost Sunday	It was Confirmation. Pastor John and four new OPC members: Rhiannon Sears, Riley Sears, Brandon Vockrodt, and Megan Vockrodt.

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RELAY FOR LIFE
KayCee Hodson

Oahe Presbyterian Church's 2008 Relay for Life teams met May 21, 2008 at the church for their second organizational meeting.   Candy Sowers opened with a devotional.  Team captains Candy Sowers, Ruth Smith, Tai Li Rhoad, and Sarah Wallace were announced.

The following important dates and events were discussed: June 7 Relay Day at the Pierre Mall.  Interested teams will have fund-raising events and luminaries will be sold and decorated that day. The mall stores are also participating. June 12 Team Captains (all teams, area-wide) will meet at 7:00 p.m. at the Head Start Building July 13 OPC luminary decorating evening and Bank Night. Beginning at 5:00 p.m., the OPC teams will gather at the church to decorate luminaries and turn in the funds they have raised.  Team members are asked to bring pictures, used greeting cards, stickers, do-dads, etc., to decorate the luminary bags. 

A donation box will be available in the Narthex to receive donations of these materials from the congregation, also.  Non-team members who enjoy crafting are most welcomed and encouraged to come that evening to help with the decorating. July 18-19  Relay for Life at Steamboat Park. Team camp set up is at 5:30 p.m. and the relay starts at 6:00 p.m. on Friday evening and ends Saturday morning at 6:00 a.m.

Breakfast will be available at the conclusion, probably at the Legion Cabin. If you’re not walking, but would like to volunteer in another capacity, please see Kay Cee.

There are many jobs available that evening that need to be filled by volunteers.  Also discussed during the meeting were special fund-raising projects the OPC teams could do.  Selling lunch at Dakota Mart, "selling" shoulder massages, selling popcorn, and holding a silent auction are all under consideration.

Door prizes were won by Amber Margheim , Ruth Smith, and Mary Jenner. Candy Sowers closed the meeting with a blessing from Numbers 6:24-26.

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Rummage Sale

Oahe’s annual rummage sale was held on May 17th and once again was a big success. We raised $786.76 that will go towards replacing the roof of the lodge at Camp Rimrock.  As we all know events like this don’t just happen. It takes a lot of planning and work. The same goes for the rummage sale. It takes a lot of people to pull it off. The Buildings and Grounds committee begins planning a few months ahead of time. First a date needs to be set that isn’t going to interfere with anything else that is going on in the life of the church or that will conflict with any community events. Then a decision needs to be made as to where the proceeds should go. In years past the proceeds have gone towards various things such as landscaping at the church, towards mission projects and so forth. This year the decision was made to recommend that the proceeds go towards the mission project of replacing the roof a Camp Rimrock. That recommendation was then taken to the Session and was approved. Once again KayCee Hodson was head of the project. She has been the one in charge for years and because of her extensive experience she has things fine tuned and running like a clock every year. She spends many hours on this project making arrangements for things that we don’t even think about. For instance she is the one that makes sure that the publicity gets done both for the community and the congregation. She is the one who makes sure that there is money in the change boxes when sale day comes. She is also the one who makes sure that there are enough people to work on the day of the sale. And for the two nights before hand workers are needed to help people unload their donations and to arrange it so that it will be easy for the public to shop. We ask ahead of time that the rummage be priced to save us a lot of time but when that doesn’t happen she has people with tape and pen in hand making sure a reasonable price is put on the donations. She also feeds the volunteers breakfast on sale morning. And the list goes on and on. The Buildings And Grounds Committee also puts in lots of hours during this time by helping with whatever it is that needs doing to put on a successful event. Things such as cleaning and getting the place ready for company, helping with whatever KayCee needs help with, etc. And they can be found at the church a couple of nights ahead of time getting ready for the sale and on sale day doing whatever is needed of them. And it never fails that every year the members of the congregation go above and beyond for the cause of the sale. They spend hours going through their stuff and marking it and by the time the sale rolls around there is never a lack of items to sell. They also put in a lot of hours helping to make sure the sale is a big success. There is never a lack of workers to help set up on the two nights preceding the sale and to work on sale day. People volunteer their time and pickups to go out and get donations from those whom have no way of getting it to the church themselves. They price items, and bake lots of good things for the bake sale. The lawn care volunteer for that week makes sure that the grounds are looking their best. And so on. Once again the list goes on and on. Everyone in the congregation does their part to make the sale happen. And because of that not only is the sale a way for us to pull together and raise some money for a good cause this event has turned into a time of fun and fellowship that is looked forward to every year.

We advertised.   We filled the tables.   We priced the goods. (Mary Jenner)

And so a big THANK YOU is extended to everyone in the congregation for whatever your part was in making this years rummage sale a success. It couldn’t have been done without you. And remember NOW is a good time to start putting your stuff aside for next years rummage sale! We awaited the customers. (Candy Sowers and Glenda Woodburn)   We even took a coffee break. (Pastor John, Duane Jenner, Larry DeJong)   And when it was over we packed up the remains and donated them to the Hospice Thrift Store. (Roberta Cahill)

A HEARTFELT THANK YOU!!! To All Who Worked on the Habitat House1 To Onida for coming down to help! To our OPC cooks for such a fine meal! To the OPCers who gave of their time and expertise. To Duane Jenner for arranging the night of volunteering. The roof was completed in less than 3 hours. Siding and wiring were begun. From the Mission Outreach Committee

 

ONIDA-OPC JOIN TOGETHER TO WORK ON HABITAT HOUSE Volunteers from Onida First Presbyterian and Oahe Presbyterian joined together to work on this year’s Habitat house.  Six members of the Onida Church to include:  Pastor Rolly Kemink, Doug Marsh, Kev in Pickner, Brock Asplen, Tom Young and Brent Hepker drove down to Pierre to help shingle the house.  There were seventeen participants from the Pierre Church:  Mark and Ruth Smith, Ron and Glenda Woodburn, Duane and Mary Jenner, Larry and Meleta DeJong, Ken and Cindy Droppers plus Lee Baron, Monty Bechtold, Lloyd Kannegieter, John Ellefson, Dan Vockrodt, Mike Fugitt and Lyman Chase helped shingle, add walls and put in some of the wiring.   Ken and Peggy Meyer, Mary Sherman, Peg Bechtold, Paula Vockrodt, Ellen Hosman and Vicky Tipton provided the meal for the work crew.  Jamie McEntaffer was the construction chief for the job. By the end of the evening the entire roof was shingled.

Dan, Monty, Mike and Ron getting started on the roof.   Onida beginning their side of the roof. (with a little help from Lyman, Lee and Duane.)

“I coughed so hard I broke the hammer.” The food was great! Electrical outlets were installed by Ruth, Glenda, Cindy and Mary J The End of the Day….Duane and Rolly

 

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