O C T O B E R 2 0 1 2

By Pastor Mike Sindelar

O C T O B E R 2 0 1 2

...by Pastor Mike Sindelar Thinking Missionaly

H aving a foreign exchange student is an effective way of learning about another culture and building a relationship with

someone from that culture. So, when I heard that friends of ours were inviting a Romanian student into their home for

just those reasons, I was impressed with their attitude of ‘missions’ being woven into their home and family. It had all the

ingredients for a wonderful year for them and their foreign student.

The first month with the student in their home proved to be all that they had hoped for. The young man from Romania fit

right into the family, the school and their flow of life. Blessings all around.

Due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control, the young man needed to return to Romania. His lack of English language

skills were not working out. The organization decided to send him home. What was to be a year-long relationship was

coming to an abrupt end. It was heartbreaking for everyone.

As the day of departure came, I was asked by the family to join them for lunch. The desire of their heart was that this young

man would hear the good news of Jesus in his own language. I was asked if I could do that before they put him on the plane.

It was a blessing to me to share the gospel in Romanian with this young man.

What has so impressed me with this family was their single desire to share Jesus with someone from the Romanian culture.

It is such a drive for them that they opened their home and hearts to a stranger. They were willing to do whatever it takes.

When the plan was cut short, they took measures to make sure the gospel of Jesus was the center of all their discussions. I

can still hear them saying, “Mike, we just have to make sure he doesn’t leave here without knowing God’s truth.”

That is a missional heart and passion. Driven to give of themselves so that others might know.

I can’t help but apply that story to our fall season here at Valley. There are many changes taking place. The bathrooms are

being renovated, and new chairs are in place. The stage will soon be taken apart and rebuilt and the carpet will be replaced.

All these plans are for the purpose of ‘getting the house in order for the sake of our guests’.

Those aren’t even the most significant changes. We have all been asked to adapt to a two-worship service format. Beyond

that, some of our LifeGroups have been asked to split up for the sake of making room for newcomers. Any one of these

things have the potential of causing us to become grumblers. None of us like change, to have our routine interrupted or to

sacrifice more than we already are.

Unless…unless we are those who think of everything from a missional point of view. Like our friends with the exchange

student, we need to have an attitude of doing whatever we need to so that others have a way to hear about Jesus. If we

have some growing pains because of the construction, just think of the way God is going to use these changes to help

someone else hear the gospel. If we give up the comfort of our LifeGroup, we need to think of it in terms of making a way

for someone else to live out their faith in the context of a small group.

The fall season looks like a time of excitement and blessing. It also means adapting to change and making sacrifices. Let’s

keep our eyes on the goal as our purpose statement says, “To bring glory to God by calling all people into an abundant life

with Jesus Christ.”

P A G E 2

...by Pastor Mike Sindelar

The Power of Missions Giving

T he stress in the pastor’s voice was evident. Life in his culture

is never easy, but the financial and material needs of his

ministry were just a little heavier than usual today. He reluctantly

laid out some of the difficulties on his mind. They included a

building that needed some overdue repairs and maintenance, a

tax bill next year that he had no resources for and a new ministry

that was long on God-sightings, but short on resources.

The stress disappeared when he was asked about the God-

sightings. With a genuine passion for God and for those who need

to hear about Him, the pastor went on to sing the praises of what

God was doing. There was a sense of unity and passion among the

church family, the new ministry in another part of town was

bursting at the seams and one of their families had

started a ministry in their home that had over twenty people

coming for ministry every week. God is on the move and the folks

of the church were giving themselves away for the sake of the

gospel in a way that makes other churches envious of

their passion.

From our location here in the Chaska area, we can’t do much to

reach into the homes of another culture. Our chances of sharing

Christ in those kinds of circumstances are pretty slim.

While geography, language and culture may prohibit my direct

involvement, I can still be part of what God is doing there. That

truth is essential to missions and the missions faith promise

program here at Valley. As a church family, we desire to give of

our resources in such a way as to collaborate with those who are

closer to the front lines than we can be. Our missions giving and

missions program are strategically designed to use our resources

to partner with those who are reaching people we can’t.

Your giving to missions will be part of these kinds of partnerships.

Valley has a rich history of missions because of these

partnerships. We can continue to have a huge kingdom impact

because of these partnerships.

The phone call with the pastor was just this last week. It was

Cristi, the pastor of our sister church in Romania. Our partnership

with that congregation is having a direct impact on many families

in Pitesti, Romania.

Your missions giving is critical to this partnership and many

others. Want to join with us? You can be part of the missions

effort here at Valley by designating your giving (over and above

your regular giving) to “Missions”. Either by check in the offering

or by e-Giving, you can give to missions at Valley.

I may not have the opportunity to get into those

living rooms every week in another country, but I

can stand alongside the pastor and team that can.

Together, God’s kingdom is established.

What do you think God REALLY wants from you? The answer is a life-changer!

The Journey Begins on October 28th!

True spirituality is not about trying really hard to follow the rules found in the Bible. There’s a proven pathway. And it’s modeled by Jesus.

R12 is a powerful study of Romans 12 which provides breakthrough teaching about what it means to be an authentic follower of Jesus

Christ. The goal of this study is to strip away all the clutter and help you rediscover the essence of the Christian life.

This program is a six week, comprehensive spiritual maturity series for adults, youth and children. It focuses on one principle at a time and

then drives it deeper, by reinforcing it through different avenues throughout the week, such as

small group study, daily devotional, Sunday school class and Pastor Mike’s sermon. People have

different learning styles, so hearing a principle more than once is often the key to life

application.

If you are not already involved in a lifegroup, you will be invited to attend one for this study.

Join us as we begin this journey together!

by Jared Carpentier, Interim Youth Director

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis A Book Review

thus we need to be watchful of

it, because pride transforms us

to relying on ourselves rather

than God. In the final book

Lewis delves into a few heavier

theological topics. A couple of

the topics are the trinity, God in

relation to time. These are heavy topics. Essentially though the end

of the book ends in Lewis describing how we need to be

transformed through God.

Overall, Mere Christianity is a fun, beneficial read. Lewis’ book is not

a systematic doctrinal statement by any means. Rather it is an

attempt to help anybody understand the basics of Christianity. The

book is enjoyable to read do to his wit and his use of fun analogies,

but if you hate analogies you may be frustrated reading this book.

C live Staples Lewis, commonly known as C. S. Lewis lived from

1898-1963. He grew up in Ireland with a church attending

family, but became an atheist at age 15. Lewis returns to knowing

God in the 1930’s. Writings have a great ability to stand the test of

time, and Lewis’ books have done just that.

Mere Christianity was originally spoken over radio broadcast, later

converted into a book, around the times of war. The primary goal of

Mere Christianity is to develop the core beliefs of Christianity in a

clear and understandable way, without the bias of any

denomination, so that any reader that may be a believer or not can

comprehend it. Lewis has a logical approach in developing his

arguments. Using very common language Lewis can reach a number

of people with his writing, and if he uses theological language there

is generally further description of those concepts. Another key point

to note about Lewis’ writing style in this book is how he lays out his

argument. Lewis uses one argument to establish his next. Or in

other words he starts with the big blocks on the bottom and ends

with the little one on top. The last thing is that he uses many

analogies to try to help clarify. The pros and cons of this are that he

often helps give a better understanding, but also sometimes the

analogies confuses it. Through these elements C. S. Lewis simply and

creatively establishes the foundations of Christianity.

The main content of the book is divided into four parts. The first

thing Lewis establishes is that all men, Christian or not adhere to a

moral basis that is higher than ourselves. He uses this to establish

that this higher establisher of morality is God. This first part actually

barely touches on Christianity, he does this on purpose. In the

second book he begins to develop Christian beliefs and the need for

the work of Christ. The third book talks about 7 virtues that

Christians hold to as well as our greatest vice. Lewis states that A

proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of

course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something

that is above you. Pride is our greatest vice, and it feeds other vices,

P A G E 3

When you argue against Him you are arguing against

the very power that makes you able to argue at all: it

is like cutting off the branch you are sitting on.

~ C. S. Lewis

There is nothing better than getting a care

package from our wonderful church family

back home! We seriously were jumping around

screaming we were so excited- thank you guys

so so much- it totally made our week!

Love and miss you all!

Katie Schmit & Alexis Johnson

(Freshmen at North Dakota State University) ___________________

P.S. One of Valley’s LifeGroups sent care packages to our college freshmen. This is one example of how Life Groups can minister to others. What will YOUR LifeGroup do?

P A G E 4

Hammers, Nails, and Dust!

Here we Go!

T he highly anticipated remodeling project has started at Valley. By now you are very familiar with the sights and sounds of the

construction process. Our first project was to tackle the 32 year old bathrooms. The 80’s décor has made way for an updated, fresh

new look. It also brought to light some of the unforeseen “opportunities” that may come up during the remodeling project. A remodel of

the bathrooms may not seem like a difficult project until you start removing the old material. After 32 years we quickly learned that the

hard water in our area had wreaked havoc on our building. Like an artery that can be blocked over time, our pipes were two-thirds

restricted with hard water deposit. This forced our construction team, led by Greg Swanson, to remove the piping and completely re-plumb

our bathrooms. A BIG thank you to our resident plumber, Shawn Larson, “drywaller” extraordinaire, Greg Ohnsorg, and interior designer,

Cindy Just, for their contributions to the restroom remodel. The additional work extended the project another week and made us aware of

the unknown. As a congregation, we should expect we will come across more “opportunities” that will have to be resolved. I am told this is

not uncommon for a building this age.

From here we plan to move to the Worship Center. This will include six main areas of focus: The Stage Alteration, Lighting, Media Upgrade,

Decorative Beams, Painting and Carpeting. We will be mapping the lighting changes and media upgrade using experts from the industry,

while Greg will lead a “Home Grown” team to remodel our stage and complete the other projects in the Worship Center. You can expect it

to be messy at times in the worship center and we will do everything we can to clean the space for each Sunday service. Once the Worship

Center is complete, we will move to the foyer, halls, classrooms, offices and Fellowship Hall. I will provide an update on the next steps as we

get closer to that step in the remodeling plan.

By way of a quick financial update, I want to let you know we currently have $164,207 in pledges and have collected $146,482! God is good

and we have been blessed by the generosity of so many. We still have $17,725 to be collected from the original pledges, and I would like to

encourage those who have pledged, to send in their pledges by the end of the year.

Now that we have started the construction project we have uncovered some costs that were not anticipated such as the piping in the

bathrooms. Remodeling a 32-year old building is not easy and can offer some surprises. Therefore, we will continue our capital campaign

throughout the remodeling plan in hopes of funding more projects.

There are two ways to consider participating. The first is through a gift-in-kind approach. This is either by giving your time on construction

projects, or donating materials that are needed for projects. Both gifts are needed and can help reduce the overall costs for each project.

The second type of contribution is cash giving. We have continued to gather contributions that help fund more projects and will only spend

what we have received. Greg Swanson and I work closely to make the appropriate adjustments to the project as funding is available. We

may have to move projects in, or out of scope with the remodeling plan because of the inflow of contributions. Below is a list of projects

that are not in our remodeling plans because we lack the funding. I invite you to review the project list and decide whether you would like

to fund or contribute to an idea. As we move forward in the remodel plan we will continue to pull projects in and/or out based on funding.

We invite you to watch the progress, participate in work teams and consider additional contributions to help us get as far as we can. Thank

you in advance for the grace you are extending, and the enthusiasm you are expressing with the remodeling at Valley!

...by Jayme Wisely

P A G E 5

PROJECTS NOT YET FUNDED: Sitting Room Colonial Fireplace Baseboard Trim Replacement Window Treatments Interior Door Refinishing Sitting Room Furniture Fellowship Hall Media Upgrade Cross Alteration Front Entrance Double Door Expansion

$5,500 $8,000 $5,200 $1,000

$10,000 $3,500 $1,000 $17,000

P A G E 6

Update from Razboieni God has shown His power and love amongst us. . . By Crisit Golas

First meeting – first problem – first joy

First of all, the first program of the year, that took place last Sunday, was so encouraging! The kindergarten was closed, so we were unable

to have the program there. We hadn’t signed the renting contract

yet, so we were not allowed to enter the building. This was a test

that God put the team through. But He also prepared a way out of

it. So we waited for the children at the kindergarten and then we

took them to the land that we have in the neighborhood. We had

football gates, a volleyball net, some balls and a guitar. This was all

we needed to sing God’s love and to put a smile on the children’s

faces. God shocked us again with the number of kids that showed

up. 65 children were at the program that day! Many of them known

faces, many of them new faces. Some of them brought by friends,

others came by receiving a flyer on the street. 100 persons in total.

Praise the Lord!

Our first baptism in Razboieni

The Lord promised in His Word that some of the seeds will bear fruit. Well, we are so happy

to share with you that a person from Razboieni was baptized in our church. Do you remem-

ber Clara and her story that we shared with you? The seed of the Good News was planted in

a broken heart and a sick body. When we met her, she was in desperate need of a Savior to

give her hope and love. Now, she was found by Him! And even though the suffering re-

mains, she found forgiveness, joy, peace and she wants to get baptized as a testimony in

front of the world.

Signing a contract with no money? Only in God’s perspective

Please pray for the rent contract that we need to sign with the kindergarten and with the city

hall. There were some meetings with the principal and the city’s mayor and everything seems

to be on the right track. If we are going to have access in the building during the week, we will

need to pay some extra money for the utilities, besides the usual monthly rent. Pray that God

would give us wisdom and favor with the authorities and that He would provide everything we

need. Also please pray that we would be able to have our next program at the kindergarten.

After the discussion about the rent we need to pay extra money for utilities and security of the building.

“After I have finished the 5 hours discussion about the contract with the school board, I left the office and for 5 minutes or so, I felt so

weak… I just realized that I am negotiating this contract with no money in our account. But then, I realized that I can’t go back in the

office and confess this to the board, but I can go in the other OFFICE – the heavenly one, and wait.”

God – the best manager ever! Only He can do this!

Also, pray for the working team. It’s so amazing to watch God taking care of every detail, every person, every responsibility. He is so careful

with everything, He doesn’t forget, He doesn’t do mistakes. The past year, some people from the team left to other countries. But God al-

ready prepared new people. There are people that were trained during the last year, others that recently showed up, willing to sacrifice in

this ministry. Some leave, others come! We have an enthusiastic team!

Thank you for your prayer support!

So the budget looks like this: $ 300 – rent

$200 – ministry expenses

$ 80 – contract with security company

$ 100 – utilities

No money, yet.

P A G E 7

Congratulations to the winners of the "Values" giveaways!

Adults Worship—Matt Redman CD - Alan & Paulette Anderson

Word—Leather bound Bible - Gerald & Sandra Generosity—$25 Gift Certificate to Tommy's Malt Shop - Ron & Jan Schmit Mission—Operation World Book - Steve & Carol Santovi Community—Gift Certificate for Dinner with Pastor Mike & Sandy - The Chock Family Family—Parenting in the Pew Book - Vic & Mary Lou Menning

Kids Worship—Kid's Worship CD - Elizabeth Soule Word—The Action Bible - Samantha Veldkamp Family—DQ Gift Card - Lorralea Chosa

CruX Generosity—$20 Culver's Gift Certificate - Cora Plath Mission—Jesus Freak Book - Bobby Chosa Community—CruX T-shirts—all 6th graders

P A G E 8

Faith @ Home

By Kayla Downer

Evangelism Kid-Style Based on: Romans 1:16 (NIV)

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes…

Supplies: Crayons, colored pencils, magnetic strips, scissors, and copies of the school bus template (get template at valleyfree.org—click on Ministries then Children’s Ministry).

Project Plan: Have kids each draw a picture of themselves in the driver's seat of the school bus. Then have them draw a picture of 3 friends , in the windows of the bus, that they'd like to invite to church during the school year and write their friend's name under the picture. Kids can cut out the bus and place magnetic strips on the back. Note: Instead of drawing the faces you could also consider trading school pictures and adding those to the bus template. Place the completed bus project on your refrigerator as a reminder of friends they'd like to invite to church. Encourage kids to pray daily for these friends and to ask God for courage to share the good news about their best friend, Jesus.

If you don’t have a school-age child in your household, consider adding the names of young families in your neighborhood.

_______

"School of the Rock." Children's Ministry. Group Publishing,

18 Sept. 2012.

Men' s Bible Study… The Book of Daniel— A commentary by Chuck Missler

The Book of Daniel contains the

most amazing prophecies of the

Bible, and is one of the most

authenticated books of the Old

Testament. The numerous

detailed prophecies of the period of Gentile

dominion make this an important

foundational Bible study. Join us each

Monday night at 7:00 pm as we watch and

discuss this insightful video series.

W hether you’re looking for an entertaining work of

Christian fiction, or seeking to expand your knowledge in

a variety of spiritual topics, the new library at Valley Evangelical

Free Church can help.

The library is located between the office and the fellowship hall.

There you’ll find materials for children and adults including: fiction

books, non-fiction books, DVDs, VHS, and a few books on cassette/

CD.

In adult fiction, authors such as Frank Peretti and Francine Rivers

are available, several books in the Left Behind series, etc. In adult

non-fiction, choose from a number of subjects such as: Christian

life, prayer, prophecy, marriage, parenting, science (for example,

Answers in Genesis), etc. Devotionals and Bible studies to

encourage you in your daily walk with the Lord.

A nice selection of both fiction and non-fiction in the children’s

area allows for many good choices. Make sure to check out the

new Action Bible, a very cool graphic novel version of God’s

redemptive story! There are a number of video series for kids to

choose from, such as Veggie Tales, or choose a family video for

family movie night!

Now that you know what’s available, you’re asking, “How do I

check them out?” On, or in, the back cover of each item (except

VHS) there is an index card. Simply write your name and the date

on the card and leave it in the specified box. It’s now yours to keep

for one month! At the end of the month, or before, just return the

item to the Book Return basket.

We will still accept some donations, but due to space we will need

to be more selective while we update and expand our collection.

So please be mindful that donated material is still in good

condition and a worthwhile addition!

...by Ksyla Downer

...by Jan Schmit

M 1 7:00 pm Men’s Bible Study

TH 4 7:00 pm Worship Team Rehearsal

SU 7 9:00 am 9:00 am 10:30 am 6:00 pm

Sunday Morning Studies & Sunday School Worship Service Worship Service CruX

M 8 12:00 pm 7:00 pm

White Cross Men’s Bible Study

TH 11 7:00 pm Worship Team Rehearsal

SU 14 9:00 am 9:00 am 10:30 am 6:00 pm 3:00 pm

Sunday Morning Studies & Sunday School Worship Service Worship Service CruX Church Family Fun Day (see ad on back)

M 15 7:00 pm Men’s Bible Study

TH 18 7:00 pm Worship Team Rehearsal

SA 20 7:30 am Men’s Monthly Breakfast

SU 21 9:00 am 9:00 am 10:30 am 6:00 pm

Sunday Morning Studies & Sunday School Worship Service Worship Service CruX

M 22 12:00 pm 7:00 pm

White Cross Men’s Bible Study

TH 25 7:00 pm Worship Team Rehearsal

SU 28 9:00 am 9:00 am 10:30 am 6:00 pm

Sunday Morning Studies & Sunday School Worship Service Worship Service CruX

M 29 7:00 pm Men’s Bible Study

See bulletins for weekly updates/changes to this calendar

P A G E 9

Describe your family (names/ages of

kids): Wife Tanya and 2 girls, Kylie, age

23, works at the Canine Club and

Rochelle, age 17 goes to Chanhassen

High School.

Where do you live? Chaska

How long have you been attending

Valley? About 11 years

What Valley ministry are you involved in? I’ve been an usher for

the past 4-5 years.

How were you called into this ministry? I wanted to help out Loren

Derby, head usher at the time, and enjoyed greeting people as they

came to church.

What blessings have you received from your ministry? I get the

opportunity to meet every guest that visits the church and say

hello to the regular attenders.

Share something unique about yourself (experience or hobby):

Something you may not know about me is that I am the President

of the Dan Patch Toastmasters in Richfield and I volunteer with the

Chaska Police CERT (Community Emergency Response Team)

Valley’s own Arlene Borner,

the 2008 Teacher of the Year,

was inducted, as an

Outstanding Advisor, into the

Chaska High School Hall of

Fame on Saturday, September

22nd.

Congratulations Arlene!

952-448-6144

Fax: 952-448-5119

office@valleyfree.org

150 Engler Blvd

Chaska, MN 55318

October 21- Kick off Sunday: Pick up a shoebox (or more than 1!) and fill as a family project

November 12-19- VEFC Relay Center open to community: Volunteer to welcome visitors to our church during this week

December 1—6-10pm: Processing Center Service Opportunity—50 spaces reserved (must be 12 or older)

Questions? Contact Candace Wisely at 952-401-7994

Upcoming Event

Feed our Starving Children Service Project

Wednesday, October 3

Questions? Contact Jared at jaredc@valleyfree.org

September 2012 Dear Valley Free Church, Thank you for your generosity in supporting the Bountiful Basket Food Shelf. Your donations from January-July 2012, of 746 lbs of food, helped to feed over 400 Neighborhood families. Sincerely, Bountiful Basket Board & Volunteers

Join us at Louisville Swamp as Kjell Plath

leads us on a fun fall hike through God’s creation.