Monday, December 15, 2008

Church and Change Launches New WELS Congregation





Pastor John Huebner is a WELS Church and Change Board Member.



The triangles going up to the fish's mouth represent offering money
devoured by Church and Change buddies
(free vicars for Patterson, grant for Doebler, etc).
The triangles leaving the fish's rear end
symbolize Church and Change pooping on the synod
at every opportunity, fouling the water.



Land O'Lakes church's grand opening brings noble gesture

By Michelle Jones, Times Correspondent

In print: Saturday, December 13, 2008


LAND O'LAKES — The grand opening of a small but growing congregation will be celebrated by members donating its opening day offering to Christian Social Services.

At 11 a.m. Sunday, Shepherd of the Lakes Lutheran Church will meet at the Land O'Lakes Senior Center, 6801 Wisteria Loop, just south of Land O'Lakes High School on U.S. 41.

"This offering will help provide food, clothing and utility costs for those in need," said the Rev. John Huebner, pastor.

Worship services began in March with an attendance of two. They have grown to 20 and about 100 are expected to attend this special Sunday.

Two more events are planned with Christmas for Kids from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dec. 20 at the Senior Center. There will be activities including songs, crafts, a video story, puzzles, games, cookie decorating and a pizza lunch. This free event is limited to the first 50 children who register on the church Web site at www.shepherdoflakes.com.

A special candlelight service is planned for 7:30 p.m. Christmas Eve, also at the Senior Center. Both familiar and new Christmas songs will be featured.

This Lutheran group has an unusual style of worship. While preserving the basic Lutheran style, each service is written to a theme with both contemporary and traditional worship music used. Video clips and PowerPoint presentations are used and the hymn words are projected onto a screen.

"This style of worship is more thoughtful, less noisy with more joy than guilt," Huebner said.

Huebner, the pastor, has been diagnosed with spasmodic dystonia, a voice affliction that is shared by Robert Kennedy Jr. among others.

During his preaching the affliction seems to diminish.

"It's God," Huebner said. "We are happy doing what we are doing here and it is fun to watch people grow in Christ. It is a joy."

Huebner is originally from Michigan and attended Northwestern College in Wisconsin and Northwestern Lutheran Seminary.

He has led churches in Michigan and Sarasota as well as serving as a mission consultant for the Wisconsin Synod Lutheran Church for 13 years, where he did a lot of traveling.

"It was exciting watching small churches grow into large churches," he said.

Huebner, 64, has been married to Esther for 37 years. They have three children, all married, and three grandchildren. His wife works for a cancer surgeon.

One of the church's programs is the Moms and Tots Power Hour program which they will pick up again in February at the Land O'Lakes Community Center on U.S. 41.

Shepherd of the Lakes Lutheran Church is planning to offer five subjects for small home groups, beginning in January, including basic truths of the Bible, a Financial Peace University course by Dave Ramsey, a marriage enrichment workshop by Dr. Kevin Leman and the Total Transformation course by James Lehman.

This congregation was begun as a mission church by Peace Lutheran in Holiday. Call (813) 401-9135.

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Shepherd of the Lakes Lutheran Church is planning to offer five subjects for small home groups, beginning in January, including basic truths of the Bible, a Financial Peace University course by Dave Ramsey, a marriage enrichment workshop by Dr. Kevin Leman and the Total Transformation course by James Lehman.

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Peace Lutheran Site

Pastor Joel Schwartz
Is a graduate of Martin Luther College and Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. He has been serving Peace Lutheran since July, 2008. He is married with 1 child. He is ready and willing to serve you any time. You can e-mail him at pastorofpeace@hotmail.com, or call 727-937-5893.

Pastor John Huebner
Our satellite location, WELS Ministry Center in Land O Lakes, has been together now for almost one year! As we've gone out into the neighborhoods around us, we see nothing but potential for a thriving growing ministry. Based on those signs, we put in a request for additional manpower and it was granted. We then called Pastor John Huebner to be our outreach pastor to assist Pastor Mike in all the follow up and training that will be necessary for a growing and vibrant ministry. Pastor Huebner accepted the call and is now here in Land O Lakes!

***

GJ - I went to my plagiarism folder to see how this new Church and Chicanery mission confesses its doctrine.

CrossWalk's Beliefs - in Laveen (Phoenix) - This is a model C and C congregation.


Shepherd of the Lakes statements
- many of them are identical to CrossWalk's.

CrossRoads Evangelical Covenant Church - started by WELS, Rick Miller, Kelly Voigt, and Mark Freier. Like Doctrinal Pussycat Glaeske, Doctrinal Pussycat Robert Mueller had some harsh words about the Church Growth Movement. CrossRoads, CrossWalk, and Shepherd of the Lakes have the same statements. Plagiarism or doctrinal agreement?

After all, WELS works with and pays money to Trinity Divinity School, a fact trumpeted on the Trinity website. If they work and study together, they should have the same doctrinal agreements. And those WELS churches should join the Evangelical Covenant sect, too, just as Robert Mueller's CrossRoads did.

Wait! Trinity is E. Free, not E. Covenant! OK, skeptics, try to discern the difference. Both Pietistic sects are deeply but honestly involved with the Church Growth Movement. WELS is deeply but dishonestly involved with the same schools, leaders, books, ideas, doctrines, craft, and assaults.

PS - Huebner was known as Baptist and very unpopular when he was a Mission Counselor (Church Growth promoter) in New England. The missions pastors did not like him, but he remained an MC for a dozen years.

The MC I knew in Ohio never tried CG on me - I wonder why. Finally, after years of reading my articles, he said, "Now I know what you have been saying." Almost immediately he was gone to Thailand. The next one was Ellenberger, who talked with Mrs. Ichabod because Ellenberger was her maiden name. She got the impression he was genuinely critical of CG. Soon he was selling cars somewhere. Later he emerged with Issues in WELS and the tepid Tendrils paper.

Fellow-Lutherans, your synods have spent oodles of offering dollars destroying Lutheran doctrine wherever they could find it. MCs, Parish Assistants, District Mission Boards, Cicuit Pussycats and District Pussycats have all been valuable tools to making the progress we see. Most of that network is still active today.