Fall 2014

Your generosity was overwhelming and we really couldn’t have done all this without you. p.4

An awesome way to celebrate an anniversary! p.8

Fall 2014 | valleyfree.org

JON JUST MEMORIAL MOTORCYCLE RIDE

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2014 VBS RECAP & PICTURES

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HOME VISITATION TRAINING PAGE 12

S ome bumper stickers just tell it like it is. Take the sign that informed its readers that the speed of light is

186,000 mi/sec and followed with, “It’s not just a good idea, it’s the law.” Common sense reasoning that serves to remind us that

some things stand firm despite our efforts to work around them.

At Valley Free, we have an expression that summarizes our mission and purpose statements. It is simple “Worship Grow Serve”. It

reflects our passion that you and your family are continually being established in your relationship with the Lord, His grace and His truth.

These three areas of our life in Christ are not just good ideas, they are essential ingredients that shape our continued growth in Christ.

At Valley Free, we want to help facilitate these three essentials in your life.

Worship is at the heart of our walk with the Lord. Learning how to worship will serve us well

throughout all of eternity in the presence of the Lord! Worship means that we are practicing those disciplines

that lead us into deeper intimacy with our Savior. Worship is both intensely personal and wonderfully

corporate.

So how does that happen at Valley? We are praying that each person and family will participate regularly in

corporate worship. That means giving priority to Sunday worship times. It also means paying attention to

choices and disciplines in your personal life that will lead you into times and attitudes of consistent personal

worship.

Grow reflects the essential of developing our faith and its working out in our lives. No

matter where we are in our journey, we are always in a process of growing in Christ. This growing comes

from knowing God’s Word as well as applying it in our lives. Often, the application process comes when we

encounter circumstances that challenge us to trust God at His Word despite worldly wisdom. At other times,

this application from God’s Word comes when we glean wisdom from the lives of others who have gone

before us.

So how does that happen at Valley? There are several pathways for discipleship at Valley that we hope will be

part of your growth in Christ. These include Sunday worship and teaching, Sunday School and weekly studies

for men and women. We hope all that we do leads us into greater spiritual depth! Our primary vehicle for

this growth is in your participation in a LifeGroup. In these groups of individuals and families, we focus on

God’s Word, prayer and fellowship. With these dynamics at work, we believe you will see God bring amazing

and consistent growth in your spiritual life. Our prayer is for everyone at Valley to be part of a LifeGroup that meets regularly.

Serve is the practical application of faith. Growing in Christ means taking steps to bless others.

Grace was never meant to stop with us, it is meant to be shared with others! Serving not only passes on the

blessing that you have received, but it also helps us to see our faith in action. In this way, we are continually

growing in grace and being equipped to serve the Lord, the Church and God’s Kingdom.

So how does that happen at Valley? We believe that everyone who is in Christ has been given a spiritual gift

to bless the Body of Christ, the church. Because of this, we pray that everyone will be involved in one area of

service or ministry within the church family. It is our desire that this service will be part of God’s equipping

work in each of our lives.

There is one aspect of Worship Grow Serve that is not explicit in our expression of Worship Grow Serve. That

is the passion for mission. While we are committed to helping you in each of these areas of Worship Grow Serve, we are equally

committed to freeing you up for ministryin your family and in your world of influence. That is why we ask you to be involved in just one

area of serving. We don’t want to dominate your time, our greatest non-renewable resource. We want you to grow in Christ and then go

into the world as His representatives. You can’t do that if you are at the church seven days a week!

Are you new to Valley Free? We hope that you will take advantage of the opportunities to grow in Christ. We often say that we want you

to be ‘established in the faith’. As you sort through priorities and make decisions on your involvement, we hope that these principles of

Worship Grow Serve will guide you into everything that our Lord has for you!

P A G E 2

By Pastor Mike Sindelar

W here did the summer go? A clichéd

expression, but something I can’t stop

saying! This summer was one of continuing

traditions, but also starting new ones. Noah’s

Ark in June was a great time as always in

welcoming in new students and building

friendships. We tried a new campground this

year that we had almost to ourselves!

July’s Camp of the Master continues to remain a staple of the Crux

summer calendar. Our theme this year was “Authentic,” examining

what a truly authentic faith in Jesus Christ looks like. It was a fun

weekend of tubing, night games, the hunt for “The White Thing,”

and our skits just keep getting better!

Rock Ridge in August was our most challenging camp yet, but that

didn’t stop Crux from stepping up to it! We rock climbed, rappelled

off cliffs, canoed, found turtle eggs, tubed down a river, and

continued our tradition of eating crawfish!

We tried something new this year with “Lawn Parties”: gatherings

at the church. The bonfire devotions were very rich, and new

activities like “Mafia” and “Slip N Slide Nuke ‘Em” created a lot of

great memories.

But now that the summer is over, we look ahead to the fall and the

question on everyone’s mind is guaranteed to be, “Why is Crux on

Wednesday nights now?” I’d love to answer that question! The

reason why Crux was on Sunday nights had a lot to do with AWANA

being on Wednesday nights. Now that night is no longer occupied,

moving Crux comes with

benefits.

P A G E 3

I want to simplify Crux this year: focus will be

less on weekend-long events and more on

adding depth to our Wednesday nights. More

time will be made for small groups on

Wednesdays, giving our students a consistent

group that they will study through the book of

Hebrews with using Lifeway’s new “Explore

the Bible” curriculum. With that also comes a

focus on you, as parents—bringing your leadership at home into the

picture more. With Crux on Wednesdays, Sundays nights are now

open, truly allowing a Sabbath for your family. My hope is that you

could use that time to lead your students in learning more about

God’s plan for their life. I will be posting ideas from my curriculum

to aid you in this journey at home on the website. I don’t want to

take your job as parents—instead I hope I can be a resource to you!

Other reasons for the move:

Crux is now easier to invite friends to—students can tell them

about it during the day at school!

Now Crux can still happen after a weekend retreat—this lack of

interruption in the teaching schedule will be fantastic.

A new richness will hopefully be added to small groups as

students can bring the refreshing truth of the Gospel into

whatever issues they are experiencing mid-week.

If you have any other questions please contact me—I’d love to

answer them. As always check out vefcyouth.com for links to the

calendar, social media

and more!

By Cory Jackson, Youth Director

P A G E 4

H opefully by now you’ve talked to someone who was on the

2014 Romania Missions team about their experience. If you

have, no doubt you have heard stories of flight troubles, adorable

children, experiences out of the “comfort zone,” new friendships,

bouts of sickness, times of worship, and lots of love (just to name

a few experiences). Hopefully when you talk to our team you get

a sense of joy of being a part of something so much bigger than

all of us.

Although the near two week stint in Romania was an adventure, it

was only a continuation of a work that God had already put into

place. This year’s journey leading up to the trip is full of stories of

us learning God’s faithfulness through hard work—especially

through fundraising opportunities that He made abundant for us.

Fundraising in other ways than writing support letters was new for

us, but through it came many added blessings besides the money

God provided for us in surplus.

The first thing I noticed is that it gave our group more experiences

to see how we function as a team. In our meetings we talked about

each other’s strengths and weaknesses, but in doing projects

together we were able to see them first hand. We learned each

other’s attitudes, behaviors, and how to encourage better. We

learned so much about one another putting in those hours of

work together.

I also saw our fundraising opportunities help our team develop a

spirit-filled hard work ethic. Altogether, in addition to letter

By Cory

P A G E 5

writing, God provided 15 opportunities for us to raise funds: 10 of

those being housework/yard work projects, and 5 being events

(Tommy’s Malt Shop night, bagging groceries at Cub, etc.) They

all required long hours, flexibility, and lots of communication—

sound similar to a missions trip? By the time we left for our first

flight over there we shared a common work ethic comparable to

what we’d need overseas.

But by far the most encouraging aspect of all this fundraising was

the beautiful picture of the body of Christ we saw through you,

the Valley Free Community. Whether it was floats at the Cubs

game, a dinner at Tommy’s, or the breakfast here at church, God

broadened our view of this trip; our team was a whole lot bigger

than just nine people! The support from you and other loved

ones was palpable. Many of you even volunteered to help us with

our fundraisers! It was humbling to say the least. Your generosity

was overwhelming and we really couldn’t have done all this

without you.

Thank you for supporting our efforts and being open to this new

experience of fundraising. I feel like we rode a tidal wave of

prayer and support into Romania—God used all those involved in

this process greatly. We look forward to another journey back to

Romania in 2016!

By Cory Jackson, Youth Director

P A G E 6

This past June at Valley, we had a grand time Hosting 72 kids for our VBS, SHINE. They started coming on Sunday at 5.

This place was busier than Mel Swanson’s hives. First hot dogs for dinner, then go get in line.

It’s name tags and wrist bands and photo booth time. At 6 o’clock sharp we started our night

And sang and danced in the disco ball’s light. The next two hours every moment was filled

With games, crafts and snacks and Funky Beats with Phil. In Bible Time the teachers taught about the crowns

We’ll receive up in heaven and at Jesus’ feet lay down. Two superheroes solved a mysterious theft

Taught us being a Glory-Giver is always the best. Our offering goal passed to send Razboieni kids to camp

Pastor Mike kept his word, took his buzz cut like a champ. Our volunteer team - they are surely the best.

Served the kids all week long with vim, vigor and zest. Neither flood waters, back spasms nor a computer glitch Could keep God from accomplishing just what He wished.

God’s Word, it went forth, and got the job done Five precious souls for God’s kingdom were won.

Thanks to you all for your part in this story

To God be all worship, praise, honor and glory!

By Mary Lou Menning

P A G E 7

S heryl and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary this year

on July 14th. Several months ago we had discussed how we

would celebrate this day. We had talked about possibly going to

some exotic place, maybe an island in the Caribbean. My main

concern was we were not in the best place financially to be

spending that kind of money and I wasn’t sure how we could

afford this. We hadn’t talked much about it since then and then a

few months ago Sheryl returned from a meeting at church. She sat

me down and told me that she felt the Lord was leading her to go

on a mission trip to Bulgaria. I told her to pray about it and if this

leading continued she should go. But she didn’t want to go without

me. I was not feeling this leading but told her I too would pray

about it. As time went on, this trip became more and more real

and I was having a hard time coming up with reasons not to go.

The trip was scheduled to happen over our anniversary, but that

didn’t deter her one bit.

I gave in and told her that if the

Lord wanted us to go, He would

make a way, so we went to our

first meeting with the group. One

of the things discussed at this

meeting was the cost. It was a lot

of money and given our financial

situation, I didn’t see this

happening. So I told Sheryl that if

we are meant to go, then God

would provide the necessary

funds to make this happen. We continued to press on and sent

out the support letters to family and friends and left the rest in

God’s hands.

Over the next several weeks, it became obvious that God was

expecting us to celebrate our anniversary in Bulgaria. The response

from our support letters was more than I expected and made it

clear what the Lord intended for us. I found myself getting more

and more excited about this trip but also very apprehensive about

going to a foreign country for 10 days and leaving our house and

puppy in the hands of our son, David. I needed to put my trust in

God. He brought us this far and I knew He would take care of

things at home while we were gone, and He did.

We arrived in Sofia, Bulgaria’s capital, on July 11th after a long

journey that started the evening of the 10th. After a good night’s

sleep (we were exhausted), we met with a missionary couple from

the US that currently lived in Sofia. They had breakfast with us and

told us about the ministry in Bulgaria. Sarah Hewitt, our main

contact in Bulgaria, picked us up at noon and brought us

downtown in Sofia where we met with another missionary couple,

Dawn and Kirk. They took us on a walking tour of Sofia. It was a

wonderful time and gave us a much better understanding of the

people of Bulgaria. After another night at the hotel fighting jet lag

and trying to get sleep, we woke up and packed for a three hour

journey to a resort in the mountains. The place where we stayed

was an old communist resort that had been turned into a camp.

P A G E 8

By Bill Bartholow

Sheryl and Me Teaching English

I told Sheryl that if we

are meant to go then

God would provide the

necessary funds to

make this happen.

Our group had the place to ourselves.

The retreat was sponsored by a group called Agape, which is part

of Campus Crusade for Christ in Bulgaria. They had invited college

age kids to spend more than a week at this camp with the lure of

learning conversational English and career counseling. I learned

that we were the lure and that if we had not been there, most

likely none of the kids would have come. Our group consisted of six

people: two from Wooddale Church, two from New Hope Church

and Sheryl and I from Valley Free. Our role was to teach a class on

conversational English and then a class on Career preparation

every day for five days. Each morning after Agape gave a

motivational story of someone that had made a difference in his or

her life, we would give an hour long English lesson followed by

another hour and a half long career training class. After this, there

were various activities planned which we were to engage the

kids and develop relationships, with the hope of sharing our faith

with them.

Prior to this trip, Sheryl and I

read a book that gave us a

better understanding of

Bulgaria and its people, past

and present. The book was

written with Christian missions

in mind and left us with a bleak

view of the future of the

Bulgarian people. The country

has not done well since the

communist government fell in the middle 80s. The government is

run by corruption and there are really only two classes of people,

the wealthy corrupt and the very poor. Finding a job is difficult and

pay is barely enough to get by. With this in mind, we anticipated

the kids having a hopeless view of their future. But that is not what

we found. These kids had an optimistic view of their future and

were very open to talk to. I was amazed at the attitudes and found

it very easy to share Christ with them. Not everyone was open, but

many were, and we were able to spend quality time with them,

learning more about their dreams and sharing ours with them.

Maria is a young lady that

grew up in an orphanage.

Her mother lived on the

streets and was a drug

addict. She never really

knew her mother and was

told of her death just prior

to becoming a teenager.

When she was old enough

to live on her own she

found herself involved with

drugs and alcohol and spent most of her time at parties. She had a

horrible attitude on life and was very depressed. At some point,

she decided to make a change for the better and became a

Christian. She got involved with the Agape ministry and is now

attending college to become a computer programmer. She was

wonderful to talk with and had a very positive outlook on her

future.

Kosta is a young man that grew up with an Orthodox father and

mother. His mother had converted from Islam prior to marrying his

father and his Muslim grandfather had disowned them. At the age

of seven, his parents divorced and his mother moved to the US

and married a man from the Greek Orthodox Church. Kosta

considers himself to be a Christian, but doesn’t know what

direction that will take him. He is planning to move to Detroit,

later this year, to live with his mother. I spent a lot of time sharing

with him my beliefs regarding what it is to be a Christian. He

listened to what I had to say and said he would consider this as he

moved on with his life. I asked him to look me up when he got to

the US, so we could talk via Skype or on the phone.

There were many other examples like this, but suffice it to say, I

feel Sheryl and I were more blessed by these kids than they were

by us. I left Bulgaria feeling that God had done a great thing in our

lives and the lives of the kids we were blessed to spend time with. I

don’t know if I will ever go back to Bulgaria. I will leave that up to

the Lord. I do know that I have a new found appreciation for the

work many missionaries do

and can’t help but be

thankful for the

commitment they have

made to God’s plan for

them and the people they

come in contact with. This

was an awesome way to

celebrate our 30th

Anniversary!

P A G E 9

...there are really

only two classes of

people, the wealthy

corrupt and the very

poor.

Kosta Playing the Guitar

P A G E 1 0

G od is doing amazing things in Africa! Because of your generous

financial gifts from the 2013 Jon “Just Get ER Done” Memorial

Motorcycle Ride, 20 motorcycles were purchased for indigenous pastors

with over $23,000 raised! Once again the motorcycles went to graduates of

The Africa Theological Seminary in Kitale, Kenya. The recipients represent

the countries of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Burundi. Along with the

motorcycles, your donations also provided each pastor with a helmet, tank

of gas, reflective vest, heavy duty lock, and insurance for one year. Over the

past nine years, more than $122,000 has been raised and 77 motorcycles

placed with pastors in Africa – truly AMAZING!!

David and I were blessed to travel to Africa this past March to take part in the graduation ceremony.

We personally met with these Christian leaders and alumni who received motorcycles in the past.

Pastor Benjamin, who received a motorcycle in 2013, traveled through a heavy rain storm on his

motorcycle to send his thanks back to all of you for your generosity. Benjamin pastors two churches in

Kitale and also oversees the Christian Education programs at 280 African Inland Churches in the region.

He stated that prior to receiving his bike, he would have to either walk or pay to use unreliable public

transportation to reach these churches. With the motorcycle he can reach more people while spending

less time traveling and still be at home with his family – his daughter told him that she had her father

back. Benjamin also shared that his wife is now able to take a more active role in counseling and

encouraging women in ministry as she can now accompany him on the motorcycle during his church

visits. Transportation remains a huge challenge for many pastors and motorcycles not only make a

difference in their ministries but in their family life. We are truly blessed that God is choosing to

continue to use Jon’s life to impact others for eternity through these motorcycles. Jon’s legacy

continues to be written.

Plans are underway for the 2014 Jon “Just Get ER Done” Memorial Motorcycle Ride which will take place on Sunday, September 21st. We

will leave once again from Fireman’s Park in downtown Chaska to explore another beautiful route. We hope that you’ll be able to join us

for the bike ride and /or the dinner as we celebrate Jon’s life while raising funds for a cause that reflects two of the passions of Jon’s

heart ... motorcycles and Jesus!

By Cindy Just

P A G E 1 1

P A G E 1 2

H ave you ever felt ill-equipped to help those who are experiencing challenges, loss, trauma, or life-changing

events? Many in the church want to help but simply don’t know what to do or how to get involved.

The Faith Community Nursing (FCN) Ministry is providing entry level training for those interested in learning how to minister to individuals in our congregation and in the community. This course will help participants acquire spiritual care skills of presence, intentional listening and Spirit-led response through Scripture passages, study materials, small group discussions, and hands-on visitation experiences.

FCN is looking to build a team of well-prepared volunteers who can provide hope and healing to those who are experiencing health concerns in a hospital, other health care facility or at home. Through on-going training, this team will be equipped to provide emotional and spiritual care to those who have experienced trauma and/or loss which has led to pain, suffering, and grief. Needs are great for this ministry and we hope to have at least 6-10 trained volunteers who can offer hope, encouragement, and compassion to those who need a personal visit.

Do I qualify to take this course and be a member of this team?

This course is for anyone who desires to be more effective in helping individuals work through life events listed above. No prior training is necessary and is recommended for those who want to enhance their skills in addressing emotional and spiritual needs of those who have suffered loss, illness, or trauma in their lives.

There are a number of attributes that should be present in those who want to participate.

Member of Valley Free.

Know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and desire that others would come to know Him also.

Demonstrate a desire to pray with others. (If you feel uncomfortable praying with others this course will help you develop in this area.)

Commit to minister to people who are experiencing health concerns.

Demonstrate patience and compassion for others.

Good communication and listening skills. What will my responsibilities be?

Complete an application and a general orientation training.

Prepare for ministry by praying in advance for the person and the visit.

Call the individual prior to visiting.

During the visit, listen and share a selected Scripture as you ask for permission to pray with them.

After the visit, report briefly to the Visitation Coordinator and note if further referrals are needed.

Maintain personal information regarding people and ministry issues in strictest confidence.

Attend regular meetings with the team to further enhance skills and practice one-on-one visits.

How much time will this take?

Approximately 2-4 hours/month, spent on visits, training, or attending regular team meetings.

How do I sign up for the course and what does it cost?

There is no charge for taking this course. A sign-up sheet will be available in the church foyer through September 30.

You can make a difference!

Home Visitation Training VEFC Fellowship Hall Saturday, October 4

8:30 – 1:30 p.m. A light lunch will be served.

By Marcia Flom, Faith Community Nurse

P A G E 1 3

I t was exactly 16 years ago that Dan and I began attending our

very first small group. We had been married for two months

and moved to southern Indiana to begin our lives together. It was

the first time in my life that I moved to a new place with no family,

no friends, and no connections. It was lonely. Really lonely. I just

wanted a friend. “Please Lord, I just need one friend.” I prayed

each night feeling desperate to connect with someone. God

answered my prayer through our small group. The relationships,

authenticity, and accountability that grew and flourished within

our small group was amazing and obviously led by the Lord. We

studied God’s word together, fellowshipped together, prayed

together, and lived life together. We loved our small group and

continue to have lifelong friends because of it. God showed us

how to have true community with fellow believers – all through

our small group.

Community is one of the six core values at Valley. Small groups at

Valley are called LifeGroups. LifeGroups are a wonderful avenue

for each of us at Valley to build our own community. A community

that grows in their understanding of God’s word, lifts up one

another through prayer, and serves alongside each other. This is

what I hope and pray each person and family at Valley can

experience through LifeGroups this season.

The LifeGroup ministry team has been meeting throughout the

summer to pray and plan and align our work in this ministry to

God’s plan. We are excited for what He has in store! There are

several current small groups and the Lord is working to form new

LifeGroup opportunities at Valley. We hope you will seek out a

LifeGroup to call your own. If you are interested in becoming a

part of a LifeGroup at Valley or serving in this ministry please

contact me at [email protected]. We are especially

looking for LifeGroup facilitators or hosts. Don’t miss out on an

amazing opportunity to grow in Christ, to be blessed, and to

bless others!

By Karee Koepp, LifeGroup Ministry Team Member

Valley's Upcoming Commitments

SEPTEMBER: Tuna OCTOBER: Cereal NOVEMBER: Rice

Get your kids involved!

It’s time to start shopping for

Operation Christmas Child! Pencils for pennies,

notebooks for a nickel, flip flops for fifty cents….

items like these are on clearance.

By giving a child in need a pencil, notebook,

and flip-flops you give them the opportunity

to attend school!

P A G E 1 4

With root beer floats, good friends, funds raised for the Romania Team, and lots of baseball!

Graduation Sunday | June 2014 Congrats to our Grads as they head off to the next chapter God has planned for them!

P A G E 1 5

Baptism Sunday We witnessed the baptism of seven of our Valley family. Praise God!

Reuben David ministered to us while Pastor Mike was on vacation.

Valley Playdate at Swanson’s pool

We exist to bring glory to God by calling all people into an abundant life with Jesus Christ

150 Engler Blvd

Chaska, MN 55318

Phone: 952-448-6144

Fax: 952-448-5119

[email protected]

www.valleyfree.org

We have a NEW & IMPROVED Volunteer Application! We learn more about YOU and you learn more about

our POLICIES & PROCEDURES! This information will be kept confidential and filed in the church office.

This is only for NEW volunteers - if you already completed our old version, that still works!

One More thing… Volunteers working with children, youth, or finances will also be required to complete a

Background Investigation Authorization Form - if you haven’t already. See your ministry leader for a form.

THANKS FOR YOUR COOPERATION DURING THIS UPDATE!