The 2nd Annual “Jordan’s Making a
Miracle” Golf Classic is scheduled for Aug. 9 at Dahlgreen Golf Club. Last year the St. John's Lutheran Church event was able to raise over $8,000 for the Miracles of Mitch Foundation.

Living Christ Lutheran Church presents Group’s “Power Lab” theme for this years Vacation Bible School (VBS).

Give your child a new enthusiasm for God’s Word—and for Jesus! As we engage kids with fun, science-themed surprises, they’ll see amazing things happen. The delighted smiles...the memorable Bible points…they all add up to making a life-long difference in the lives of your children! Each day will open with a large group format called Sonic Sing n’ Play. Next your children will rotate through different stations to learn a Bible story, cinema science, make whacky crafts, hyper-speed games and come together for test tube treats! Each day will conclude with “Faith Fusion Finale!”

Power Lab VBS begins Aug. 4 and continues through Aug. 7t. Meet at Living Christ Lutheran Church from 9 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Registration is available on-line at www.livingchrist.org or you can contact Amanda Bauschke at (952)445-9274 you may also contact Mike Millington at Living Christ Lutheran Church (952)934-5110.

Living Christ Lutheran Church is located at 820 Lake Drive, Chanhassen, MN 55317.

Chanhassen: A
“Fourth of July” city

By Mark Tewes

Some would say that Chanhassen is the “Fourth of July” city in Minnesota. We certainly create a case for that argument with the activities, events, parade, and fireworks display. I’m from a small town in Nebraska, Seward, which lays claim to the same title in Nebraska. Seward has been featured on national broadcasts several times because of the incredible work that many volunteers put into the celebration of our nation’s independence. Residents of Chanhassen can be proud of the way that the Fourth is commemorated here.

Another commemoration that happens around the time of the Fourth of July in many Christian churches is the celebration of the ministry of Peter and Paul. Both of these men were amazing gifts to the church and both shared in spreading the message of Jesus Christ to places in the world that hadn’t heard about the Messiah. Their message was one of another kind of freedom that can be found through belief in Jesus as the Savior of the world.

“Freedom” rings out as the theme for Independence Day in the United States. As a nation we won our “freedom” from the tyranny of unjust rule. The message of freedom shared by Peter and Paul was that of a freedom from the eternal consequences of the sin that every human being commits. They taught that Jesus, as our Savior, has won our freedom from the consequence of our sins - eternal separation from God. Because of His selfless sacrifice, we are free to have a relationship with God that will last throughout eternity.

We cherish freedom. Sometimes it feels like we take our freedoms too lightly or take them for granted. But as I look at places around the world that have the intense desire to live in the freedom that we enjoy in the United States each day, I am reminded of the group of people who fought for our religious and national freedom. We celebrate freedom because of the sacrifice of men and women who continue to allow this country to be, “The land of the free and the home of the brave.”

It is my belief that God has blessed this nation to be a democratic society where we have the right to freely practice our religious beliefs without government mandating how we must practice our spirituality. For this freedom, and so many more freedoms, I thank God. My prayer is simply this, “May God continue to bless America as we remember in this “Fourth of July City” what it means to uphold this truth, “…that all men (people) are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” (The Declaration of Independence).

Mark Tewes is the pastor at Living Christ Lutheran Church in Chanhassen. This column ran in the July 17 edition of the Chanhassen Villager.