Shalom - Hanover Lutheran Church
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The Voice May 2021
Shalom
“Shalom, My Friend, Shalom, My Friend, Shalom, Shalom. God’s Peace be with you, God’s Peace be with
you, Shalom, Shalom.” These are the words to a song that I first encountered back in the 90’s as a teacher. It
had a catchy little tune and the kids at Lutheran High liked to sing it. So, we sang it and I filed away the word
“shalom” as the Hebrew word meaning “peace.”
Along the way, I picked up that “shalom” was a common Hebrew greeting used for “hello” and
“goodbye.” But then I went to seminary and studied Hebrew and learned more about this word “shalom.” This
short, little Hebrew word is deep and rich with meaning! “Peace” really doesn’t do it justice at all. When we
think about the word “peace” we tend to think about absence of strife – no fighting, no arguing, and the like.
The word “shalom” is so much fuller than that. The Hebrew word “shalom” is rooted in the idea of complete-
ness and wholeness. When shalom is shared, it is a desire that all would be complete and whole in your life.
That’s just the “basic” meaning. Just about every Sunday in worship, we close with the Benediction
from Numbers 6:24-26 – “the Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His Face shine upon you and be
gracious to you. The Lord lift up His Countenance upon you and give you PEACE.” That’s the word “shalom”
and it takes an even deeper and richer meaning when it is God’s Shalom.
When shalom is associated with God the best definition goes something like this… “May all things in your
life be exactly the way God wants them to be.” Every Sunday when you receive the blessing in the Biblical
Words of the Benediction, you are truly receiving God’s Shalom. God’s Shalom is being placed upon you!
With those words, God is saying to you that He desires your life to be blessed with the wholeness and com-
pleteness that only He has to offer. God is saying to you that He wants everything in your life to be exactly as
He wants it to be for you.
At first thought, this seems impossible. How could everything in my life be shalom? We are sinners living
in a sinful, fallen world.
God’s Shalom is bigger than our sin and far bigger than the sinful, fallen world in which we live. The ulti-
mate SHALOM of God is found in Christ Jesus. True Shalom, God’s Shalom, is rooted in the beautiful fact
that Jesus Christ became like us and died for us and rose for us! In and through and because of Jesus, “all
things in our lives are exactly they way God wants them to be.” Sins are forgiven. Death has lost. Eternal Life
in the presence of God is secured.
As Jesus hung on the Cross for us, one of the last words He uttered was, “It is finished.” That is, it is com-
plete. Through Jesus completing the act of dying (and rising!) for us, we have been made whole and complete.
We have SHALOM!
So, if you haven’t figured it out yet, I REALLY like this word “shalom.” You will find at the end of my
emails and at the end of most of what I write. Please take it to heart when you see it and hear it – especially in
the Benediction. Because of Jesus, you have God’s Shalom.
A monthly publication of Hanover Lutheran Church,
Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Page 2 Th e V oi c e of H an ov er
Weekly Catechism and Scripture for Reflection
May 2
The Ninth Commandment: You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. What does this mean? We should
fear and love God so that we do not scheme to get our neighbor’s inheritance or house, or get it in a way
which only appears right, but help and be of service to him in keeping it.
Philippians 4:11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be
content.
May 9
The Tenth Commandment You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his
ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. What does this mean? We should fear and love
God so that we do not entice or force away our neighbor’s wife, workers, or animals, or turn them against
him, but urge them to stay and do their duty.
Philippians 4:11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be
content.
May 16
The Close of the Commandments What does God say about all these commandments? He says: “I, the
Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth
generation of those who hate Me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep
My commandments.” (Exodus 20:5–6) What does this mean? God threatens to punish all who break these
commandments. Therefore, we should fear His wrath and not do anything against them. But He promises
grace and every blessing to all who keep these commandments. Therefore, we should also love and trust in
Him and gladly do what He commands.
James 4:12 There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to
judge your neighbor?
May 23
The Close of the Commandments What does God say about all these commandments? He says: “I, the
Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth
generation of those who hate Me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep
My commandments.” (Exodus 20:5–6) What does this mean? God threatens to punish all who break these
commandments. Therefore, we should fear His wrath and not do anything against them. But He promises
grace and every blessing to all who keep these commandments. Therefore, we should also love and trust in
Him and gladly do what He commands.
James 4:12 There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to
judge your neighbor?
May 30
The Apostles’ Creed-First Article-Creation I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and
earth. What does this mean? I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my
body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them. He
also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I
have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life. He defends me
against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil. All this He does only out of fatherly, divine
goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise,
serve, and obey Him. This is most certainly true.
Genesis 1:1 The Beginning of Creation In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
M ay 2 0 2 1 Page 3
“News from the Church at Large”
Seminary
Call Day for Concordia St. Louis was Wednesday, April 28, 2021. Please visit csl.edu/callday to
view the service and/or see where the Pastors and Vicars are headed.
Call Day for Concordia Ft. Wayne was held on Thursday, April 29, 2021. Please visit
callday.ctsfw.edu to view the service and/or see where the Pastors and Vicars are headed.
For more Seminary news visit csl.edu
District
MO Shine Event -“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good
works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16
Come together with other brothers and sisters in Christ in service!
Our beautiful state of Missouri has lots of amazing opportunities to SHINE God’s light to our neigh-
bors, congregations, and communities.
To learn more about this statewide event, please visit mo.lcms.org.
For more District news visit mo.lcms.org
Synod
‘Missions Unpacked’ program provides online introduction to LCMS mission work. The online re-
source, called Missions Unpacked, provides interactive programming so that individuals, families and
groups can “learn, sing, eat and pray with missionaries and local church members in Africa, Asia,
Eurasia and Latin America & the Caribbean” without ever leaving home. Learn more about Missions
Unpacked at international.lcms.org/missions-unpacked
KFUO Radio-listen to Lutheran radio, worship services, bible classes, chapels, podcasts, and much
more! Visit KFUO.org
The LCMS has released the 2020 LCMS Annual Report. To view the report, please visit lcms.org.
For more Synod news visit lcms.org
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod celebrates its birthday on April 26. Initial members, which in-
cluded 12 pastors representing 14 congregations from Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Michigan, New York
and Ohio, signed the church body’s constitution on April 26, 1847, at First Saint Paul Lutheran Church in
Chicago, Ill.
Originally named The German Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio and Other States, the
name was shortened to The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in 1947 on the occasion of our 100th an-
niversary.
The roots of the LCMS run deep, tracing back to Saxon and other German immigrants establishing a new
church body in America, seeking the freedom to practice and follow confessional Lutheranism.
Page 4 Th e V oi c e of H an ov er
Youth Group News
Hello from the Hanover Youth Group. Wow, it seems these months’ fly by anymore. The next time you
blink it will be Christmas again and we’ll be starting another year. But until then, let’s focus on what has
been happening and some information on what’s coming up.
Let’s start off by remembering the Easter season. During this roller coaster of an emotional week we finally
end with Jesus coming out of the tomb, “He has risen!”. The Sunday at Hanover saw happy faces and a lot
of Easter eggs. The youth group spent the entire Sunday before stuffing all the treats in those little eggs.
Thank you to everyone who donated and helped.
During this time, we also had a fundraiser selling pork butts and
pork loins. It was a big success as we sold over 100 pieces of
meat. It is a lot of work preparing, seasoning, cooking and
shredding. A big shout out to everyone that helped. Without
you, these types of fundraisers wouldn’t be possible.
We handed out Seeds and Plants along side of Outreach and the
Dogs and Diapers drive (those sure were some good hot dogs).
There were seeds for just about any plant or vegetable you might
want. There were many tomato, peppers, broccoli, cabbage, herb
plants and others. Thank you to Donna Aufdenberg for donating the plants and seeds.
Coming up in May the youth group has taken over the classrooms and will be planning and teaching the
middles. This should be a lot of fun! We will also be starting to plan for next year’s National Youth Gather-
ing in Houston, TX. We will begin by gathering information and planning a meeting for those who are in-
terested and eligible to go. More information will be coming on this soon.
Ok, this is starting to get a little long and the last item on my list is Mother’s Day.
Let’s not forget who brought you into this world and who can take you out... (or
so I’ve been told). On a serious note, May 9th is Mother’s Day. Take this time to
think about your mom, the sacrifices she has made for you and tell her how much
you love her. I was looking up “Mothers” in the bible and in Proverbs 31 it says:
28
Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and
he praises her: 29“Many women do noble things, but you surpass
them all.” 30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a
woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. 31 Honor her for all
that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the
city gate.
Thank you again to everyone in our congregation for all you do for the Youth Group. We are truly blessed.
Mike and Liz Brown
M ay 2 0 2 1 Page 5
Hanover Lutheran Blood Drive
June 11, 2021
2:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Hanover Lutheran Church
2949 Perryville Road
Cape Girardeau, Mo
Blood is Life – just give it
For an appointment, please visit redcrossblood.org
Or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
Page 6 Th e V oi c e of H an ov er
Voter’s Gift
Last quarter in January, the voters chose to give a gift to Camp SEMO for $250 and a $550 gift to Lutheran
Heritage Foundation. These were warmly received and you may read the letter on the bulletin board.
On April 19th, the voters chose to give a $750 gift to Lutheran Family & Children’s Services. What an ex-
pression of faith to share what we have with others in need!
Newsletter Info
If you are receiving our monthly newsletter via postal mail, please let us know
if you would like to continue to do so. You may call the office at 335-8583 or
email us at office@hanoverlutheran.com
Office Hours
The church office will be open with the secretary present 9:00am-3:00pm Monday-Thursday
Pastor plans to be in the office Friday mornings
Pastor’s day off will be Mondays
In case of an emergency, you may reach Pastor Benkendorf at (314)704-8202
Reminder:
Bulletin announcements are due to the office by NOON on TUESDAY
Newsletter articles are due by the 20th of each month.
Membership Information
In the effort of trying to keep our church records up to date, we are asking if you’ve had any changes in your
information, phone numbers, address, etc. Please contact the office at 335-8583 or
email us at office@hanoverlutheran.com
M ay 2 0 2 1 Page 7
Those Serving in May
Ushers 7:45 am 10:15 am
Captain: Rich Behring, 334-0931 Bruce Schmidt, 979-6846
Alex Brown, 979-7075 Randy Arbuckle, 979-5351
Terry Gerlach, 334-7002 Jonathan Fritzler
Jacob Koenig, 243-9110 John Hall, 334-2999
Samuel Koenig, 243-9110 Ben Meyr, 275-6604
Adam Koenig, 243-9110 Coire Michael, 579-7273
John Morgan, 275-7714
Altar Guild
Donna Heuer, 270-6157
Carol Reimann, 979-0932
Lois Conklin, 837-0160
Casey Brown. 979-0094
Giving for April
Count from April 7, 2021
General Fund $ 17207.50
Designated $ 1116.50
Building Fund $ 600.00
Old Church Fund $ 50.00
Count from April 21, 2021
General Fund $ 18667.53
Designated $ 574.00
Building Fund $ 2564.83
Old Church Fund $ 50.00Page 8 Th e V oi c e of H an ov er
Cara Jansen 5/1 Karen Gaither 5/15
Sarah Aufdenberg 5/2 Susan Miller 5/15
Isabella Bickings 5/2 Rich Behring 5/16
Kathy Kirchhoff 5/4 Tessa Behring 5/16
Earl Walter 5/4 Brianna Boswell 5/16
Layne Hopkins 5/5 Jonathan Michael 5/16
Aron Mahoney 5/5 Veda Gerlach 5/17
Larry Hale 5/6 Liz Brown 5/19
Pam Woodruff 5/6 Cody Sinn 5/19
Donna Aufdenberg 5/7 Jeff Drury 5/22
Kolton Schaefer 5/7 Roger Kiplinger 5/22
Michelle Sinn 5/7 Harrison Gerlach 5/23
Melissa Ford 5/9 Melanie Klipfel 5/25
Sarah Benkendorf 5/12 Diane Bickings 5/26
Elayna Kiplinger 5/12 Ava Brown 5/29
Lynnore Meyer 5/13 Shirley Hahs 5/31
Lois Conklin 5/15 Vickie Kertz 5/31
Shannon & Michelle Sinn 5/4
Howard & Martha Cox 5/6
Chris & Libby Jansen 5/7
Mike & Charlene Hahn 5/12
Jeff & Denae Walter 5/17
Jon & Katie Goodpasture 5/18
Matt & Hannah Kirchhoff 5/19
Michael & Christina Tanner 5/19
Rodney & Casey Brown 5/21
Dale & Helen Steffens 5/23
Roger & Beth Langston 5/25
Josh & Danielle Yantis 5/26
Fred & Susan Vincel 5/28May 2021 Hanover Lutheran Church
M ay 2 0 2 1
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
7:45am Worship 8:30am Quilt Tacking- 10:00am Bible Study 6:30 pm Church
9:00am SS/Bible Study POSTPONED UNTIL 230-530pm Mtg Rm Council
10:15am Worship SEPTEMBER Rsvd
4:45pm Finance Board
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
7:45am Communion PEO Meeting 9a-12p 10:00am Bible Study Mtg Room Rsvd
9:00am SS/Bible Study (Mtg Rm) 1:00pm Ladies Aid 11:30a-3p
10:15am Communion 6:00pm Potter’s Clay
Picnic-Pavilion
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
7:45am Worship 10:00am Bible Study NEWSLETTER
9:00am SS/Bible Study 4:45pm Finance Board DEADLINE
10:15am Worship
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
7:45am Communion 6:00pm Potter’s Clay 10:00am Bible Study 5:30 pm Elders
9:00am SS/Bible Study Bible Study
10:15am Communion
30 31
7:45am Worship
9:00am SS/Bible Study
10:15am Worship
Page 9Hanover Lutheran Church 2949 Perryville Road Cape Girardeau, Missouri 63701 Phone: 573-335-8583 Website: www.hanoverlutheran.com Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Th e V oi c e of H an ov er Page 10
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