BETA SIGMA PSI National Lutheran Fraternity

Marty’s Boys

December 22, 2005

Volume 6, Number 5

In This Issue

 

National Officers Brave Weather to Charter Chapter

Monthly Devotion

What Are You Getting Baby Jesus

Upsilon Alumni to Have Gathering

Membership Education Forum Information

National Basketball Tournament Information

2006 National Convention Registration

December Beta Sig Trivia Contest

Trying to Increase Subscription Base

News Articles of Interest

Important Articles from Past Issues of Marty’s Boys

Websites of Interest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Important Dates

·          December 25 – Christmas

·          January 1 – New Years Day

·          January 10 – National Board of Directors Monthly Meeting

·          January 15 – Chapter Advisors Form, Chapter Officers Form, and Facilities Report Due

·          January 16 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

·          January 21 – Alpha Alumni Casino Night

·          February 1 – Event Calendar Form, Finance Report, and Recruitment Expectations Report Due

·          February 3-5 – MEF/NBT

If you have an event that you would like to have posted in Marty’s Boys please contact Chad Pfister.

 

National Officers Brave Weather to Charter Chapter

In what is becoming somewhat of an ominous tradition, National President Chad Pfister, Regional Vice President Rudy Ristich, and Publications Editor Tanner Ehmke braved the cold weather and snow of Western Nebraska to charter Kearney Alumni Chapter on December 3.

On that frightful December morning, the state of Nebraska was blanketed by a beautiful blanket of white snow with the western part of the state being hit very hard.  But just like the mailman who delivers the mail no matter what the weather, these National officers refused to let a little snow get in their way of following their duties.

After a 4 hour drive from the Fremont, Nebraska area, the National officers along with Kearney Alumni Chapter President Brian Jacobson finally arrived in Kearney where they were joined by 3 other Alumni who had braved the weather to take part in this festive occasion.

Though only a few brothers currently involved in the Alumni Chapter were able to attend that day, it was still a great to reconnect with old friends and to make new friends.  Plans are already in the works for gatherings in January and February.  If you are interested in getting more information about these gatherings please contact Brian Jacobson.

Kearney Alumni Chapter is the 2nd Alumni Chapter to be chartered in the past 13 months, and joins 7 other Active Alumni Chapters in the Fraternity.

Congratulations to the men of Kearney in this step to returning Xi Chapter to the University of Nebraska-Kearney.

Monthly Devotion

By Rev. Stephen Kampmrath, Eta Chapter Pastoral Advisor

 

A piece of mail recently came across my desk. It read:

GOD HAS A WONDERFUL PLAN FOR YOUR CHURCH

(Special limited time offer inside)

That made me wonder . . . Does the limited time offer refer to the items advertised, or to the "wonderful plan God has for your church?"

Actually, it makes little difference which the advertisement refers to. In fact, I suspect it refers to both. Whether intentional or not, the advertisement is a reminder that the Church does have a "limited time offer." We don't have the luxury of endless time when we consider God's gift of salvation. Scripture speaks of salvation with a note of urgency:

"Now is the acceptable time: behold, now is the day of salvation."

We neither live nor work with an unlimited amount of time. Our lives are limited. The time of the world's existence is limited.

The closing weeks of the year help bring this "special limited time offer" back into focus. As the years draws to a close, we are reminded that our lives on earth are also of relatively short duration. We don't want to die, but we know we will. A pressing question should be, what happens after death?

We know we have a "gracious and merciful God." One who is abounding in steadfast love. It is His desire that we enjoy life with Him now . . . and forever. It is His desire that we trust in Jesus for the promise of the forgiveness of our sins and life everlasting.

This Christmas season, take some time to remember everything that God has done for you through the sending of His Son, Jesus Christ, to be your only Lord and Savior. And then take some time to offer thanks and praise for what He has made possible in your life. His offer still stands, but you must never forget that it is a limited time offer- - - -limited to the length of your life here on earth.

What Are You Getting Baby Jesus

A Reprint from Marty’s Boys Volume 5, Issue 4

As Christmas nears, most of us are still searching to find the perfect present for a friend, family member, or loved one; or you could be one of the few the proud the completed Christmas shopper.

But have you got a present for Baby Jesus yet.  It would be safe to say that many of us have not yet gotten this present and probably didn’t even think about doing such a thing until you started reading this article.

It’s not to late to give Baby Jesus something for his birthday.  In this holiday season there are always many possibilities of what you can give your time and/or money to.

Just as the 3 Wise Man and the Shepherds gave Jesus what they could on the night of his birth, we as Beta Sigs should give what we can to those who need it, as well.

Beta Sig is always in need of time and money from its Alumni.  If you haven’t yet given a donation to your Alumni Chapter, Active Chapter or the Educational Foundation its not to late to do so.  Contact information for those organizations can be found on the National Website.

Your time is also greatly appreciated.  Over the coming months all our chapters will need help recruiting, fundraising, and doing house repairs.  If every Alum just gave a few hours, the possibilities are endless to what can be accomplished.

May your present to Baby Jesus this year, be in the form of helping Beta Sig.

Upsilon Alumni to Have Gathering

A group of Upsilon Alumni will journey to Normal for the Illinois State vs. Bradley basketball game on February 11, 2006.  Game time is currently set for 4:05 p.m.

The current plans for that day include a pre-game gathering at a local downtown establishment and dinner afterwards.  In addition, Upsilon alumni from the Chicago area are planning on spending the night in Normal.

If you would like to receive more information about this gathering or know an Upsilon Alum who might be interested in this function please contact Dan Matasek.

Membership Education Forum Information

By Kevin Stinn, National Leadership Director

The 2006 Membership Education Forum and National Basketball Tournament will be held at Epsilon Chapter in Ames, IA, on February 3-5.  Registration will be $10 per member and will help cover the cost of several meals, entertainment, and programming fees.

Based on the success of this year’s Leadership Academy, the National Fraternity will continue to use more interactive programming to get attendees increasingly involved.  For the first part of the MEF, the attendees will be divided into groups led by Leadership Academy graduates and asked to work cohesively with other group members, voice their opinions, answer challenging and thought-provoking questions, and actively participate in all activities.  Before lunch, the groups will come together and be debriefed on the morning’s activities. 

Following lunch, the attendees will break into discussion groups based on officers and topics.  All the associates and activated freshmen will meet together.  Officer meetings will include the following positions: presidents, membership educators, house managers, recruitment chairs, treasurers, scholarship chairs, social chairs, chaplains/spiritual chairs, and secretaries.  Topical meetings may include alcohol policy, ritual, and risk management.

All MEF and NBT forms need to be sent to Epsilon Chapter by January 23.  The National Fraternity has a goal of getting 150 active and associate members to attend this year, so start getting your members excited to go!  The National Fraternity will provide compensation for travel to and from MEF.  Lodging information is now available on the official 2006 MEF/NBT website (http://mef.betasigmapsi.org).  Check for more information as it comes.

National Basketball Tournament Information

The National Basketball Tournament will immediately follow the MEF at Iowa State’s Beyer Gym.  The cost for registering a team is $25, and each team is guaranteed to play at least three games.  Active and alumni teams are encouraged to register as early as possible so the exact format of the tournament can be determined. 

2006 National Convention Registration

Registration for the 2006 National Convention to be held from August 3 – 6 at the Seelbach Hilton in Louisville, Kentucky has officilay opened.  The cost for the 2006 National Convention will be $150 for Collegiate and Alumni Members and $125 for Guests.    The Registration form can be found by clicking here.

The Registration cost for members will allow entry to the Awards Breakfast on Saturday morning, the Annual Awards Banquet on Saturday night, entrance to all official Beta Sig Receptions, a continental breakfast on Sunday morning, entry to a popular Louisville landmark, and a memento to remember your attendance at the Convention.  For collegiate members, there their registration fee will also cover 3 nights’ hotel room at the Seelbach Hilton.

The Registration costs for guests will include all of the above except entry to the Awards Breakfast on Saturday morning.  Instead, they will have entry to the official Beta Sig Spouse’s Tea that will be held on Saturday morning.  In addition to the Spouse’s Tea, spouses will be spending the day together sightseeing around downtown Louisville, taking a guided tour of the historic Seelbach, and other socializing events throughout the day.

Hotel Reservations can be made by contacting the Seelbach Hilton at 502-585-3200.  The group rate is $109/night plus tax.  It is necessary to mention that you are with Beta Sigma Psi when making your reservation to get the group rate, which expires on July 3, 2006.

The National Convention is always a great time to interact with old friends and to make new friends.  So start making your plans now to attend the 2006 National Convention.

More information about the National Convention will be released in upcoming issues of the Gold Rose and Marty’s Boys.  If you have any questions please feel free to contact Chad Pfister at president@betasigmapsi.org.

December Beta Sig Trivia Contest

Due to the extremely low turnout for the November Trivia Contest, the decision has been made to extend this batch of trivia questions until January 20, 2006.  Answers should be submitted to Chad Pfister. 

Click Here for the November Trivia Contest.

HINT:  All answers can be found on the Beta Sigma Psi National Website.

Trying to Increase Subscription Base

It is the goal of the National Board to use Marty’s Boys as a means of communicating on a more frequent basis with alumni, collegiate members, and all parties interested in the happenings of Beta Sigma Psi.  In order to do that, we are asking that you pass along Marty’s Boys to friends, family, advisors, and church officials who may not be currently subscribed to Marty’s Boys.  While we have done our best to ensure that we are reaching as many people as possible, there is always at least one person whom we inevitably miss.

If someone would like to subscribe to Marty’s Boys they can do so by going to the following website: http://lists.betasigmapsi.org/listinfo.cgi/martysboys-betasigmapsi.org.  If they have any problems they should contact Chad Pfister.

News Articles of Interest

Click on a below link to pull up news articles or press releases of interest.

·          LCMS to rejoin Lutheran-Roman Catholic dialogue

Important Articles from Past Issues of Marty’s Boys

Click on a below link to pull up articles from past issues of Marty’s Boys that are still of importance.

 

·          National Fraternity Provides Internet Resources to Groups

·          Calling All Photographers – National Fraternity looking for pictures to use in marketing program.

·          Congressional Letter Writing Campaign – It is still not to late to send a letter to your Congressmen or Senator urging him to support the Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act (CHIA).

·          Calling All Vocalists – Alumni looking to put together Beta Sig Singing Group.

·          National Board of Directors Seeking Volunteers

Websites of Interest

·          The National President’s blog can be found at http://www.betasigmapsi.org/blog.

·          The Marty’s Boys Mailing List Information Page can be found at http://lists.betasigmapsi.org/listinfo.cgi/martysboys-betasigmapsi.org

·          The Marty’s Boys Home Page can be found at http://publications.betasigmapsi.org

·          The Lutheran Student Movement Website can be found at http://www.lsm-usa.org.

·          The Lutheran Student Fellowship Website can be found at http://lutheranstudentfellowship.org.

 

Comments on this publication should be directed to Chad Pfister.

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Beta Sigma Psi National Headquarters 2408 Lebanon Ave. Belleville, IL 62221

Ph – (618) 235-0014 Fx – (618) 235-0051  office@betasigmapsi.org