Rejoice Voice. From the Pastor... o u r missio n To rejoice in, and share the good news of Jesus Christ

Transcription

1 Rejoice is a congregation of the ELCA May 2017 o u r missio n To rejoice in, and share the good news of Jesus Christ Rejoice Voice Rejoice! Lutheran Church 7855 Stow Road Hudson, OH pastor Mike Conklin pmconklin@rejoicelc.org contact R e j o i c e! fax parish nurse Mary Pat DeLambo mdelambo@laurellake.org c h u r c h c o u n c i l Dave Boehm Janet Juliano Monica Kreiberg George Arnold Connie Cichon Scott Morgan Marilyn Olzmann Monte Peterson Mike Ramsey Jeanne Verser bulletin and newsletter Sunday Worship at Rejoice! Lutheran Church Sunday School: 9:00am Worship: 10:00am From the Pastor... Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest? He said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. - Matthew 22:36-40 (NRSV) These verses are interesting. Even though this person was trying to catch Jesus in a contradiction, Christ decided to answer the question clearly... because it is a good question. What is the most important commandment of all of them? And of all the things that God has asked us to do, he narrowed it down for us. The absolutely most important thing is to love God, with everything that we are. What does that mean for us? This isn t about some cerebral exercise, love is active, and involves all of you. When we love someone, especially God, we have to dedicate our time and energy to the relationship. We can't just say a quick prayer at the beginning of the day and then forget God. We can t use any excuses to why we are not in worship or why we are not involved. It just doesn t work when you love someone. Think of what it is like to love. You want to spend time with the person. You want to talk, you wander through the store and see something they would like because they are not far from your thoughts. You take actions to make those things happen. You often feel a spiritual bond with them, and always an emotional one. How would our lives be changed... how would even one day be changed, if we felt like that, actively, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally devoted to God? I think our whole lives would be changed... overwhelmingly for the better. And the second is like it. This might be even harder than the first. Sometimes we think that other people can be dismissed if they don t like us or they aren't within our established circles in some way. It's okay to dislike the unknown person we're yelling at on the phone, right? We don t have to love the person who smells bad, or the person who doesn t have our values and religion? How about that person at work who doesn't do half as much as we do? Jesus does not make exceptions. Christ tells us that in addition to loving God with all that we are, the second most important thing after that is to love other people as we love ourselves. And, just like we imagined love before, let's imagine it about ourselves. Do we give up on ourselves, or do we give ourselves another chance? Do we feel that we still have worth even when we make horrible mistakes? Do we feel that we deserve love even when we sin? Martin Buber said, What you must do is love your neighbor as yourself. There is no one who knows your many faults better than you! But you love yourself notwithstanding. And so you must love your neighbor, no matter how many faults you see in them." Today, let's work on these two most important of all things... loving God, and loving everyone else. Let's work on our capacity and ability to love... to love God, to love others, and to love ourselves. Do you want to change the world? Work with me on this! Peace, Pastor Mike

2 PAGE 2 R EJOIC E VOIC E Hospitality Ministry Church council has proposed we change the way we do our Sunday morning hospitality. We are looking for 2 volunteers each week, one to provide the snack and one for set up/clean up. If you are so inclined, you may volunteer to do both on any particular Sunday! Those who sign up for the snack just brings the food, store bought, homemade, healthy alternatives welcome too, the choice is yours. Those who sign up for set up/clean up make coffee and set out supplies as well as clean up afterwards. A sign up sheet is located at the Welcome Station and there are lots of spots currently open. As a reminder, on Sundays that we do not have a volunteer for set up/clean up, please wash your own coffee mug and leave it in the drainer! Men s Group Rejoice Men s Group will meet at Perkin s restaurant on May 20 at 8:00 a.m. Please come out and join us for breakfast and conversation. Peace, Pastor Mike New Member Recognition On Sunday, May 7, we will introduce and recognize several new Rejoice member families. Sunday School Summer Break May 21 will be the last day of Sunday School until Fall. We will also recognition and thank our Sunday School teachers that day. Women s Retreat! Save the date October 13-15, 2017 at the beautiful Lake Chaut auqua Lutheran Retreat Center in western New York. The first meeting of the planning committee will be on Wednesday, May 3 at 7:00pm at Rejoice! We are always pleased to welcome anyone who would like to help with the planning. Join us!! See Ginny Pillsbury if Little Caesar s Fundraiser Thank you! Thank you to all who supported the youth in their recent fundraisers! We raised $307 from the Little Caesar s pizza kits and $186 from the Easter breakfast. All funds go toward expenses in attending the 2018 Gathering in Houston. Dinner for Eight We will hold our last rotation for Dinner for Eight (May/June) before breaking for the summer. There will be a kick off barbeque in late August or early September for the new season. Watch for more info when the time gets closer. Dinner for Eight is open to all adult members and you need not be part of a couple in order to participate. Groups meet on a rotating basis 4 times a year and as one large group for the kick off barbeque and Christmas party. We ll be looking for new members to join the group in the fall!

3 PAGE 3 R EJOIC E! VOIC E From Community Wellness Coordinator, Mary Pat DeLambo, MEd, BSN, RN mdelambo@laurellake.org Seasons are changing and so is my schedule! In April, Laurel Lake requested that I fill a vacancy in another one of our outreach areas. I am now the Hudson Community Wellness Coordinator on Tuesday and Thursday and the Personal Health Partners Program nurse at Keys Towers in Stow on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. My new hours for Hudson Community Wellness are: 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM Tuesdays and Thursdays Our Spring Walking Group returns this month now on Thursdays beginning May 4 due to my new schedule. See details below. Many of us enjoy gardening this time of year. You ll be happy to know it is good for you! 5 Reasons Gardening Is Good for Your Health For full article go to: 1. You'll boost your mood. Gardening has a wide range of mood benefits, such as reductions in depression, anxiety and anger, as well as increases in happiness, according to a study published in Preventive Medicine Reports. 2. You may lose weight. Gardening burns calories, which is good for your waistline. 3. You'll think better. When we're surrounded by plants, we tend to be more productive and creative. 4. You'll be more active. Gardening is a great way for people of all ages to get some wholebody exercise. 5. You'll eat more fruits and veggies. Adults who grow their own produce consume more fruits and veggies, according to research from the American Journal of Public Health. Upcoming Events & Programs Walking Group Thursdays 9:30 AM May 4 th June 29th Barlow Community Center 41 S. Oviatt St (across from Fire Dept.) Walk a little or for the hour. Paved path and easy parking. Benches along path. Lunch & Learn 12:00 1:00 PM Christ Church Episcopal May 18 Speaker Fire/ EMS Chief Jerry Varnes Wednesday Evening Yoga 7:00 PM Hudson United Methodist Church Events at St. Mary s Contact Lori Joseph as fees schedule may change ljoseph@stmaryhudson.cc ext 233 Tuesdays 1:00 PM Tai Chi Wednesdays 9:30 AM Yoga Thursdays 11:30 AM Faithfully Fit

4 R EJOIC E! VOIC E PAGE 4 Rummage Sale The youth are again planning on holding a rummage sale in June this year (date TBA), to raise funds to attend the Houston Gathering in We will begin collecting items after May 21 st. Items should be placed in the first classroom past the nursery. Please make sure all items are clean, have all the pieces/parts and are not stained/torn/ worn out. Some of the most saleable items include: Books Housewares/Kitchen Items SMALL furniture Sporting Goods Tools Costume Jewelry March 2017 Financial Report DVD s & CD s Home Décor Toys/Games/Puzzles Linens/Comforters Purses & Ladies Accessories Clothing We CANNOT accept: Old Style TV s Car Seats/Older Baby Cribs Old Computer Equipment Non-working Electronics Outdated Sporting Equipment Exercise Equipment (weight bench, etc.) Anything that is broken, doesn t work, has pieces missing, or is stained, torn or worn out. These items do not sell and aren t accepted by charities that we donate the unsold merchandise to and makes for extra work and sometimes money to dispose of them. Thank you for editing your donations before you drop them off! May Birthdays 1 Haley Marshall 6 Jenny Kelemen 6 Stacy Reyes 6 Jeremy (JJ) Morgan 7 Peter Funk 9 Lynne Smith 10 Casie Ackerman 10 David Binger 15 Lisa Ramsey 19 Dave Smith 25 Brian Thomas 30 Bob Rubenstahl 31 Janet Juliano May Anniversaries 24 Mike & Lisa Ramsey 25 Alex & Jenny Kelemen 29 Chad & Bethany Bryant If you do not see your birthday or anniversary listed or it is incorrect, please help us update our info. Contact Carla Maurer at 2017 Mar Actual Mar Budget Mar Variance to Budget YTD Actual YTD Budget YTD Variance to Budget 2017 Budget INCOME: General Revenue $23, $14, $9, $49, $43, $5, $173, Capital Revenue $2, $5, ($2,421.67) $9, $16, ($6,290.01) $65, Total Income $26, $19, $6, $59, $59, ($630.38) $238, EXPENSES: General Expense $18, $14, ($3,635.60) $44, $43, ($1,150.32) $174, Capital Expense $5, $5, ($290.83) $15, $15, $17.51 $62, Total Expenses $23, $19, ($3,926.43) $60, $59, ($1,132.81) $237, VARIANCE Total Variance $2, $ ($1,401.54) $ $1, Benevolence Giving $ $ ($201.67) $ $1, ($657.25) $5,000.00

5 REJOICE! LUTHERAN CHURCH 7855 Stow Rd. Hudson, Ohio Phone: Fax: We re on the web! Memorial Day Parade Again this year we plan to participate in the Hudson Memorial Day parade. The parade will begin at 10:00am on May 29. Formation is on Milford Rd (near Acme Plaza). Participants need to be in place by 9:15am. Paying it Forward Rejoice has been so blessed by many mission partners. Let us pay it forward to others who need our blessings! May s 3 rd Sunday of the month loose offering will be given to Habitat for Humanity. Many thanks to those who contributed in April to the HCSA Food Pantry. We collected $ Memorial Day Barbeque The Conklin's will again host a Memorial Day barbeque following the Hudson Memorial Day parade on May 29 th. We ll plan to start the festivities around noon. Meat and beverages will be provided. Please sign up at the Welcome Station if you plan on attending. Attendees are asked to bring a side, salad or dessert to share (please designate on the sign up sheet) as well as a lawn chair to sit on. Items that need to be refrigerated may be dropped off before the parade, please let Michelle know if you plan to do so. Teenage Mutant Jesus Praisers (Youth Group) We ll be planning an alternate meeting date this month as our regular time falls around the end of school. Watch you s for more details. Those who will be participating in the rummage sale should let Mrs. Conklin know what your June schedules look like ASAP so we can pick a date for the sale. Remember it takes us a week of prep for the sale! Adult volunteers as well as people to provide lunch for the crew will also be needed.