Gethsemane Lutheran Church

Transcription

1 December 2011 Volume 44, Issue 12 The Leaf a monthly publication of GLC Gethsemane Lutheran Church The Leaf 35 East Stanton Avenue Columbus OH Pastor Rev. June A. Wilkins pastorjune@gethsemane.org Music Ministries Dr. Timothy E. Guenther tguenther@gethsemane.org Learning & Family Ministries Terri Siebert tsiebert@gethsemane.org Child Care Center Brenda Weilbacher bweilbacher@gethsemane.org Parish Secretary Diane Gutgesell glcoffice@gethsemane.org Custodians Kate and Shana Bumster In this Issue Pr. June s Letter - P. 2 Illuminati - P. 3 Adult Education - P. 4 Family Game Night - P. 6 Prayer Concerns - P. 7 Council Highlights - P. 8 Focus for 2012 P. 11 Christmas Eve Christmas Day New Year s Eve Saturday, Dec. 24 Sunday, Dec. 25 Saturday, Dec. 31 7:30 pm (musical prelude 7:00pm) 9:30 am 7:30 pm

2 STAFF everyone was an important part of the performance. A message from Pr. June Wilkins Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear and son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means God is with us. Matthew 1:23 At my home congregation in New York, we had a tradition of the improvised Christmas pageant. People brought cloth and craft supplies and some of their own homemade costumes. Based on what people brought, we would decide which characters would be in the pageant. We never quite knew what we would come up with. The children were usually sheep or angels and the adults would take various roles. Some were repeated one person always was the Innkeeper s wife, another person was always the star. Some people switched roles every year one year I was Mary and one year I was the narrator and some people always came up with clever characters like the Holy Host and Hostess, the Old Goats and I remember one person taped drinking straws to their clothing and they came as The Straw in the Manger. The narrator would hop around from Luke s version of the birth of Jesus to Matthews and back again depending on which part of the story we could cover. The pageant was never rehearsed, it was never the same, sometimes we would be missing some pivotal characters (like Joseph or Herod) and sometimes we had two of another character. Sometimes we had an audience and sometimes everyone was included in the show. Sounds like chaos, but it usually worked out. We had good memories from the occasion and The most amazing part about these pageants was that, each time, the story got told. It was always in different ways, but no matter how strange things were, how unpredictable the actors, or faulty the props, the story of Jesus was told, understood, and new elements always came out. That is, I think is a good illustration of the story of Church. Our church and all churches. We are not putting on a spectacular show for anyone; we just have a community of characters each with roles that we have made up ourselves, determined by the items we have brought into it. It s never rehearsed, it s never the same and sometimes we are missing some pivotal characters. It sounds like chaos, but it usually works out some how. And amazingly, the story of Jesus gets told each and every week. We spend a lot of time in churches trying to figure out the right way to do things. We want to prepare the way the world tells us to to seal up all of the cracks and fix all the rough spots so that we are perfect, functional and well rehearsed (or we at least appear to be.) But the Christmas story asks us to prepare in a different way. We prepare by being alert to the presence of God in the midst of our imperfect and unrehearsed lives. We wait for the unexpected. We prepare by looking for grace in the ungraceful. We, the church, are the story of Jesus today. The story of God s grace shining through the chaos of the world. The improvised and imperfect actions of human beings blessed by the presence of God among us. -Blessings to you this Advent and Christmas Season! Pr. June 2

3 Illuminati to Sing at Gethsemane on December 4 WORSHIP Through its mission of Voices Raised, Lives Changed Illuminati works to break down barriers by performing sacred music for worship services. Illuminati is the special sacred music group of the Columbus Gay Men s Chorus which was formed several years ago as local churches began inviting the full chorus to sing at their services. But the number of requests and scheduling made that difficult. Thus, the idea of Illuminati was born. While respecting the member s spiritual beliefs, the singers challenge congregations through the power of music to reexamine the misconceptions they may have about GLBT people and faith. The ensemble has been growing as it expands its repertoire and work within the religious communities of central Ohio. Illuminati is currently in demand as a guest group in many of the local churches in Columbus and is pleased to accept Gethsemane s invitation from the Worship Ministry Team and Welcoming in Christ Ministry Team. Christmas Worship at Gethsemane Christmas Eve Christmas Day New Year s Eve Saturday, Dec. 24 Sunday, Dec. 25 Saturday, Dec. 31 7:30 pm 9:30 am 7:30 pm (musical prelude at 7:00 pm) 3

4 LEARN discussions anytime. Our goal is not only to study God s Word, but also to attempt to relate each message to our own lives and times. For more information contact Dick Lyndes at or rhlyndes@wowway.com. Lifetime Learning Sundays at 10:45AM in the Library Christian Education about life, for life, and for a lifetime SACRAMENTS Baptism Dec. 4 and 11 Pastor June concludes the series on Baptism: its origins, scriptural references, how it s been used in history and what it means to us today. December 4 th, we ll cover the interesting history of baptism in the Christian church. December 11 th, we ll look a little at Martin Luther s thoughts on baptism and discuss our own practices. The sacrament of Communion will be the topic in February. The Music of Advent and Christmas Dec. 18 Join your voices in singing some of your favorite hymns and learn a bit about them too. Sharon Walton and Dick Reuning will provide accompaniment. No classes Dec. 25 and Jan. 1 Classes resume Jan. 8 with a study of Galatians led by Don Dell. Jello Contest Winners Lifetime Learning hosted a Reformation Party for all ages on Oct. 30. One of the events of the morning was a Jello Contest. Winners were: Most Lutheran Like Coffee Beans Heidi Hiller Most Disgusting Corned Beef Salad Tim Guenther Most Jiggliest Jiggilo Tim Mayer Best Presentation Cadavers Alice Siddall Most Creative Green Eggs & Ham Diane Gutgesell Adult Bible Study Sundays at 8:15AM in the Library Challenge of Faith The current Bible study Challenge of Faith looks at books from both testaments, Judges and Corinthians. Discussion leaders are Dick Lyndes and Bob Davis. Grab a cup of coffee and join the group. Each week stands on its own so you may feel free to join our 4

5 SERVE Household Items Needed for Faith Mission Residents When Faith Mission residents move out of the shelter and into their own places, most need everyday household items to help make the move a success. By donating any of the following items, you will give a person a little extra boost as they transition from homelessness to self-sufficiency. Dish sets Pitchers Pot & Pans Cleaning Supplies Drinking Cups & Glasses Silverware Cooking Utensils Shower Curtains with Hooks Bath Towels & Wash Cloths New Blankets Bed Sheets New Pillows Garbage Bags Laundry Baskets Brooms with Dust Pans Mops with Buckets Unless specified, these items are welcomed new or gently used. You may leave your donations in the box in the narthex. If you would like additional information or have questions about the list, please contact Julian Simmons at , ext 2171 or jsimmons@lssco.org. Group from Gethsemane Head to El Salvador On Saturday, Dec. 3, Joe, Bonnie and Meaghan Reilly; Rick and Diane Langner; and Dan Hoversten leave for a Thrivent Builds Worldwide trip to work with Habitat for Humanity - El Salvador to start a house for a member of Cristo Rey Lutheran Church. This is the beginning of the Partners in Faith project that will eventually build 15 homes for congregation members and a new church building to replace the one destroyed by an earthquake in They will travel home on the 11th. Please pray for safety, health and energy! 5

6 CONNECT Small Group Ministries First Reflections Monday Bible Study Paula Sauer Connections: Faith at Work Judy Reuning Men s Breakfast Bob Davis rjdjr@wowway.com Habitat for Humanity Bill Darlage Darlage_bill@hotmail.com LWR Quilts Ruth Fortis ruthfortis@sbcglobal.net Prayer Shawls glcoffice@gethsemane.org OR Call the Church Office The confirmation class is sponsoring a family game night on Saturday, Jan. 28. Family Game Night Saturday, Jan. 28 6:30-9:30 pm Bring your board games, card games. Bring a snack to share. Bring your family, bring a friend. There will be activities for the little ones as well. Check Out the Library and Check Out a Book During this holiday season why not pick up a biography or fiction work from our church library to fill in those odd down times or travel moments! Caring Contacts Ministry Have you heard of our "Caring Contacts Ministry" here at Gethsemane? If not, let me explain it to you. We have many people in our midst who have health-related issues or other problems which keep them from worshiping with us. Or they may have suffered a loss of some kind and need a willing, listening ear, someone to "care." We presently have 21 "Caregivers" who check in with these folks and help make their lives a little brighter. Some of the ways this "special caring" is done (but not limited to) are a monthly visit, cards and/or phone calls on special occasions, taking Home Communion to them, transportation to a doctor visit, out to lunch, etc. Our Caring Contacts Ministry just asks for a year's commitment to the "special person" we have for you. You can then renew your commitment, decide to opt out or be lined up with a different client. This has been a very successful ministry with many blessings received by both the Caregiver and their Caring Contact. We pray you will decide to be a part of this endeavor. Watch the Sunday bulletins in December for information on when and where you can sign up. These folks are counting on you! Thank you and God bless you. Emilie Hagerdorn, Health Ministry Team 6

7 PEOPLE NEWS December Birthdays 2 Chuck Coppola 5 Tammy Bullwinkle 13 Ruth Fisher 16 Anna Lagergren 20 Beryl Cumberland Andrew Frashier 22 Adam Norris 23 John Tyrrell 24 Noel Kigaraba 25 Enno Gahl Imanuel Lyatuu 27 Rebecca Oldaker 28 Cindy Keller 29 Diane Gutgesell 30 Chris Feole Our Prayers and Concern Are With... Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. Ephesians 6:18 Members: Donna Baer (Oakleaf Village) Marilyn Bosen (Arlington Court) Bob Cerny Sibylle Custis Dotty Edwards Carolyn Fergus Jean Fritchen (Worthington Christian Village) Joyce Geary Ken Gerken... Mary Manship (Wesley Glen) Eleanor Nagy Rob Needham Phyllis Nelson Becky Oldaker (Bennington Glen) Rosalie Taylor Reva Woodruff. Family and friends: Ruth Custis (sisterin-law of Bob Custis) Mary Laipply Slugger Nagy (son of Eleanor Nagy) Trisha Prenger (friend of Kelly Fleming) June Scherocman (mother of Jen Tatz) Helen Schmitt (grandmother of Kelly Fleming) Gerald Spring (brother of Howard Spring) Births: Edison Dean Adams born on Monday, Nov. 7 to Alison (Harvey) and Rob Adams. Proud grandparents are Don and Pam Seidelmann. Margaret Frances Gutgesell, daughter of Christopher and Karen Gutgesell, on Sunday, Nov. 27. Our love and sympathy to the families of: Julia Griffiths (sister of Frank Bunk) Bob McCullum (brother-in-law of Char Jessie)... Harold Kehrberg (father of Diane Gutgesell) Family and friends serving overseas: Chaplain Jess Abbott (friend of Jen Tatz) David Frashier (son of mike and Denise Frashier) T.J. Smith (friend of Morgan Melton) Colin Steffa (son of Meredith Dobyns) Nick Swenson (nephew of Barb Driver). Would you like to add your prayers? For Sunday Prayers: Contact church secretary, Diane, at or glcoffice@gethsemane.org before 12:00 noon on Thursday. After that time, you will have the opportunity in worship to name those silently or aloud during the prayers. For prayers during the week: Call Beryl Cumberland ( ) or Barbara Nelson ( ). Baptisms: Joel Willey Ndossi, son of Hilda Lyatuu and Eric Ndossi, on Sunday, Nov

8 COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS Congregation Council OFFICERS: President Carol Prigan Vice-President Mark Hagerdorn Secretary Heidi Hiller Treasurer Rick Langner MEMBERS: Janice Dunham Harry Lyatuu Morgan Melton Dave Norman Joe Reilly Highlights of Council Meeting November 10, 2011 A copy of the Council and Committee minutes and Financial Report is posted in Atrium Way. PLEASE READ BUT LEAVE POSTED. Take home copies (minus attachments) are available in the Welcome Center. PASTOR S REPORT Pastor June outlined her presentation for the congregational meeting on Nov. 20 including a report from the house meetings and moving forward in There will be 10 new members joining Gethsemane and one Baptism on Sunday, November 20 th. SECRETARY S REPORT Devotions are needed for the December Council Meeting. Joe Reilly and Rick Langner will lead December devotions. TREASURER S REPORT The Synod suggested an increase in the estimate of giving. GLC will maintain $19,000 as designated in this year s budget. FINANCIAL REPORTS Financial reports were not yet available. Electronic copies will be forwarded to council members. Included in this month s report is Pastor June s moving expense. Over $400 was collected for Pastor Jay s gift. The Audit Report for calendar year 2010 was reviewed. MOTION: (M Hagerdorn, D Norman) vote to accept the report of the audit committee. Carried. Council wishes to acknowledge the work of the audit committee and express their sincere thanks for all the labor that went into the report. MINISTRY TEAMS Health Ministry The Blood Drive is scheduled for December 10 th. There is still a need for donors. Outreach Ministry Team The community work day was a success. 48 volunteered for outside labor, while 7 volunteered to prepare a wonderful lunch. The weather was absolutely perfect. All jobs were finished. OLD BUSINESS As part of the ministry to children and youth, some revisions were made to our Safe Church Policy to update it. MOTION: (J Dunham, R Langner) to approve the Safe Church Policy. Carried. NEW BUSINESS Request has been made to the Properties Committee for the use of the Sanctuary, Great Hall and kitchen for the Storytellers Fundraiser on April 14, Council concurs with Properties regarding fees. Action by Council not required in this situation. continued 8

9 COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS Continued Rick or Brenda will attend the Safety Program for Workman s Compensation. The Congregational Meeting will be held November 20 th immediately following the church service in the Great Hall. ANNOUNCEMENTS - The next regular Swahili Worship Service is scheduled for Sunday, December 4 3:30pm. -The next regular Church Council meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, December 14 7pm. Submitted by Heidi Hiller Highlights of Congregation Meeting November 20, 2011 Carol Prigan called the meeting to order at 11:10am, opening with a reading from Philemon. 75 congregants were in attendance. MOTION: (Hank Langknecht, Judy Kulikowski) to accept minutes from May 21, 2011 Congregational Meetings. Carried. Nancy Feole was recognized and thanked for her work on the Nominating Committee. The following slate of officers and members for Church Council was presented: Mark Hagerdorn - President Morgan Melton Donna Darlage Joe Reilly - Vice-President Dave Norman Alice Siddall - Secretary Gary Radar Rick Langner - Treasurer Tim Mayer Nominating Committee: Barbara Ford MOTION: (Hank Langknecht, Don Dell) to close nominations. Carried. The slate of officers was unanimously approved. Barbara Ford was unanimously approved for the nominating committee. Appreciation was expressed to those who have completed their terms on Council including Carol Prigan, Janice Dunham, Heidi Hiller, and Harry Lyatuu. We continue to hold Harry Lyatuu and his family in constant prayer regarding immigration issues. Pastor June gave a detailed report on the house meetings attended by 101 congregants this fall. The meetings revealed a combination of sadness of past losses and a feeling of excitement/hopefulness about the future. She encouraged the congregation to focus on the dedicated and active membership we have now, celebrate the youth of our congregation, and trust that God has given us enough people to carry out His mission at Gethsemane. It is a new day; let the Holy Spirit move us. Priorities in 2012 include: improving inter-congregational communication, ongoing stewardship, mission/vision/guiding principles, worship planning, and working with Gethsemane s leaders in helping our people grow in the Spirit. MOTION: (Jim Siebert, Howard Spring) to adjourn. Carried. The meeting adjourned at 11:54am. Heidi Hiller, secretary 9

10 Serving This Month December 2011 December 4 9:30 AM December 11 9:30 AM December 18 9:30 AM December 24 7:30 PM December 25 9:30 AM Assist. Minister Elaine Haines Elaine Haines Elaine Haines Elaine Haines Elaine Haines Readers Ushers Judy Kulikowski Carol Savolaine Jim Sauer Paula Sauer Mike Siddall Mark Hagerdorn David Perin Ruth Fortis Ed Savolaine Bob Hagerdorn Barb Driver Jim Driver Hugh Geary Joyce Geary Howard Feole Rachel Murphy Jim Siebert Howard Spring Dick Reuning Judy Reuning Gott. Maeffert Man. Maeffert Diane Langner Rick Langner Brian Murphy Dick Jones Jeff Luedke Wendy Luedke Jen Tatz Paul Siebert Com. Bread Joyce Geary Wayne Melton Lutz Family Com. Care Darlene Norman Darlene Norman Darlene Norman Darlene Norman Darlene Norman Counters Jeff Luedke Wendy Luedke Hugh Geary Joanne Leussing Mary Bardach Hono Lyatuu Dave Reutter Jackson Lyimo DECEMBER 2011 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 6:00p Bells 7:15p Choir 2 7:00a Connections 3 1:30p Swahili Choir 4 8:15a Bible Study 9:30a Worship 10:45a Education 3:30p Swahili Ser. 11 8:15a Bible Study 9:30a Worship 10:45a Education 3:00p Prayer Grp. NEWSLETTER DEADLINE 18 8:15a Bible Study 8:30a Health Min. 9:30a Worship 10:45a Education 11:45a Decorate Christmas Tree 6:30p Caroling 25 9:30a Christmas Day Worship No Education 5 8:00a Reflections 8:00p AA & Al Anon 12 8:00a Reflections 8:00p AA & Al Anon 19 8:00a Reflections 6:00p Day Care 7:30p Prayer Shawl 8:00p AA & Al Anon 26 CHURCH OFFICE & DAY CARE CLOSED 8:00p AA & Al Anon 6 10:30a Staff 1:00p Chapel 3:00p Cantor Connections 7:30p Welcoming in Christ 13 10:30a Staff 1:00p Chapel 6:00p Bells 20 10:30a Staff 1:00p Chapel 27 10:30a Staff No Chapel 7 7:30p Swahili Ministry 14 7:00p Council 21 7:30p Swahili Ministry 8 6:00p Bells 7:15p Choir 15 6:30p P&L Christmas Program 7:30p Choir 22 6:00p Bells 7:15p Choir No Bells No Choir :00a Blood Drive 8:00a Men s Breakfast 1:30p Swahili Choir 16 7:30p Piano Recital 23 CHURCH OFFICE & DAY CARE CLOSED 17 1:30p Swahili Choir 24 7:30p Christmas Eve Worship :30p New Year s Eve Worship 10

11 So Let s Get On With It! 2012 (This report was presented by Pr. June at the Congregational Meeting, November 20, If you would like a copy of the full report including results and reflections on the House Meetings copies are on the welcome desk. ) From going to house meetings and working with Gethsemane and in consultation with the Mutual Ministry Team and Council, Pr. June has decided to focus her work on a few areas for She will be coming to the congregation for help and support on all of these things. If you d like to help in any specific area, please let Pr. June know. Pastorjune@gethsemane.org or Improving Intercongregational communication In the Mutual Ministry and in Council we ve been discussing the five things that were outlined as priorities in the call papers in your search for a pastor. I believe improving intercongregational communication to be one of the more immediate matters we need to focus on. It will help us in the future with other important things like getting the involvement of more members and helping new members become active. Gethsemane has a lot of great things going on! We need to be proud of those things and celebrate them! It s not about flashy marketing or making things more beautiful. It s about figuring out what people need and getting it out to them without them having to wonder or search around for it. My plans include making the Narthex more informative and making information easy and predictable to find. We ll start this as soon as we can! Stewardship Mark Hagerdorn and I have gotten together a group of people to discuss efforts for a year-long effort to encourage giving to the church both financially and in time and gifts. The first discussion will be after Thanksgiving. Begin working with Gethsemane s Leaders I would like to start working with Gethsemane s leaders (chairs of committees, etc.) to encourage and help to figure out how best to work together. We would start working on the issue of intercongregational communication right away. A question I would like to eventually start thinking about is how do we focus less on maintaining our programs and more on helping our people grow in the Spirit? How do we use what we do to build the body of Christ at Gethsemane? Mission/Vision / Guiding principles Having a Vision for the church is a necessity. I know that many of you have gone through vision and long-range planning sessions and the work to create a vision (there is one on the web site!) But the make-up of the church has changed quite a bit since the last one was developed and if people don t know what the vision is, it s not doing the church much good. I m still considering the best resource for doing this. I would like to do this earlier in the year possibly January and February if possible. Worship Tim and I are both still getting our feet wet trying to find the rhythm of Gethsemane s worship. With the both of us being new, this is taking a little longer than I originally expected. We ve heard some people s desire for more opportunities for contemporary worship and music. This year we will have a conversation with interested people about what contemporary means to them. I would like to schedule this before April. I have also mentioned starting a lectionary bible study/prayer group which will guide our prayers and concerns for the week in worship and possibly lead to a creative worship planning team. I am eager to see where the next year takes us! I will be relying on your on-going leadership, input, prayers, ideas, help, support and friendship. And we will all rely on the ever-present Spirit of God! -- Pr. June Wilkins 11