Parish Rebuilder. The Reformation and Papal Indulgences. October 2015 Monthly Newsletter Volume 15 Issue 10

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1 Parish Rebuilder ST. LUKE S LUTHERAN CHURCH WILSON ST. LA MESA, CA October 2015 Monthly Newsletter Volume 15 Issue 10 We invite you to join St. Luke's Lutheran Church Please contact Amy in the office to discuss membership or to arrange an appointment with the pastor: or office-sllc@att.net Office hours are: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Table of Contents Pastor Mark page 1 Youth &Thank you page 3 WSL page 4 Parish Potpourri page 6 Special Dates/Worship Text page 7 Prayer Calendar page 8 Worship Teams page 9 Monthly Calendar page 10 The Reformation and Papal Indulgences As most Lutherans are aware, the Reformation began quietly and unofficially on 31 October 1517 when Luther published his Ninety-five Theses, also known as the Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences. These brief statements initiated a cascade of publications which would rock the church into the present day. The main theological issue then, as now, is the doctrine of justification by faith alone. In other words, one either receives salvation as a free gift from God won on the cross through Christ alone through faith, or one contributes in some way to one s salvation through merit-earning good works. In other words, either Christ has done enough or he had not for our salvation. In the Roman Church s teaching, souls which are not pure enough for entry into heaven upon death are sent to Purgatory (from word to purge ) to have their sins removed through fiery torment. To shorten one s time in Purgatory, the Pope can issue special reprieves, called Indulgences. Neither Purgatory or Indulgences has any biblical foundation. As many recall, in 1999 the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the Vatican signed the so-called Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification. Through this sham document, many claim that Lutherans and Catholics now have basic agreement on justification by faith. Since 1999, however, the Vatican has issued many Indulgences. Furthermore, in 2017, many LWF member churches plan to celebrate the Reformation with the Roman Church, which still condemns Luther as a heretic. In the meantime, the Vatican s Apostolic Penitentiary officially continues to issue Indulgences. The latest Indulgence can be obtained from the First Sunday in Advent 2014 until 02 February The

2 whole text of this Indulgence is as follows. Note that this Indulgence can be applied to souls in Purgatory. URBIS ET ORBIS Decree by which are established the works to be performed in order to obtain the gift of Indulgences on the occasion of the Year of Consecrated Life The Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, having requested that this Apostolic Penitentiary duly determine the conditions to obtain the gift of Indulgences with which the Holy Father Francis, on the occasion of the forthcoming Year of Consecrated Life, intends to extend for the spiritual renewal of religious Institutes, with the utmost fidelity to the charism of the founder, and in order to offer to the faithful of the whole world a joyful occasion to confirm Faith, Hope, and Charity in communion with Holy Roman Church, under the most special mandate of the Roman Pontiff, this Apostolic Penitentiary willingly grants Plenary Indulgence, under the usual conditions (Sacramental Confession, Eucharistic Communion, and prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father), to all the individual members of Institutes of Consecrated Life, and to the other faithful truly contrite and moved by the spirit of charity, to be obtained from the First Sunday in Advent of the current year until 2 February 2016, that can be also applied as suffrage for the souls in Purgatory: a) In Rome, every time they take part in International Meetings and celebrations on the calendar established by the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, and for an appropriate amount of time, dedicate themselves to pious thoughts, concluding with the Our Father, the Profession of Faith in any legitimately approved form, and pious invocations to the Blessed Virgin Mary; Members of Institutes of Consecrated Life who, due to illness of other grave cause, are prevented from visiting these holy places can equally obtain the Plenary Indulgence if, with complete detachment from any sin and with the intention of accomplishing as soon as possible the three usual conditions, accomplish a spiritual visit with deep desire and offer the infirmities and pain of their own life to the Merciful God through Mary, with the addition of prayers as indicated above. In order that access to the attainment of this divine grace through the keys of the Church, may more easily be obtained through pastoral charity, this Penitentiary diligently exhorts the Canon Penitentiaries, capitularies, the priests of the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies for Apostolic Life and all those duly authorized to hear confessions, offer themselves readily and with a generous spirit to celebrate in the Sacrament of Penance and administer Holy Communion to the sick often. The present Decree is valid for the Year of Consecrated Life. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary. Promulgated in Rome, at the Apostolic Penitentiary, 23 November 2014, the Solemnity of Christ, King of the Universe. Cardinal Mauro Piacenza Major Penitentiary Msgr Krzysztof Nykiel Regent apost_penit/documents/rc_trib_appen_doc_ _anno -vita-consacrata_en.html [Maybe the Vatican will issue a special Reformation Indulgence for the Lutheran World Federation in 2017!] Congratulations to the Alfelds On 09 September 2015, Louis and Lois Alfeld celebrated their 65 th wedding anniversary. With the help of Thelma Pace and the Alfelds two sons, Lou and Stan, the church held a reception for them on 13 September. We wish to congratulate Lou and Lois on their outstanding achievement and wish them God s continued blessings for their lives together. 2

3 St. Luke s Theological Academy This autumn, St. Luke s Theological Academy (SLTA) is offering four courses. They are Introduction to the Christian Faith - Pastor Mark Menacher (starting Sunday, 13 September, 4:00-5:30pm), Reformation Theology - Pastor Rob Lawson (starting Tuesday, 15 September, 7:00-8:30 pm), Introduction to the New Testament - Pastor John Kent (starting Tuesday, 15 September, 7:00-8:30 pm), and Liturgy and Church Music - Pastor Rob Lawson (starting Thursday, 17 September, 7:00-8:30 pm). If you did not have a chance to take one of these courses this time, they will probably be offered again in the future. Louis & Lois Alfeld 65th Wedding Anniversary 3 Condolences to the Davies Family We wish to express our sincerest sympathy to the family of Betty Davies who passed on Sunday, 20 September Betty s long membership and many and varied years of service have helped make St. Luke s the very special congregation that it is. We will miss her greatly, and we will keep her family in our prayers. Pastor Mark Youth Outings Haunted trails: October 24, 2015 Sky zone: November 22, 2015 Caroling: December TBA Game Day: January 17, 2016 Shakeys pizza: February 21, 2016 Monopoly: March 20, 2016 Please see Billy Miles or Pastor Mark for more information. Thank you!! We wish to thank Thelma Pace (Lois sister), our sons, Louis and Stanley, and the St. Luke s Family for making our 65th wedding anniversary special. God bless you and thank you. Louis & Lois Alfeld Looking for a new or used car? PENSKE FORD OF LA MESA Tracy Tapia can help, / ttapia@socalpenske.com Each month our newsletter is published for free due to the advertisements of local businesses. Please take a moment each month and see if the services they provide could help you

4 4 Women of St. Luke s Praise the Lord with the harp; make melody to HIM with an instrument of ten Sing to HIM a new song; play skillfully a shout of joy Psalms 33: 2-3 strings. September was busy, very hot (weather wise) actually miserable but during the warmest days, our lower level was transformed into huge craft fair put on by Judy Kirk and over 36 crafters who have followed her for over 30 years. If you didn t have the opportunity to walk through the maze of craft booths you missed quite a treat. There was everything for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, gifts of every kind, wood art, jewelry, clothing, stuffed this, stuffed that, homemade toffees, cheeses, jellies, pickles, name it they had it. Thanks to Judy s generosity, WSL was able to have an opportunity drawing with one of our quilts (won by Pastor), and nine baskets filled with all kind of donations from the vendors. The craft show was a very popular place to be, no matter how hot it was. I wouldn t have been surprised if we hit 100 degrees on the first afternoon in the lower level. It was very busy the entire three days. Thank you, Ms. Judy, you hit a grand slam. The choir is back! Our fearless leader Sue Caldwell is preparing lots of good music for all of us to shout about. We welcome you to come and make beautiful music with us. We meet every Wednesday evening at 7 PM in the Fireside Room and are usually on our way home around 8:30 PM. We also practice before service in the sanctuary at 8:30 AM every Sunday. We welcome men and women. Please come! As we all know many activities around the campus depends on all of us to volunteer and help. The WSL board have discussed this situation and you too have noticed that we are getting older. Yes, we do have younger families, but we just don t have the folks who can come forward to offer their help. We do appreciate all members, young and old, who step up to the plate. Every Sunday there are refreshments and fellowship after service. We find the same people signing up and we couldn t do it without them. If you would like to sign up but the task seems daunting, why not sign up with a friend or new member? Altar Guild takes two hours of your time on Saturday and less than an hour on Sunday for two months out of the year. If you are new to the church, how great it is to join a small group of about 3-4, this is a great opportunity to get to know members and at the same time you are preparing for our Sunday service. Call Bev Holland at , she can tell you more. We also would like to have men help, Mary Ann Boullain s Joe helps out, Pete Mylerberg is helping when Karen, his wife, is serving. We can always use help in bringing food, assisting in serving and clean up at the receptions after a funeral/memorial service is greatly appreciated by the grieving family, again you strengthen the friendships one makes. The second and fourth Tuesday of the month the Project Day Ladies meet in the lower level. There are usually only four sometimes five women working on the quilts. Our quilts are donated to (1) Lutheran World Relief) and (2) prayer quilts go to members our congregation who are inbound. Shirley Carrington leads this group. She is our WSL secretary, usher, projectionist, and Altar Guild leader of one small group. That s not all, she is a woman with many skills and talents. We thank Shirley for her continued contributions to St. Luke s. What to expect in the coming months: Soon an evening Bible Circle will start. For those of you who work, or would like to get away from for an evening of study and fellowship, and who really want to learn more about our faith,

He will be bringing the games and tools they use to teach the children of God s Glory.

5 5 this is for you. Be watching for an invitation in the next few weeks. Advent Festival will be on December 6 in the lower level. This will be a potluck, and our guest speaker is Craig Libby from Mexican Medical Ministries. He will speak about their work in Mexico and how they teach God s word to whole villages and farm workers. He will be bringing the games and tools they use to teach the children of God s Glory. If you have any medical equipment such as walkers, canes, crutches you don t know what to do with, bring them that day. The equipment will go to the hospital and clinics they support. We will be sending out a list of needs as we get closer to the date. For the spring, we are in the planning stages of a Spring Tea, tentatively set for April 17, More information forth coming. A Fall Retreat is also being planned for Our Thank Offering is in the month of October and envelopes will be in the Sunday bulletins beginning October 4th. WSL relies on your donations to help us fund the various organizations we have chosen to support. WSL supports the local communities needs rather than to large corporations such as Housing For Homeless Students in La Mesa partnering with the Interfaith Council of La Mesa and the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District; TACO; Heifer Intern l; Lutheran Social Services; Lutheran World Relief; Mexican Medical Ministries; Lutheran Border Concerns; Voices for Children; Such as I Have mission in SD, MAF, Just in Time, SD Rescue Mission, Survivors of Torture SD, private needs and more. Survivors of Torture luncheon attendees: (left to right) Marilyn Burns, Margi Buller, Mary Ann Boullain, Angie Hauk, Betty Wiedmer, Marge Hersom and Marge Bitter; not pictured Pastor Mark Menacher, Shirley Carrington and Amy Hoffman. BOOK CLUB October brings us an interesting read by Jonas Jonasson The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared. "This quirky novel is a sly, satirical look back at international relations in the 20th century through the eyes of an old man who has seen it all." Library Journal Whether you join us for one book or more, we are always happy to share a good book with members and non-members alike on the last Wednesday of the month at noon for a potluck lunch, unless noted otherwise. Darcy Barghols We thank all who teach Sunday School, serve on the Worship Teams, the Altar Guild Church Council, WSL board, Amy and Eugenio who both go beyond their job classifications to help and last but not least, Pastor Mark for his continued support I guess you might call this a TIME and TALENT type of letter. May you all have a wonderful fall with GOD Marge Hersom WSL president

6 Parish Potpourri The office has received no phone calls from anyone interested in forming social dinner groups. To recap: couples and/or individuals would meet in each other s homes, have a meal together and become more aware of interests, skills, hobbies, etc. Did you forget to call? Here s another chance! The Applegates have returned from a three-week trip to Illinois to attend their high school class reunion and they did some other fun stuff, of course. Just ask Martha or Dick. Angie Hauk and her 2 sister visited Victoria, Canada for several days on a 3 Sisters trip. Darcy Barghols traveled on the same trip she took as a graduating senior through the Eastern United States. Although her travel partner was unable to join her, Darcy still retraced the trip they had long since enjoyed. This month s smile: RELIGIOUS GOLFING Moses, Jesus, and an old man are golfing. Moses steps up to the tee and hits the ball. It goes sailing over the fairway and lands in the water trap. Moses parts the water and chips the ball onto the green. Jesus steps up to the tee and hits the ball. It goes sailing over the fairway and lands in the water trap. Jesus just walks on the water and chips the ball onto the green. The old man steps up to the tee and hits the ball. It goes sailing over the fairway and heads for the water trap. But just before it falls into the water, a fish jumps up and grabs the ball in its mouth. As the fish is falling back down into the water, an eagle swoops down and grabs the fish in its claws. The eagle flies off over the green, where a lightning bolt shoots from the sky and barely misses it. Startled, the eagle drops the fish. When the fish hits the ground, the ball pops out of its mouth and rolls into the hole for a hole-in-one. Jesus then turns to the old man and says, Dad, if you don t stop fooling around, we won t bring you next time. Martha Applegate 6 WSL is collecting Thank Offering envelopes throughout November. Your generosity allows us to support many worthy causes throughout the year as well as respond to emergency situations worldwide through Lutheran World Relief.

Happy Birthday Louis Alfeld Disa Campbell Victoria Hauk Jack Hendrickson Gail Knippelmeyer Matthew Mylerberg WORSHIP TEXT October 4th Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost First Lesson Genesis 2: 18 24

7 Happy Birthday Louis Alfeld Disa Campbell Victoria Hauk Jack Hendrickson Gail Knippelmeyer Matthew Mylerberg WORSHIP TEXT October 4th Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost First Lesson Genesis 2: Second Lesson Hebrews 1: 1 4; 2: 5 12 Gospel Lesson Mark 10: Happy Anniversary Dallas & Betty Murray Are we missing your special event? Your Birthday or Anniversary? Please let Amy know in the office so we can acknowledge and honor all members of the church on their special day. October 11th Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost First Lesson Amos 5: 6 7; Second Lesson Hebrews 4: Gospel Lesson Mark 10: October 18th Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost First Lesson Isaiah 53: 4 12 Second Lesson Hebrews 5: 1 10 Gospel Lesson Mark 10: October 25th Reformation Sunday First Lesson Jeremiah 31: Second Lesson Romans 3: Gospel Lesson John 8: 31 36

8 OCTOBER PRAYER CALENDAR 8 To God be the Glory! 1 Psalm 29 2 John 1: 14, John 2: Psalm 19: John 11: 1-4 Glory be to God the Father! 6 John 12: Glory be to God the Son! 7 John 13: Glory be the God the Spirit! 8 John 14: God eternal, Three in One! 9 John 16: John 17: 1-5 Glory be to God who loved us, 11 Philippians 1: 9-11 Washed from us each spot and stain1 12 Ephesians 1: Glory be to Him who bought us, 13 Ephesians 3: Now with God on high to reign! 14 Psalm 34: Philippians 2: 5-11 Glory, blessing, praise eternal! 16 II Thessalonians 1: Thus the choir of angels sings. 17 I Timothy 1: Honor, riches, pow r, dominion! 18 II Timothy 4: Thus its praise creation brings. 19 Psalm 79: I Peter 4: Hymn Hebrews 1: 1-4 Verses 1, 2, 4 22 Hebrews 2: 5-9 Lutheran Book of Worship 23 Psalm 115: 1 24 Romans 15: II Corinthians 4: Hebrews 13: Psalm 85: Psalm 66: Revelation 21: Revelation 4: Revelation 5: 11-14

9 OCTOBER WORSHIP TEAMS Reader Laurie Floren (10/4 & 10/11) Judi Dunnigan (10/18 & 10/25) Altar Guild Bev Holland Sound Technician Roger Caldwell 4th Communion Assistant Bread Ted Olsen Prayers of the People Pastor Mark Menacher Projectionist Richard Utley Communion Assistants Wine Marge Hersom & Thelma Pace Greeters Ellis Petersen & Loraine Wininger Usher Team George Hauk Acolytes Stuart Olsen and Grace Menacher 11th Communion Assistant Bread Ted Olsen Prayers of the People MaryAnn Boullain Projectionist Gail Knippelmeyer Communion Assistants Wine Darcy Barghols & Karen Skullerud Greeter JoAnn Hendrickson Usher Team Shirley Carrington Acolytes Stuart Olsen and Ryan Yerger 18th Communion Assistant Bread Terry East/Darcy Barghols Prayers of the People Martha Applegate Projectionist Richard Utley Communion Assistants Wine Shirley Carrington & Thelma Pace Greeters Marilyn Burns & Marie Handley Usher Team Chuck Hersom Acolytes Jayden Miles and Ryan Yerger 25th Communion Assistant Bread Terry East/Darcy Barghols Prayers of the People Randy Engel Projectionist TBA Communion Assistant Wine Liz Dunnigan & Marge Hersom Greeters Darcy Barghols Usher Team Randy Engel Acolytes Jayden Miles and Grace Menacher 9

10 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 9:00 am Worship 10:30 am Sunday School 4:00 pm SLTA 11 9:00 am Worship 10:30 am Sunday School 4:00 pm SLTA 18 9:00 am Worship 10:30 am Sunday School 4:00 pm SLTA 25 9:00 am Worship Congregational Quarterly Meeting 4:00 pm SLTA 5 9:00 am Counters 12 OFFICE CLOSED 19 9:00 am Counters 26 9:00 am Counters 6 Noon WSL 13 9:00 am Counters 9:30 am Project Day 12:30 pm Rebekah Circle 6:30 pm Council meeting :30 am Project Day OCTOBER :00 am Staff 7:00 pm Choir 14 11:00 am Staff 7:00 pm Choir 21 11:00 am Staff 7:00 pm Choir 28 11:00 am Staff Noon Book Club 7:00 pm Choir :00 am Deborah Circle am Altar Guild 9-10 am Altar Guild 9-10 am Altar Guild 9-10 am Altar Guild Youth Outing Haunted Trails 9-10 am Altar Guild

11 S T. L U K E S L U T H E R A N C H U R C H W I L S O N S T. L A M E S A, C A Phone: Webpage: office-sllc@att.net NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID EL CAJON,CA PERMIT NO 262 Dated Material October 2015 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED A WARM WELCOME TO ALL Worship Service: Sundays, 9:00 am During service childcare is available for ages 5 and under in Lower Level. Sunday School for all ages after worship service in Lower Level classrooms. St. Luke s Theological Academy four courses: Intro to Christian Faith Sundays at 4:00pm Reformation Theology Tuesdays at 7:00pm Intro to the New Testament Tuesdays at 7:00pm Liturgy & Hymns Thursdays at 7:00pm Office Closed October 12th. Quarterly Congregational Meeting October 25th after worship service. St. Luke s Mission Statement: We are called as a community of Christians saved by grace through faith alone in Jesus Christ to spread the Holy Gospel in word, sacrament, and action soli deo gloria.

Parish Rebuilder. Fly the White Flags? Epiphany Party January 7th 5:30pm Quarterly Congregational Meeting January 22nd after 9:00 am service

Parish Rebuilder. Fly the White Flags? Epiphany Party January 7th 5:30pm Quarterly Congregational Meeting January 22nd after 9:00 am service Parish Rebuilder ST. LUKE S LUTHERAN CHURCH - 5150 WILSON ST. LA MESA, CA 91942 619-463-6633 www.st-lukes-la-mesa.org January 2017 Monthly Newsletter Volume 17 Issue 1 We invite you to join St. Luke's