Gethsemane Lutheran Church The Leaf

Transcription

1 November 2011 Volume 44,, Issues 11 The Leaf a monthly publication of GLC Gethsemane Lutheran Church The Leaf 35 East E Stanton Avenue Columbus OH Pastor Rev. June A. Wilkins pastorjune@gethsemane.org Music Ministries ies 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 etary Diane Gutgesell glcoffice@gethsemane.org Custodians Kate and Shana Bumster In this Issue Worship Ministry P. 2 Illuminati P. 3 AduLt Ed P. 4 Service Day P. 5 House Meetings P. 6 Prayer Concerns P. 7 Council Highlights P. 8 Thanksgiving Eve Worship Wednesday, November 23 7:30 PM at North Community Lutheran Church 140 Morse Road We will join together with North Community and Clinton Heights to worship this Thanksgiving Eve. A combined choir will be part of the celebration. The offering will be given to the LSS food pantry; canned goods will also be accepted. After worship, we will have a pie reception. Gethsemane will need to bring 5 pies. If you would like to bring a pie, let Pr. June know (pastorjune@gethsemane.org).

2 STAFF Good Party or Bad Party? By Pastor June Wilkins The Outreach Committee is doing a great job of making sure that visitors are greeted. But welcoming is not just the job of a few people, it s the job of the whole church everyone. And it doesn t stop at someone s first visit. How do new members find their way around? How do they get involved? How do they become part of a Ministry Team? How do they know who to contact about something? As we welcome more people into our congregation, these are things we need to spend some time thinking about. The usual church response of we just know these things won t do. We have to consider how to be welcoming in aspect of our church life together. Imagine you attend a party where you don t know anyone. People are gathered around in groups talking to one another. No one stops their conversation to greet you. When you go up to someone, you get a brief courteous smile. People say hi, but do not engage you in conversation. People look at you to see if they know you. When they don t, they give you a smile and look away and talk to someone they know. You don t get introduced to anyone else. This is how the party goes until you leave with a hand shake from the host and a simple thank you for coming. A year ago, Gethsemane gave a considerable amount of time and thought into putting together a beautiful Statement of Welcome. It s a wonderful statement, but to make it really mean something, we have to make sure we intentionally put our actions behind it So say Hi to someone new this Sunday. Ask a newer member to help you out with something at the church. Post the time of your meeting in a place where everyone can find it. Ask someone to have coffee with you. Make sure that everyone enjoys the party! You would feel very unwelcomed at that party, wouldn t you? You probably would tell your friends that it was a bad party. And if there was another party at that house, you would probably make an excuse and not come to it. Unfortunately, this is the experience that many visitors have in churches every week. As regular church goers we develop our own circle of friends and acquaintances, duties and interests and we sometimes forget what it s like to come into a strange place. Even churches that envision themselves as welcoming can let visitors fall through the cracks. 2

3 WORSHIP Worship Ministry Team What are those people DOING? Have you ever asked this question about the Worship Ministry Team? What follows aims to provide a partial answer. If you want to know more talk with, write, , or call one of the members of the WMT: Don Dell, Barbara Ford, Elaine Haines, Arlene Hendrickson, Hank Langknecht, Jeff Luedke, Brian Lutz, Dave Norman, Jim Sauer, Dr. Tim Guenther, Pr. June Wilkins. The work of the WMT can be thought of in two categories: logistics and worship planning. The former includes things like: writing guidelines for and training worship servers (e.g. ushers, communion servers) supporting the work of the Sacristan in such tasks as communion care, care of altar coverings, candelabra, baptismal materials, etc. coordinating sanctuary decoration and preparation changing banners, moving baptismal font, hanging banners for festival Sundays, keeping font, candles and other sanctuary accoutrements in good repair. in coordination with the Properties Manager, improving sanctuary lighting and sound systems. monitoring the condition of acolyte and assisting minister robes and arranging for purchase of new ones as needed. coordinating with Pastor and Director of Music Ministry in hiring guest preachers and musicians. This list could easily be extended, but perhaps the point is clear all those details that must be attended in order for worship to happen smoothly are things of concern to the WMT. The other category of issues is more long-range in its focus. Here, for example, we discuss and decide about liturgies to be used for upcoming seasons of the church year, about when special services (e.g. Thanksgiving eve, New Year s eve) will be held, develop guidelines for reimbursement of guest preachers and musicians, and the use of funds set aside for arts and major musical works. Current discussions in this area include: Purchase of new liturgical art for use in the sanctuary and/or other areas of the church. Strategies for ensuring diversity in our worship styles. Enhancing involvement of members in worship planning through creation of bible-study groups around the lectionary. Facilitating communication between the WMT and the congregation. We welcome your comments and would be pleased to hear from you. Illuminati to Sing on December 4 Through its mission of Voices Raised, Lives Changed Illuminati works to break down barriers by performing sacred music for worship services. Illuminati is a nonauditioned subset 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. 3

4 LEARN Congregation Meeting Nov. 20 SACRAMENTS Communion Dec. 4, 11, 18 Adult Bible Study Sundays at 8:15AM in the Library Into the Promised Land The current Bible study Into the Promised Land follows the Israelites into Canaan. 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 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 rhlyndes@wowway.com or Lifetime Learning Sundays at 10:45AM in the Library Christian Education about life, for life, and for a lifetime SACRAMENTS Baptism Nov. 6, 13, 27 Most of us have been baptized, we ve been to baptisms, we want our children and our grandchildren to be baptized. But what is baptism? Where did it come from? Why do we do it? How does it work? Are we doing it the right way? Are we doing it for the right reasons? These and other gripping questions will be asked (and maybe answered) in this first half of a 6 week series on the sacraments taught by Pr. June. For 3 weeks we ll talk about Baptism: its origins, scriptural references, how it s been used in history and what it means to us today. Pr. June continues the six week series on the sacraments. Most of us take Communion every week, but it can still be a mystery to us. As well as bringing people together, it has also been a cause of separation among Christians. What did this sacrament look like in the early church? Who should be getting this sacrament? Should we do it another way? And what about Luther? In these last three weeks we ll cover Communion: its origins, the uses in the church and discuss what it means to us today. Looking Ahead to November Thanksgiving Eve, Nov. 23, we will worship at North Community Lutheran Church on Morse Road, (right behind TeeJay s Restaurant.) We will join together with North Community and Clinton Heights and a combined choir will be part of the celebration. The offering will be given to the LSS food pantry; canned goods will also be accepted. After worship, we will have a pie reception. Gethsemane will need to bring 5 pies. If you would like to bring a pie, let Pr. June know (pastorjune@gethsemane.org). Serve Sale will be held on Sundays, Nov. 13, 20, and 27. Do your Christmas shopping early and purchase unique gifts at the sale. Advent Tree of Needs will be up in the Atrium beginning Sunday, Nov. 27. The tree will be filled with ornaments listing the needs of various agencies that Gethsemane supports. You can choose an ornament and fulfill the need. Deadline Dec

5 SERVE Gethsemane s Fall Service Day Part II: Doing the Work This fall, the Outreach Ministry Team is sponsoring an event to reach out to the neighborhood around the church. On November 5 th we will have a Service Day where our members will help local homeowners with small repair or maintenance projects around their homes and yards. We thank the volunteers who walked the neighborhood delivering flyers to the homes. We have received over twenty requests and now need the workers to fill them. If you haven t signed up, please do so in the narthex on Sunday or contact someone on the Outreach Ministry Team. Or, if you have any questions, contact Jim Siebert ( ), Gary Rader ( ) or Joe Reilly ( ) or contact Jim at jsiebert@columbus.rr.com. Gethsemane members busy raking leaves. 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. 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 Mom s Group Becky Lickfelt rrlickfelt@yahoo.com Last Chance to Sign Up for a House Meeting Pastor June would like to help the congregation review its past in order for us to go into the future. As stated in her August newsletter article: All congregations have conflicted or trying times in their past it is a natural part of being a community of many varied people. We share wonderful, uplifting times together. That s also a natural part. Sometimes, the inclination in the church is to just let our emotions pass and try and process everything good and bad individually... Whether the units of time are wonderful or terrible, they tend to have a way of coming back up again and again. And sometimes they keep us from going forward... To that end I would like to engage Gethsemane in a little bit of reflection on your past in order to prepare for our future together, We will do this in the form of house meetings of about people beginning August 31.See the list below for the times and hosts. November 1 Don Dell and Violet Meek ( ) 7:00 pm 209 W. Beechwold Boulevard, Columbus November 7 Dick and Judy Reuning ( ) 7:00 pm 4384 Kenmont Place, Columbus, November 13 Joe and Bonnie Reilly ( ) 7:00 pm 2259 Olde Sawmill Boulevard, Dublin Sign up in the narthex, call the church office ( ) or glcoffice@gethsemane.org for the house meeting that is most convenient for you. LWR Quilts Ruth Fortis ruthfortis@sbcglobal.net Prayer Shawls glcoffice@gethsemane.org OR Call the Church Office Gethsemane sent 147 quilts and 25 Health Kits to Lutheran World Relief 6

7 PEOPLE NEWS November Birthdays 2 Hank Langknecht 5 Sue Jones Jacob Langknecht Eric Norris Nevin Woods 9 Nancy Feole David Frashier 10 Rowan Fleming 14 Tammy Stoshak 15 Ryan Oldaker 17 Bob Hagerdorn 21 Kate Lutz John Norris 22 Eugene Fisher 24 John Siddall 26 Patti Nelson 27 Ed Savolaine 28 Barbara Ford 30 Michelle Larrimer Morgan Melton Rosalie Taylor 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 (Whetstone Care Center) Marilyn Bosen (Arlington Court) Sibylle Custis Jean Fritchen (Worthington Christian Village) Ken Gerken... Joanne Leussing (Westminster-Thurber) Mary Manship (Wesley Glen) Eleanor Nagy Rob Needham Phyllis Nelson Becky Oldaker (Bennington Glen) Rosalie Taylor Reva Woodruff. Family and friends: Bernice Campbell (aunt of Gary Rader) Katie Kapostasy (niece of Linda Mackov) Irma Kulikowski (sister-inlaw of Dave Kulikowski) Laura Schumacher (cousin of Paula Sauer). Our congratulations to Hilda Lyatuu and eric Ndossi on the birth of their son Joel willey Ndossi on October 7 Phyllis Nelson on the birth of her 21 st great granddaughter Charlotte Mae Dressel on October 12. Our love and compassion to the family of Peg Croswell who passed away October 11. 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 ( ). Surgery this month: Joanne Leussing 7

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 October 13, 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 Gethsemane will be celebrating a joint Thanksgiving worship with Clinton Heights and North Community Lutheran churches on Wednesday, November 23 rd. North Community, on the corner of Morse and High, will host the service. Pastor June is in the process of forming two Bible Studies. One will be a study of the text to inform worship. She is planning to schedule one study during the day and the other in the evening. There are five house meetings left. Anyone who has not yet signed up is encouraged to do so. Many responses have been collected. These will be presented to the congregation when all of the meetings are completed. PRESIDENT S REPORT Ministry Team reports are being submitted to council as requested. The president of Jacob s Porch Board of Directors wants to gift Pastor Jay $4,200 (equivalent to one month s salary) as he leaves for Pilgrim Lutheran in South Carolina at the end of the month. Pastor Jay has been at Jacob s Porch since MOTION: (M Melton, J Reilly) to have a special collection for Pastor Jay at GLC on October 23 rd. Carried. TREASURER S REPORT Council needs to acknowledge that we received the audit. This will be accomplished electronically. The church mortgage is at 5.8%. Joe Reilly will check to see if refinancing would be advantageous at this point. Workman s compensation needs to be renewed. R Langner will follow through with this. FINANCIAL REPORTS GLC -- For the month of September, GLC had a net shortfall of $13,020. This reflects decreased contributions, large maintenance and utility expenses, and quarterly benevolences payments accrued in September and payable in October. Year-todate, GLC has a net surplus of$2,460. The cumulative surplus is $15,080. At month end the working cash totaled $93,451. continued 8

9 COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS Continued Play & Learn -- Play & Learn had a 2 month fiscal year (July-August) to synchronize bookkeeping with their now September-August fiscal year. Their bank balance is stable and they are able to set aside reserve. MINISTRY TEAMS Health Ministry administered flu shots on October 9 th. In conjunction with our safe church policy, background driving records are being checked for persons providing transportation. 18 people have signed up for the blood drive. 4 more donors are needed in order for the blood drive to be approved. OLD BUSINESS The Personnel Committee reviewed the Staff Compensation and Policy Guidelines Handbook. Some change in wording was made to account for a rostered person on staff. All else remained the same. MOTION: (J Dunham, R Langner) to approve the changes to the Staff Compensation and Policy Guidelines Handbook. Carried. There was significant discussion regarding GLC s monetary support of Play & Learn with the possibility of returning a line item in our budget for this purpose. This opened a greater discussion of allocation of resources in other areas of mission and ministry. Council is referring this discussion to the Mission and Ministry Team in the hope that as we define GLC s mission we may sharpen our focus in regard to our giving. Diane is working on a new directory which will include . NEW BUSINESS MOTION: (D Norman, J Reilly) to release funds from the Remembrance Fund to pay Rod Hutton. Carried. MOTION: (J Reilly, R Langner) to approve the use of GLC for a Synchronicity Concert. Carried. The concert is scheduled for February 26, 4pm. Properties had previously given their approval. Pastor Ted Menter and his wife presented Council with a list of needs for First English Lutheran Church on East Main Street (Columbus, Ohio). First English is a model church fulfilling the needs of its neighborhood. Our youth will be attending church there this Sunday, and there is the possibility of building further relationships with them. The list of needs is extensive. The concerns expressed will be forwarded to mission and ministry for further deliberation. Pastor, M Hagerdorn and C Prigan met to map out the direction for ongoing stewardship at GLC. Other members will be included in this process. The idea of a joint GLC- Swahili service was offered for consideration. ANNOUNCEMENTS - The next regular Swahili Worship Service is scheduled for Sunday, November 6 3:30pm. -The next regular Church Council meeting is scheduled for Thursday, November 11 7pm. Submitted by Heidi Hiller 9

10 SERVING THIS MONTH NOVEMBER 2011 November 6 9:30 AM November 13 9:30 AM November 20 9:30 AM Assisting Minister Don Dell Don Dell Don Dell Don Dell November 27 9:30 AM Readers Heidi Hiller Teresa Perin Carol Prigan Scott Prigan Don Seidelmann Pam Seidelmann Wendy Luedke Jeff Luedke Ushers Jim Siebert Gottfried Maeffert Manfred Maeffert Howard Spring Wendy Luedke Jeff Luedke Diane Langner Rick Langner Jen Tatz Paul Siebert Dave Reutter Jane Sieberth Joyce Geary Hugh Geary Mark Geary Joe Reilly Communion Bread Joyce Geary Wayne Melton Carol Savolaine Lutz Family Communion Care Counters Betty Guenther Cathy Jung Mary Bardach Hono Lyatuu Betty Guenther Cathy Jung Dave Reutter Jackson Lyimo NOVEMBER 2011 Betty Guenther Cathy Jung Joyce Davis Betty Guenther Cathy Jung Dan Erwin Mark Geary Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 10:30a Staff 1:00p Chapel 7:00p House 2 3 6:00p Bells 7:15p Choir 4 7:00a Connections 5 1:30p Swahili Choir 6 8:15a Bible Study 9:30a Worship 10:45a Education 3:30p Swahili Ser. 13 8:15a Bible Study 8:30A Health Min. 9:30a Worship 10:45a Education 3:00p Prayer Grp. 7:00p House Mtg. 20 8:15a Bible Study 9:30a Worship 10:45a Education 10:45a Congregation Mtg. 27 8:15a Bible Study 9:30a Worship 10:45a Education 7 7:30a Reflections 7:00p House 8:00p AA & Al Anon 14 7:30a Reflections 8:00p AA & Al Anon 21 7:30a Reflections 6:00p Day Care 7:30p Prayer Shawl 8:00p AA & Al Anon 28 7:30a Reflections 6:00p Thrivent 8:00p AA & Al Anon 8 10:30a Staff 1:00p Chapel 15 10:30a Staff 1:00p Chapel 22 10:30a Staff 1:00p Chapel 7:00p Worship Ministry Team 29 10:30a Staff 1:00p Chapel 9 7:30p Swahili Ministry 10 6:00p Bells 7:00p Council 7:15p Choir :00p Bells 7:15p Choir 23 7:30p Swahili Ministry 7:30p Thanksgiving Eve at North Community CHURCH OFFICE & DAY CARE CLOSED :00a Men s Breakfast 1:30p Swahili Choir :30p Swahili Choir 25 CHURCH OFFICE & DAY CARE CLOSED 26 1:30p Swahili Choir 10

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