Plain old tap water? Not when The Word makes it holy

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November 2018 Plain old tap water? Not when The Word makes it holy By Rev. Jeff Zell Over the years, I have scandalized a few devout, well-meaning Christians.

So, what I am remembering at this moment is the few times when I have forgotten to tell the Altar Guild in a timely manner that there will be a baptism on a particular date.

1 November 2018 Plain old tap water? Not when The Word makes it holy By Rev. Jeff Zell Over the years, I have scandalized a few devout, well-meaning Christians. I don t intend to do this, but I am so thoroughly ensconced in Lutheran theology I just do certain things without thinking. So, what I am remembering at this moment is the few times when I have forgotten to tell the Altar Guild in a timely manner that there will be a baptism on a particular date. At the last minute I scurry about getting all the parts assembled. Inevitably, about the time that I am getting the water for the baptism, someone sees me getting water out of the tap and then taking it to the font. The question: Pastor, where do you keep the holy water for the baptism? My response: The tap. We use regular water here. Their response: Always with concerned look on face, occasionally dropped jaw, Oh. Then, I go on to say in my own words the following words of Martin Luther found in the Small Catechism. Baptism is not simply plain water. Instead, it is water used according to God s command and connected with God s word. What makes the plain old tap water of our fair city good enough for a baptism is that God s holy Word is connected to it. The Word is what makes the water holy. What is this Word? Luther writes in the Small Catechism: Where our Lord Christ says in Matthew 28, God therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. God s Word works through the water to convey grace, faith, forgiveness, and salvation. God can do this, because, well, God is God! Here s what s buzzin with the Mary Circle Mary Circle s November meeting will be a special congregational coffee hour at 9:30 a.m., Sunday, Nov, 4 in the Fellowship Hall. Gloria Dei s apiarist-in-residence, Pastor Ken Peterson, will tell us everything we always wanted to know about bees and honey. A special honey applesauce cake will be served using Pastor's bees' honey. The usual first Tuesday of the month meeting will be canceled because it is election day. In December, the circle s annual Christmas Dinner will begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 4, at Parisi s on South Bend Ave. (SR 23) across from Notre Dame. Please let Phyllis Thompson ( ) know if you are attending. There will be a Christmas gift exchange ($5-$10 item) and participation is entirely voluntary. Vol. 120 Issue Fall back to EST on November 3 November is a month of change. For most Hoosiers it brings the end of Daylight Saving Time and the return to Eastern Standard Time. In most of northern Indiana, we gain an hour of shuteye by turning our clocks back one hour before retiring Saturday, Nov. 3 in anticipation of the national time change at 2 a.m. Sunday. That extra hour will be given back next March 10, when we spring forward again. Prayer for Veterans EDITOR S NOTE: Veterans Day, Nov. 11, honors those who served in the United States Armed Forces. It marks the end of World War I at 11:11 a.m. Nov. 11, Pastor Zell found this prayer, appropriate to the day. Gracious Heavenly Father, we are thankful for the freedoms you provide for us in the United States of America. We enjoy freedoms that many other countries do not: the freedom to assemble and to speak words of criticism to our government; the freedom to express our faith; the freedom to work toward economic prosperity; the freedom of movement. There are so many more freedoms that we enjoy here. We treasure our freedoms and those who protect these freedoms. On this Veterans Day we express our gratitude to you and to the men and women who have served in our nation s Armed Forces. They have sacrificed so much for our freedoms. As we pray for those who have served, we also pray for those who serve now in the military. Protect them from physical harm, give peace in Christ to all those who believe and bring to faith those who do not yet have faith in you. We ask these things in the name of Jesus our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Page 2 NewsNotes Bishop Eaton mourns with Jewish community EDITOR S NOTE: Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton wrote this open letter, published on the ELCA Web site, just hours after the mass shooting

Elizabeth Eaton Dear Sisters and Brothers, I write to you with a broken heart for the lives lost, wounded, and shattered by horrific hatred and violence at Tree of Life Congregation this morning.

"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:18). From Pittsburgh to Portland, and around the world, Jews are living in fear. Anti-Semitism is on the rise.

"We recognize in anti-semitism a contradiction and affront to the Gospel, a violation of our hope and calling, and we pledge this church to oppose the deadly working of such bigotry, both within our

2 Page 2 NewsNotes Bishop Eaton mourns with Jewish community EDITOR S NOTE: Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton wrote this open letter, published on the ELCA Web site, just hours after the mass shooting Oct. 27 at a Pittsburgh synagogue that left 11 dead and several more wounded. By Rev. Elizabeth Eaton Dear Sisters and Brothers, I write to you with a broken heart for the lives lost, wounded, and shattered by horrific hatred and violence at Tree of Life Congregation this morning. We join our Jewish neighbors and enter into mourning for all that has been lost. In our grief, God is our comfort. "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:18). From Pittsburgh to Portland, and around the world, Jews are living in fear. Anti-Semitism is on the rise. Public acts of hatred and bigotry against Jews are commonplace. As Christians, and particularly as Lutherans, we deplore and reject this bigotry. "We recognize in anti-semitism a contradiction and affront to the Gospel, a violation of our hope and calling, and we pledge this church to oppose the deadly working of such bigotry, both within our own circles and in the society around us" (1994 Declaration of the ELCA to the Jewish Community). We are reminded that hate-filled violence knows no bounds whether a Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, a Who doesn t love Swedish pancakes? A Gloria Dei Tradition (they re utkost!) 8:30-10:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 3 All-you-can-eat pancakes, plus sausage, juice, lingonberries Don t Miss It! Bring family, bring friends! Nothing better in the world than Swedish pancakes! Proceeds benefit the ministries of Gloria Dei and Broadway Christian Parish Christian church in Charleston, or a Jewish synagogue In Pittsburgh. As people of faith, we are bound together not only in our mourning, but also in our response. Therefore, in this tender moment of grief, let us reach out to those whose hearts are most broken our Jewish neighbors. I encourage you to contact your local synagogue, or your Jewish colleagues, friends, and family members, to share your words of care, support, love, and protection. There may be specific acts you might offer to demonstrate your care, such as when the members of Faith Lutheran Church surrounded Congregation Beth Israel of Chico, California, serving as Shomrim, or guardians, as they observed Yom Kippur following a hate crime in Such simple acts can go a long way to demonstrate our love, as an extension of God's love. As we seek to heal the brokenhearted, we are assured that God is near. There is no greater promise in the face of grief. Noon services only for Advent Wednesdays Advent is closer than your think. It begins Dec. 2 this year. There will be a noon spoken Eucharist' at Gloria Dei on the following Wednesdays: 5th, 12th, 19th. There will be no evening services on Wednesdays. The Worship and Music Committee set the Christmas Eve service at Gloria Dei for 9:30 p.m.. The choir will be singing at the 7 p.m. First English service this year, and the schedule will switch for Christmas Day liturgy at Gloria Dei will be is in the chapel at 10 a.m.

NewsNotes Page 3 November Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 Swedish Pancake Breakfast, 8:30-10:30 a.m. First English bazaar Daylight Saving Time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday 4 All Saints Day Pr.

3 NewsNotes Page 3 November Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Swedish Pancake Breakfast, 8:30-10:30 a.m. First English bazaar Daylight Saving Time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday 4 All Saints Day Pr. Peterson bee presentation at coffee hour 5 1st English council; 6:30 p.m.. 6 Election Day Polls open 6 a..m.-6 p.m. 7 NO BIBLE STUDY: Gloria Dei hosts Synod sponsored Boundary Workshop 8 Spaghetti dinner, Good Shepherd, AYCE, $ Pentecost XXVI Social Ministry 12 Finance committee, 6:30 p.m. 13 Stephen Ministry, noon and 7 p.m., Christ the King 14 BIBLE STUDY: 10 a.m Pentecost XXVII Budget meeting after service Congregation Council, 6:30 p.m.; Bishop Gafkjen invited 21 BIBLE STUDY: 10 a.m. NN Deadline 22 Thanksgiving Day Thanksgiving Holiday: Office closed both days 25 Christ the King 26 27NN Mailed 28 BIBLE STUDY: 10 a.m. 1st English preschool board 29 30

4 Page 4 NewsNotes November Ministry Schedule Nov. 4 All Saints Day (trans.) Nov. 11 Pentecost XXVI Nov. 18 Pentecost XXII Nov. 25 Christ the King Liturgical Assistant John Miller Leslie Miller Dan Lindborg Lisa Suter Servers Thomas Zell Garrett Miller Mackenzie Miller Liam Boyd Madison Weldy Colin Dreher Kora Kazmierzak Tyler Marek Dylan Marek Amelia Marek Lector Ginny Brummitt Patty Carr Beth Wood Bob Suter Communion Assistant Mary Ann Sorocco Melinda Foley Michelle Megyese Don Holmberg Greeters Dorothy Anderson Jean Petersburg Carol & Bob Larson Phyllis Thompson, Lindy Dreher Dolores & John Miller Altar Flowers and Sanctuary Lamp F: Stephen Saine s birthday F: Harvey Holmes F: Gloria and Russ Buysse s anniversary F: Marie Zell s birthday Altar Guild Gloria Buysse, Jill Seifer Mary Ann Sorocco, Dolores Miller, Sheryl Taghon Mary Ann Sorocco, Dolores Miller, Sheryl Taghon Lindy Dreher, Phyllis Thompson Ushers: Harvey Holmes, Stephen Saine, Russ Buysse. Counters: Nov..4: Sorocco and B. Saine; Nov. 11: Lindborg and Fortson; Nov. 18: Forslund and Taylor; Nov. 25: Miller and C. Saine. Ushers scheduled by Russ Buysse, counters by finance committee; Altar Guild by Patty Carr; all others by Jack Seifer (mlkusa@sbcglobal.net)

NewsNotes Page 5 Some of this, a little of that, a smattering of the other, too Pastor Zell has invited Bishop Bill Gafkjen to visit our council meeting on Nov.

Two days prior to the bishop s visit, our congregation will convene to discuss and adopt a budget for 2019. Please pick up a copy of the proposed budget on Nov.11 and plan to stay for the Nov.

Max Johnson s 40- year ordination anniversary Eucharist and reception in September. LIRS has been hailed as a champion for immigrants and refugees around the globe for 80 years.

5 NewsNotes Page 5 Some of this, a little of that, a smattering of the other, too Pastor Zell has invited Bishop Bill Gafkjen to visit our council meeting on Nov. 20 to offer words of encouragement and to share his perspective of the mission of the church in our area. Two days prior to the bishop s visit, our congregation will convene to discuss and adopt a budget for Please pick up a copy of the proposed budget on Nov.11 and plan to stay for the Nov. 18 meeting. We received a note of thanks from Lutheran Immigration and Refugees Services for a donation of $749, which was raised from Dr. Max Johnson s 40- year ordination anniversary Eucharist and reception in September. LIRS has been hailed as a champion for immigrants and refugees around the globe for 80 years. The Web site declares, Our legacy of compassionate service has made a difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of people who have found safety and hope in America s communities Ken Peterson and Suzanne Kjoller represented our two congregations at the Sept. 25 Habitat for Humanity worksite. Ken reported they did light outdoor work, were warmly welcomed by a crew from Lowe s and treated to lunch, Pastor Zell took a chain saw to Free money! It s worth repeating: FREE MONEY!! In fact, $26,000! That is the amount that has gone directly to Building on Faith, our mortgage fund, from the scrip program so far this year ($61,600 since the program began). It is what we ve earned from those of you who have purchased scrip, which can be used to purchase groceries, gas, restaurant meals and more. And now, you cam buy prepaid credit cards, including Visa and Discover, without paying the surcharge you do elsewhere. Buy a $50 Martin s card, and it buys $50 in groceries. Send the kids at college a $100 prepaid credit card for which you some overgrown greenery on the Broadway Christian Parish property. Not only did the work beatify the area, it also improved greatly the visibility for pedestrians along the alleyway. Carol and Brian Saine will be moving to their new house this month. Please make a note of their new address, Waterton Square Circle, Granger, 46530, and send them a card wishing them well in their new digs. It s time to start collecting winter weather items for our annual Socks from Suellen drive. We are looking for athletic socks (many recipients prefer black over white), mittens, stocking caps, scarves and ear muffs. They will be distributed at the post-christmas breakfast we serve to give the Broadway staff an extra day off and at the January Hope Ministries meal. We extend our Christian sympathies to the families of Sheryl Taghon and Leslie and Neil Miller. Sheryl s aunt, Christine Keeler, 66, died Oct. 24 in Mishawaka, following a brief illness. Visitation was Oct. 28 at Palmer Funeral Home, Guisinger chapel. Neil s sister, Joyce Meyer, died unexpectedly Oct. 19. Joyce was 60 and lived in Parke, Pa, where the funeral was held Oct. 24. Scrip: Many ways to be a smart shopper have paid $100, and the collegian has $100 to help get through the semester. Gloria Dei receives a percentage of the sales price, from 3% or 4% and more, and you ll have the satisfaction of helping your church. What could be easier? Scrip table is open Sundays before and after services, so stop by. If we don t have what you re looking for, maybe we can order it. BUILDING ON FAITH REPORT To Sep. 30, 2018 YEAR TO DATE Receipts for September $ 2,205 Mortgage paid for October 2,379 Loan principal on Oct. 1 36,645 Mutual Bank balance on Oct. 1 7,262 Total paid from scrip sales 61,600 At present, 92% of each payment reduces the principal. Current interest rate is 4.95 percent. Mortgage termination date is April Eighteen payments remain. Pledges totaling $150,543 were received in a 2014 fund drive. Congregation should continue making regular contributions and purchasing scrip. Dan Lindborg Oct. 16, 2108 Those who have asked for our prayers include. Lorraina Doolittle, Jordan Cone, Samantha Croymans, Ken, Thelma Lemanski, Mary Lou Elder, Amy Yahle, Jim Olson, Amy Fischettto (friend of Shenemans), Carolyn Scherer, Jack Forslund (Dolores brother), Brian Saine, Mike Cobbler, Jim Carr, Mary Roemer, Pr. Dave Ault, Michael Cobbler, our shut-ins.

Page 6 Gloria Dei Lutheran Church 225 East Haney Ave. South Bend, Indiana 46613 www.gloriadei-in.org NewsNotes Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID South Bend, Indiana Permit No.

6 Page 6 Gloria Dei Lutheran Church 225 East Haney Ave. South Bend, Indiana NewsNotes Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID South Bend, Indiana Permit No. 668 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Celebrating 138 years of faithful ministry of Word and Sacrament. Please notify the church office if a special occasion is missed Rev. Jeff Zell, pastor Hours by appointment Jeff.Zell@yahoo.com Dolores Miller, office administrator Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 8 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Friday 1:30 p.m.-4 p.m. Dolores is off on Wednesday. Office phone: (574) NewsNotes is a monthly publication for members and friends of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 225 E. Haney Ave., South Bend, IN The deadline for submissions is printed in the monthly calendar. Please submit information for the weekly bulletin in writing by noon each Wednesday. NewsNotes Editor: John Miller jdmiller10@hotmail.com Those celebrating birthdays and wedding anniversaries in November include... Karen Siderits Nov. 7 Stephen Saine Nov. 7 Earl Ulbricht Nov. 11 Max Johnson Nov. 15 November Birthdays November Anniversaries Gloria and Russell Buysse Nov. 23 Ann and Fred Dean Nov. 24 David Lute Nov. 19 Sara Ann McCormick Nov. 21 Russell Buysse Nov. 29 Ann Dean Nov. 30

Modest budget still requires good stewardship

December 2017 Vol. 119 Issue 12 Modest budget still requires good stewardship EDITOR S NOTE Personal and Household Stewardship is reprinted from the ELCA Web site. Stewardship, in its simplest form, is