LIFE LINE New Life Lutheran Church Newsletter July 2017

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Harold Melton
5 years ago
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Over the course of this year, I sat in on committees, planned worships, participated in staff meetings, encountered difficult discussions, and pulled back the curtain to see how your church works on

1 LIFE LINE New Life Lutheran Church Newsletter July 2017 Farewell! It's hard to believe that a year has come and gone already! My internship is up and I am off to new adventures. As I go back to the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago for my last year of seminary, I will be thinking about all the gifts New Life gave me. New Life provided me with an invaluable education. Over the course of this year, I sat in on committees, planned worships, participated in staff meetings, encountered difficult discussions, and pulled back the curtain to see how your church works on a day-to-day basis. I had the opportunity to preach twice a month, but even more importantly, you allowed me to experiment with how I write sermons. In this welcoming climate I wrote sermons with monologues, discussion, props, and even baby sea turtles! I sat with people in moments of joy and sadness, learning who I am as a pastoral care giver along the way. I experienced how to lead a committee with the Interfaith Task Force, and followed my passion for interfaith. I prepared and led bible studies, taught 9th grade confirmation, created stewardship skits, attended synod gatherings, chaperoned a retreat, learned about church insurance, capital campaigns and a wide variety of personnel and property concerns...and all of this was possible because of your generosity and willingness to allow me to learn in your midst. New Life gave me a renewed sense of call. Most seminary students go through cycles of certainty and doubt about their call, and I was no different. Coming into this internship, I was intimidated by the role of pastor, and even thought I might not be cut out for the job. But your gentle spirit and willingness to laugh carried me through everything I encountered this year. Your critique strengthened areas of weakness, and your affirmation helped seal away insecurities. In countless ways, I have felt loved, supported, and valued as a voice at New Life. Every hug, every bit of feedback, every meal provided, it all helped me see who I am as a pastoral leader. But the most important gift that New Life gave me was all of you. I have rarely had the opportunity to interact with a congregation that feels as alive as New Life. Your enthusiasm for God and your conviction to do God's Work with your hands inspired me. I was honored to share in your ups and downs, and I will forever treasure the stories and experiences we shared. Throughout this year, I always felt loved and supported, and I will miss that (not to mention all the laughter!). So... the year comes to an end. It's hard to say goodbye, but we know as Christians that no goodbye is forever. And though I may be leaving, all of these gifts will come with me. As I venture into ministry adventures here unknown, the lessons and friendships I made here at New Life will be a part of everything I do. Thank you for allowing me the grace to be who I am, with all the silly mistakes and fumbles, and allowing me to truly belong here, even if just for a short while. This internship program truly makes a difference, and I am excited for Vicar Chelsey to experience the best internship site ever! God be with you until we meet again! In This Issue Welcome and Reception for Vicar Chelsey Olson Interfaith Workshop New diakonia Classes Begin in Fall Summer Meals for Kids and Teens Vicar Evan

WELCOMING the Newest Member of Our Church Family - Vicar Chelsey Olson! Chelsey will begin her internship at New Life July 11 and be with us for one year.

2 WELCOMING the Newest Member of Our Church Family - Vicar Chelsey Olson! Chelsey will begin her internship at New Life July 11 and be with us for one year. This internship will emphasize on-the-job training in all aspects of a congregational ministry. We have an opportunity to support Chelsey and live out a line from our vision statement which is: as a church community created by God for God, we gladly receive and accept all who visit and extend ourselves to help each person on their faith journey. Some interesting facts about Chelsey s faith journey: She was born in Blair Nebraska. Graduated from University of Central Florida with a Bachelor s of Science in Psychology. Has completed 2 years at the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago. Those first two years generally consist of required courses in theology, biblical studies, church history and ministry arts. She has congregational experience with youth group leadership and as a soup kitchen volunteer. Chelsey completed a Clinical Pastoral Education program at Baptist Health Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida. This program provides learning about and experience with pastoral care thru serving in a health care setting. This internship represents her 3rd year of seminary school. For her 4th year, Chelsey will return to seminary to complete her studies. Completing this internship is necessary for her to become an ordained pastor, deacon or associate in ministry. On the personal note, Chelsey listed her hobbies as cooking, hosting community dinners, pottery, sculpting, mediation and salsa dancing! She ll make a nice addition to our creative and vibrant congregation.

3 LEADERSHIP FOR VICAR Chelsey s internship will be based on a learning contract between the pastor and vicar and seminary guidelines. Pastor Rakel will be her immediate supervisor. The internship committee serves to support, evaluate, interpret, challenge and teach Vicar Chelsey how to carry out our ministry with the congregation and community. Members of that committee are: Tom Pavlini, Kathy Aspeitia, Michelle Stoehrmann, Norma Sabine, John Shepard and Carol Mucha. If you have questions or concerns, please share with a member of the committee. CONGREGATIONAL SUPPORT It is our hope that the whole congregation will have the opportunity to interact with Chelsey thru the course of a year. Some helpful hints for the congregation: Tell Chelsey your name each time you meet her for the first few months. It will take a while for her to learn all of our names. Take time to see her as a person help her to feel welcome and included in our congregation and community. Any requests for Vicar Chelsey need to be cleared through Pastor Rakel. Chelsey is not Evan so please do not compare the two. Embrace her unique talents and personality. Remember that Chelsey is a student who comes as a learner/server, not an ordained pastor. Help her grow, allow her to try new things and give grace if something fails. And please include her in your prayers throughout this experience. WELCOME RECEPTION July 16 Chelsey s first day in the office will be July 11. A welcome reception will be held on her first Sunday with us; July 16 after both services. Please stop in the fellowship hall for refreshments but more importantly to introduce yourself to Chelsey and learn more about her.

Dear church family Just want to say a huge thanks to those who worked very hard to make my retirement celebration memorable.

ZeeZee Kellet for setting up, decorating, ordering the food & staying on top of things. To Josh Schmidt being M.C.

Tomsky sound, Sally Minor and youth, Jane Bouhuys & Jeremy Weitendorf for the songs, Garrett Snedden presenting a gift, to the children for all the homemade cards and the beautiful garden angel-

4 Dear church family Just want to say a huge thanks to those who worked very hard to make my retirement celebration memorable. So here s to the committee - Suzanne, Dave & Lauren Schorsch, Jan Sanchez, Chrissy & Francesca Miller, Diane Kloepfer, Heather Wanner, Kim Cooper, Wendy Smith, Julie Pavlini, Kim & Joey McKay, and ZeeZee Kellet for setting up, decorating, ordering the food & staying on top of things. To Josh Schmidt being M.C. Brooke Scott(reading a letter from Aubrey Anderson who couldn t attend but surprised me by running down the aisle to give me a quick hug before going to her next event), Dick Beckett video, Stephen Tomsky sound, Sally Minor and youth, Jane Bouhuys & Jeremy Weitendorf for the songs, Garrett Snedden presenting a gift, to the children for all the homemade cards and the beautiful garden angel- Treena Nowicki & Wendy Smith for pictures (which I am excited to see since most of that afternoon is a blur to me). I am deeply humbled at the number of people that came to wish me well(and those who couldn t be there) with hugs, cards & gifts. Saying thank you doesn t seem enough but know that it truly comes from my heart. Keep me in prayer as I move into the next phase of my life journey-they say when 1 door closes God opens another-a little scary but exciting too. Please remember I m just leaving the office so I ll see you in church on Sundays(: Interfaith Workshop The New Life Interfaith Task Force is excited to announce the first Interfaith workshop. This event will be held at New Life on Saturday July 29 at 2:00. This will be an opportunity for mutual learning and sharing of faith between the world's 2 largest religions. Additional details will be announced later. Hugs, Ms. June

service to your congregation and community? If so, you are looking for diakonia! The next series of courses will meet on Tuesdays, beginning September 5, 2017, at St.

5 diakonia Is Coming! Anniversaries for July Happy wishes to: 7/4 Jim & Tina Blumenstein 7/4 John & Alice Shepard 7/9 Diane & Roland Smith Are you ready to take the next step in your growth as a Christian and in your service to your congregation and community? If so, you are looking for diakonia! The next series of courses will meet on Tuesdays, beginning September 5, 2017, at St. John Lutheran Church, 2650 Plainfield Rd., Joliet, IL. Information Meeting Scheduled Find out more about diakonia and bring your questions: 7/10 Don & Tammy Davis 7/15 Robert & Melissa Gawecki 7/15 Carol & Charlie Ryl-Kuchar 7/16 T.J. & Beth Girardier 7/18 Michael & Jean Milam Tuesday, July 11 th, 2017, at 6:30 p.m. Firside Room, John Lutheran Church, 2650 Plainfield Rd. (Route 30 at Hennepin Drive, just east of Westfield Louis Joliet Mall), Joliet, IL 7/18 Michael & Michelle Stoehrmann 7/19 Larry & Jennifer Calloni RSVP (or send queries) to Dr. Trenton Ferro, Location Manager, trferro@yahoo.com or (724) /20 Lee & Rose Dillon 7/24 Ray & Sue Kluth 7/26 Kyle & Jessica Hoag 7/30 Jim & Barbara McCauley Have you moved or changed your phone # recently? If so-it is important that the church office is contacted so we can update our records. Thank you. Change of address: Shelly Owens 300 S. Park Rd. Joliet, IL Same phone # What is the diakonia program? diakonia is a two-year process of spiritual formation and theological education for baptized members of the Lutheran Church. This process occurs in three basic ways: By thorough grounding in the classic seminary disciplines of practical, systematic, historical, and Biblical theology; By identifying particular skills and aptitudes in ministry and encouraging their use in the local parish and community; and By providing spiritual growth through worship, retreats, and a supportive community of fellow students, pastor-mentors, and instructors. These are the tools diakonia uses to help equip God s people for service in parish and neighborhood ministries. The primary theme and focus of the diakonia experience is the word of Jesus in scripture: Let the one who would be great among you be your servant [Greek: diakonos] (Mark 10:4).

There are many ways to volunteer at New Life!

8:15 Amy & Nathan Foster 10:15 Sue Ellwing-Ridley Ushers: 8:15 Mike Ferrara, Mark & Kathy

Amazon! Every time you make a purchase AmazonSmiles donates 0.

Volunteers are always needed to help with worship. Interested?

6 There are many ways to volunteer at New Life! July Worship Leaders Worship Assistants 8:15 Jerry Streeky 10:15 Rose Nickles Greeters: 8:15 Amy & Nathan Foster 10:15 Sue Ellwing-Ridley Ushers: 8:15 Mike Ferrara, Mark & Kathy Kircher 10:15 David & Susan Thomas You can help support New Life by simply shopping on Amazon! Every time you make a purchase AmazonSmiles donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to New Life. Just visit smile.amazon.com, search for New Life Lutheran Church, Bolingbrook, IL and shop while Amazon gives! Volunteers are always needed to help with worship. Interested? Contact the church office at or officemgr@newlifebolingbrook.org Recycle Year-Round! A monthly recycling focus for July: Cell phones recycle at Target stores Shopping Cart Ministry July Focus Healthy snack foods, crackers, granola bars; Toilet paper, paper towels.

7 JULY 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat NA at 7 AA 7 & 8:30 Al Anon 7 NA 10 am AA 8 Ladies AA 7 PANN 7 Al Anon 10 am Worship 8:15 & Oasis 7 Oasis Choir Practice 8 Vicar Evan s Last Sunday Oasis Prayer Service 10 9 Worship 8:15 & Vicar Chelsey s First Sunday Oasis 7 Council 7 Bloomers Bible Study 10 am Oasis Choir Practice 8 Diakonia Graduation Worship 8:15 & Oasis 7 Outreach 7 Bloomers Bible Study 10 am Oasis Choir Practice Worship 8:15 & Oasis 7 Bloomers Bible Study 10 am Oasis Choir Practice 8 Interfaith Workshop Worship 8:15 &

8 Manage Your Giving Online! New Life is excited to announce that you can now manage your giving online! Giving online is easy and allows you to set up automatic recurring contributions and view your complete online giving history from anywhere you have access to the Internet. Simply follow these easy steps: 1. Visit 2. Click on the Donate Online button, 3. Click on the Create Profile button, then 4. Follow the onscreen instructions to create an online profile and to schedule your recurring contributions. If you already give via Simply Giving, your profile will link automatically when entering your address, and you can manage your contributions online at your convenience. You may also scan this QR code to immediately access the online giving page. Sunday Worship 8:15 & 10:15 AM New Life Lutheran Church 249 N. Bolingbrook Drive Bolingbrook, IL (630) Visit us on the web at Where everybody is somebody, and Jesus Christ is Lord! New Life Lutheran Church 249 N. Bolingbrook Drive Bolingbrook, IL PLACE STAMP HERE

LIFE LINE New Life Lutheran Church Newsletter January 2018

LIFE LINE New Life Lutheran Church Newsletter January 2018 Kick off the New Year with a healthy habit be a blood donor! Our first blood drive of 2018 is January 14 from 8:00 am 12:00. We encourage you