M e s s i a h M e s s e n g e r

Transcription

1 Messiah Lutheran Church M e s s i a h M e s s e n g e r Volume LIX, Issue 6 June, 2015 Dear Messiah Lutheran Church, Your gift impacts lives! Thank you for your generous gift of $3, to Phebe Hospital and School of Nursing-Liberia. Your generosity shows your commitment to walking alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. For this, we give thanks. Because of your support to ELCA Global Church Sponsorship, together we are able to: Send more than 220 Missionaries, including more than 75 Young Adults in Global Mission, to work with our companion churches in 46 countries. Provide scholarships to International Women Leaders as they respond to God s call to ministry, either in their home context or as they attend an ELCA seminary, college or university. Accompany our companions around the world by responding to their priorities through investing in evangelism, education, church expansion and other important Global Ministry projects. For more information on how your gift is impacting God s work throughout the world, visit or contact me directly at andrew.steele@elca.org or Again, thank you for your incredible generosity! Peace, Andrew Steele Director, ELCA Global Church Sponsorship Evangelical Lutheran Church in America VBS Donation Supply List for Messiah 5 containers Kool-aid premixed 3 large boxes goldfish crackers 3 containers of raisins Letter beads, assorted colors (1/8 holes) 5 Elmer s gel glue 6 packages of yarn, brightly colored 1 package 500 count napkins Staff and Council Members at Messiah Pastor Rev. Susanne Smith Youth Director Kelly Benz Organist Hal Morton Choir Director Gloria DeVilbiss Administrotor/Bookkeeper Dennis Wohlers Secretary Toni Landon Facilities Jerry & Kay Claussen, & Jim Gerst Nursery Attendant Ashley Gerst Preschool Staff Margie Gerst, Aubrey Gerst 3rd Year Seminarian/LSTC Dione Miller 2015 Council Members: John Larson-president, Deb Brinkley-vice-president, Joel Hanger-treasurer, Joanne Mohr-secretary, Joy Shah, Anita Fleming, Christa Ruther, Mark Smith, Kathryn Boyle, Roger Sheagren, Carm McBeth, Dan Wiedemeier, Judy Stewart, Marcia Taeger, Rich Miller Inside this issue: Tidbits VBS Registration form & Youth Summer Schedule Preschool News & From the Pastor s Desk A Note from Dione Miller ELCA News Scheduled to Serve, Birthdays & Anniversaries Calendar

2 TIDBITS... COMMUNITY AND CARE CAR WASH The youth will be having a car wash on June 7th from 8:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in Messiah s parking lot. Free will offering will go toward the cost of attending the National Youth Gathering in Detroit. JR. & SR. HIGH SUMMER TRIP - June 25th This year we will be heading to Cedar Rapids to go to Sky Zone, a trampoline park. Chaperones/drivers are needed, and friends are welcome to come too! Look for registration forms in upcoming bulletins, the youth board, and the website at HOSPICE HOUSE MEALS Join together with others to serve the monthly meal on the second Thursday of each month. For more details, please contact Ruth Gaudian at SERVICE AND WITNESS KIDS AGAINST HUNGER will be packaging on Saturday, June 20th with Messiah scheduled for 11 a.m. Please sign the sheet in the narthex if you plan to package. We just got word from Don Fields, our Iowa director that the food bags we filled at our last packaging will be sent to Nepal with a 300,000 meal shipment going out of Des Moines. From our previous fundraisers, we were able to send $500 to help toward their shipping cost of $11,000. We are excited and happy to hear this good news. Thanks again to everyone for your support of Kids Against Hunger. PLEASE WELCOME OUR NEWEST MEMBER Marcia Bruns joined Messiah s congregation on May 17, We ask God s blessing on Marcia as she joins the ministry of Messiah Lutheran Church. BURLINGTON LUTHERAN CHURCHES SOFTBALL TEAM: This year, members from Peace, Trinity, Faith, Messiah and Bethany are partnering to form one softball team for the Recplex recreational church league. Men and women ages 14 and up are all welcome to join the team. For more information, please contact team manager John Larson or call the church office. Our schedule for June is: June 2 7:15 p.m. against FUMC #1 team on the Pepsi field June 9 7:15 p.m. against Harmony-Minard team on the Crush field June 16 6:15 p.m. against First Church of the Nazarene team on the Pepsi field June 23 7:15 p.m. against West Burlington Christian team on the Mountain Dew field June 23 8:15 p.m. against Calvary Lighthouse Beacons team on the Mountain Dew field June 30 7:15 p.m. against FUMC #2 team on the Pepsi field TEACHING AND LEARNING VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL will be held June8-12 at Bethany. We are in need of teachers and other volunteer staff. If you are able to help, please contact Kelly. This year we are offering breakfast and childcare for working parents from 7:45-9:00 a.m. We are looking for older (grandparent age) volunteers to eat and spend time with these kids in the morning. You can volunteer for 1 day or the whole week and it s only an hour a day. REMINDER FOR OUR GRADUATES: Please contact the church office to let us know if you will be graduating this spring. We are asking that all who are graduating from high school, college, or graduate school write a paragraph about your accomplishments and your future plans (such as: where you graduated from, plans for next year, career plans) and see that it gets to the church office by May 29th along with a 5 x 7 or larger picture of yourself. We will be honoring our graduates on Sunday, June 7th during worship at the late service, and with a reception following the late service. CIRCLE MEETINGS (for Sarah Circle, Open Circle, Ruth/Mary Elizabeth Circle) like classes are suspended for the summer. At our last leaders meeting, we agreed to give the following groups money from our MCW account: Lutheran Chaplaincy Outreach (LCO) $400 Lutheran Services in Iowa (LSI) $300 Messiah Youth for the Detroit Convention $400 Pastor s Discretionary Fund $400 Women of the ELCA churchwide office $300 We are grateful to help the organizations listed above. Worship and celebration WE WILL RECOGNIZE our graduates and scholarship recipients on Sunday, June 7th at the 10:30 a.m. service. Our guest preacher will be Pastor Jeff Corson, Our Saviour s Lutheran Church, Durant, Oklahoma. YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO ATTEND a recital with Gloria De Vilbiss, soprano; Rebecca Evans, soprano; Dr. Timothy Ahern, tenor; Terry Strother, tenor; and Roger Hatteberg, piano on Sunday, June 14th at 3:00 p.m., First United Methodist Church, 421 Washington Street in Burlington. By the grace of God... Funerals - Keith McConahay 05/09/ /06/2015 Mary Sharkey 01/13/ /23/2015 PAGE 2 V O L U M E L IX, IS S U E 6

3 June 2015 Children & Youth Ministry Programs Summer Schedule June Events 7th - Vacation Bible School staff meeting at Bethany & Scholar ship/graduation Sunday 8th-12th - Vacation Bible School 9am-noon at Bethany 10th - Kids Bible Summer Series 1-2pm Messiah playground 17th - Kids Bible Summer Series 1-2pm Messiah playground 24th - Kids Bible Summer Series 1-2pm Messiah playground 25th - Jr. & Sr. High Summer day trip Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat June Graduation/ Scholarship Sunday Vacation Bible School Bible Summer Series Bible Summer Series Bible Summer Series This year Vacation Bible school will be held at Bethany Lutheran church, 2515 Madison Ave., June 8th-12th. VBS is from 9am-noon for children ages 3 through completed 6th grade. This year we will be learning about prayer. New this year we will be offering childcare & breakfast for working parents from 7:45-9am. Pre-registration is required for this program. Vacation Bible school is a ministry from Messiah, Bethany, Trinity, Faith & Peace Lutheran churches and is provided to our congregations and community at no cost. A free will donation can be given to help with the cost of the programing and Youth Encounter's Captive Free band. If you would like to volunteer, please fill out and submit this registration form. All Are Welcome! Name: Grade last completed: Address: Parent s name: Phone number: address: Emergency contact name & number: Does your child have any allergies? Yes or No. If yes, please list: Would you like to register for childcare/breakfast? Yes or No. May we send you a reminder & information about LIFT? Yes or No. Photo Release-I give my permission to the above named churches to use photographic pictures and portraits of my child and video of which he/she may be included in whole or in part, in color or in black and white, made through any media for promotional materials and publications. Would you like to volunteer at VBS? Name: Phone number: Parent s Signature: Date: PAGE 3 V O L U M E L IX, IS S U E 6

4 July & August 2015 July Events- 1st - Kids Bible Summer Series 1-2pm Messiah playground 8th - Kids Bible Summer Series 1-2pm Messiah playground & Mentor program Ice Cream party 12th - National Youth Gathering send off at 10:30 a.m. service 15th-19th - National Youth Gathering in Detroit Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat July August Bible Summer Series Bible Summer Series Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Children & Youth Ministry Programs Summer Schedule August Events- 2nd - Mentor Program kick-off event th - Blessing of the backpacks at both services 19th - Last Blast before school starts event for K-5th grade 26th - Sr. High Youth Group Looking ahead in September- 6th - First day of Sunday School/Rally Day 9th - Confirmation starts 13th - Mission trip fundraiser lunch & speaker on Practice Discipleship with Synod trainer Anne Williams 1 PAGE 4 V O L U M E L IX, IS S U E 6

5 Shaping Futures Through Faith Based Education Messiah Lutheran Preschool News Greetings from the children s wing of the church. We are now on summer break and will begin anew in late August. If you would like a registration form or want information about next year s sessions, please call the Director or leave a message at ext. 2. We have additional information online at our church website of You may also use our address: msmargie.messiahpreschool@gmail.com for any questions you may have. If you wish to help a child by paying their tuition or help to support the preschool tuition fund, please get in touch with Ms. Margie in the Preschool office. As always, thank you for your support of our preschool and its mission in Shaping Futures through Faith Based Education. Remember to play..and to laugh, too..it s always good medicine for the soul!!!!! FROM THE PASTOR S DESK Do you know the Swedish hymn called the Sommersalm? The earth adorned in verdant robe sends praises upward singing, while soft winds breathe on fragrant flowers, from winter now emerging. The sunshine bright gives warmth and light to budding blossoms tender, proclaiming summer splendor. Perhaps we will swat mosquitos at early service, since we re moving outside on June 7, but today, I open my office window and say a prayer of thanksgiving. Blessed spring, when the landscapers are making the most beautiful entrance to a church I ve seen anywhere. Blessed rainy Sunday morning, when cars pull under the covered drop-off entrance and our older members get out at the door. Last fall, we decided to stick with ELW setting 3 for worship, while Messiah had interim organists, and while our new organist had settled in. We are fortunate to have Hal Morton take the job. Did you hear him play Be Thou my Vision on guitar during the offering at early service a couple of weeks ago, or the Caribbean Easter hymn at late service for which several members of the choir played percussion? I want to commend Hal, and thank our senior choir, which has grown all year, and lately has numbered 15 or 16 singers. And Marcia Taeger and the Sunday School choir. Thank you, thank you for the music. Early service will be lovely this summer. We will have citronella candles for every picnic table in the shelter house. We will have Hal on electric piano and guitar. We hope to have extra folding chairs please know you are very welcome to bring your own and sit comfortably. Or give Messiah your extra folding chairs, and we ll store them in the garage for Sunday mornings. Dress casually, bring your morning coffee to church, and let the children wander a bit. Watch the butterfly garden growing along the fence by the shelter house. Perhaps a volunteer will step forward to teach a children s Sunday School class in the shelter house (and on the playground) this summer. Blessed summer. Vacation Bible School comes soon. The garden exchange wheelbarrow will return to the narthex. And we are offering Sunday morning Bible study all summer. Pastor Wayne and I will be in the library at 9:15am, and we ll discuss the texts and sermon for that day. Perhaps some of Wayne s Greek students will help us. There will be coffee, and maybe treats. There will be the Word, and then there will be the sacraments. Blessed summer. Susanne+ PAGE 5 V O L U M E L IX, IS S U E 6

6 Long time, no post by Dione Miller Hi there everyone. Sorry for not keeping this blog up to date. I'm not the best blogger or journaler. I can't even begin to get everyone up to speed so I'm going to give the extremely abbreviated version. I'll post my most recent sermon in another post so as not to overwhelm you with the length of the post. Back in the middle of January, the pastor - my supervisor - left to return to the U.S. and take a new call in California. A pastor who is a member of the church, is serving as the interim pastor until June. In practice, his duties include preaching 3 times per month in the morning service and once per month in the evening service. I am essentially responsible for everything else and I preach approximately once per month. It has been a challenging time as I essentially operate without a supervisor. The pastoral search committee received 71 applications for the pastor's position and just last week selected the top candidate. He will be visiting with his wife next week and, if all goes well, may move here as soon as July. We'll see how it all goes. Stay tuned (I'll try to update you!). If absolutely nothing else (though I'm sure there is much more), I am learning a great deal about life and the realities of some of the humanitarian problems throughout Southeast Asia and Pakistan especially for asylum seekers and refugees. Even before hearing about this internship site, I had considered working with refugees and asylum seekers, so in that way, this has been a great educational and growing opportunity. I truly value getting the privilege to visit with people seeking refuge and forming relationships with them. At the end of April, my brother Titan came to visit me for a week. It was really great to have him here and show him some parts of Bangkok and Thailand. I really don't get out much, so having someone to explore with is great fun. We had a really great time, but that's always true when we get together. :-) I have a little less than three months left here. My last day of work is 2 August and I fly out at midnight on the 4th. I'm kind of in that weird place where I know the end of my time here is coming up but there is a lot left to do. I also know it's going to be really hard to leave here because despite all of the challenges of the year, I have really found the members of the congregation to be remarkable people who I learn from daily. Grace and peace, Dione If you d like to follow Dione, you can check out her blog: daretoeatbreadinthedark.wordpress.com. She also welcomes you to her at dionemiller1@gmail.com. PAGE 6 V O L U M E L IX, IS S U E 6

7 ELCA NEWS Meet Krishna, Nepal Earthquake Survivor This post was written by Umer Khan, LWR s Senior Director for Emergency Operations, just days before a second 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck parts of Nepal. LWR staff on the ground report they are safe and continue to work to reach out to people affected by the April 25 earthquake. If you d like to learn more about our response or make a gift, please visit lwr.org/nepalearthquake. Overlooking breathtaking scenery from 4,700 feet, it s as if a green carpet of rice and maize fields has been laid out for a picture-perfect movie scene. Breathing in the mild cold breeze of the Himalayas, I can see the cloud -touching peak of Mount Everest, standing tall with its pride and refusing to show any signs of what its natives have just gone through. Yet there I found myself, turning back to the line of men and women waiting for the food and shelter items to be distributed by LWR. That s where I met Krishna Kumari Dhakal. LWR staff and staff from local partner organization, COPPADES, distribute relief supplies in Ghorka District, after the 2015 Nepal Earthquake. (Photo credit: COPPADES for LWR) A Remote Area Krishna has lived in the village of Jaubari Dhansar her entire life. Located in the remote Gorkha District of Nepal, it is among the hardest hit by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal April 25. In fact, the village is so remote that LWR team had to switch from our regular four-wheel drive SUV to a customized Jeep designed to navigate the rough terrain. It took us more than two hours to drive less than 20 miles, with no sight of paved road for most of the trip. It takes the villagers more than four hours and costs $2 in bus rides to get to the nearest town. It feels like the earth is shaking all the time. Krishna says she feels lucky that her family including her husband, two sons and pregnant daughter-in-law weren t harmed in the quake. It struck during a time when many people in the village are usually outside sitting or working. While Krishna is thankful to have survived the earthquake, she says she s lost all her belongings. Her family s food supply is buried under the rubble and she says it will take them years to rebuild their house on the roughly $8-10 per day income her husband and sons bring home from working in the nearby town. As for herself, Krishna says she s traumatized. It feels like the earth is shaking all the time, she says. Relief and Recovery Krishna said she s had to borrow food from those who had some left. The food packages LWR distributed that day are designed to last 15 days for a family of five, but she hopes it will last longer. The family also received a 12- by 15-foot tarp to cover the roof of their house. This will help protect Krishna and her family from the rains, which will intensify during the upcoming monsoon season, which runs from June through September. While these items provide temporary relief to Krishna and 3,600 families like hers, LWR s programs will work to help these families with longerterm recovery. Our project will provide longer-term food assistance, as well as help families rebuild their homes and livelihoods in order to fight poverty, one of the underlying causes of people s vulnerability to disaster. The work we are doing and the challenges we ve faced remind me of what my elders would say There is a path to the top of even the highest mountain. Umer Khan is Lutheran World Relief's Senior Director, Emergency Operations Krishna Kumari Dhakal received food rations and other supplies distributed by LWR and partners in the Ghorka District of Nepal. A home in the Ghorka District of Nepal that was damaged during the April 25 earthquake. PAGE 7 V O L U M E L IX, IS S U E 6

8 Scheduled to Serve in June 8:00 SERVICE Communion Assistant: June Mark Smith June Kathryn Boyle June Darwin Bunger June Mary Chicken Lector: June Darwin Bunger June Mary Chicken June Darwin Bunger June Mary Chicken 10:30 SERVICE Ushers: Dan Wiedemeier (head usher), Mary Kulp, Luetta Peterson, Will and Deb Brinkley Communion Assistant: June Joel Hanger June Joy Shah June John Larson June Tina Jones Lector: June Judith Stewart June Darwin Bunger June Christa Ruther June Darwin Bunger Acolyte: June Paige Clements June Riley Ruther June Samantha Carruthers June Braden Hayes Altar Guild: Jana Hayes and Pat Hudgel Mission Statement Welcoming all people to share in God s blessings by strengthening our commitment to God through prayer, fellowship and service. Selling Scrip Cards this month: June 7 & 14 Hunter Leibli June 21 & 28 Kristin Myatt JUNE BIRTHDAYS 2 Ketan Shah 4 Brian Demijan 4 Greg Dieterich 5 Karen Cahill 5 Rick Jones 5 Titan Miller 5 Chris Ritter 6 Bea Foss 6 Jason Johannsen 6 Linda Voigt 7 Kristin Myatt 7 Ethan Todd 8 Andrew Smith 9 Peter Furnald 10 Alice Tjaden 13 Riley Ruther 13 Kris Vanerstrom 14 Elsa Classen 14 Chris Hanger 14 Steve Sanders 15 Kay Kremer 15 Al Lunning 15 Janis Miller 18 Catherine Wilcox 19 Michael Schmidt 26 Dorothy Goede 28 Brenda Clements 28 Linda Stratton 28 Betsy Wolf 29 William Carpenter 29 Amanda Ritter 30 Beverly Mickelson JUNE ANNIVERSARIES 2 Eric and Stephanie Benne Ellen and Tom Francis Wayne and Jackie Bietz Alan and Joanne Mohr Stephen and Sheila Zager Joel and Chris Hanger Chris and Brenda Clements Bob and Stacy Hiller Sally and Frank Dietrick Kelly and Bryan Benz Joe and Betsy Wolf LaVon and Judy Worley Jonathan Arnold & Larae Stemmerman Bill and Maxine Ruther Darold and Janice Godfrey Matt and Courtney Brockway Roger and Beverly Mickelson Steve and Lynn Ritter Lee and Ann Inghram Don and Mary Chicken Mel and Suzie Bray Dan and Lois Clark Don and Marilyn Demijan Herb and Alice Tjaden PAGE 8 *Let the office know if we have missed your birthday or anniversary. If you prefer not to have your name included in the birthday and anniversary lists, please let us know. V O L U M E L IX, IS S U E 6

9 June 2015 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 7 Scholarship/ Graduation Sunday 8:00a-Worship-Shelter House 9:15a-Adult Bible Study-Lib 10:30a-Worship 11:30a-Fellowship 14 8:00a-Worship-Shelter House 9:15a-Adult Bible Study-Lib 10:30a-Worship 11:30a-Fellowship 11:30a-Worship & the Arts Comm. 21 First day of Summer 8:00a-Worship-Shelter House 9:15a-Adult Bible Study-Lib 10:30a-Worship 11:30a-Fellowship 28 8:00a-Worship-Shelter House 9:15a-Adult Bible Study-Lib 10:30a-Worship 11:30a-Preschool Board- Conference Room 11:30a-Fellowship 2:00-4:00p-Goede birthday reception-social Hall 1 2 9:00a-Landscapers work crew 9:30a-Pastors Text Study 12:00p-Alanon-Conf. Rm. 4:30p-New Testament Greek Class-Library 7:00p-Memorials Committee-Pastor s office 8 7:00p-Men s Bible Study 15 6:30p-Congregation Council-Conference Room 22 7:00p-Men s Bible Study 9 9:00a-Landscapers work crew 9:30a-Pastors Text Study 12:00p-Alanon-Conf. Rm. 12:30p-Membership Comm. -Happy Joe s 4:30p-NT Greek Class-Lib. 6:30p-Communications Comm. 6:30p-PEO-Library-Mohr 7:00p-Christian Ed. Comm.- Youth Room 7:00p-Piecemakers/Quilters -Conf. Rm. 16 9:00a-Landscapers work crew 9:30a-Pastors Text Study 12:00p-Staff Meeting 12:00p-Alanon-Conf. Rm. 4:30p-New Testament Greek Class-Library 3 4 9:30a-Weekly Bible Study- Conference Room 10 1:00p-Bible Summer Series -Messiah playground 17 1:00p-Bible Summer Series -Messiah playground 6:00p-Supper 7:00p-Holden Evening Prayer & Communion 11 9:30a-Weekly Bible Study- Pastor s office 6:30p-Executive Committee-Conference Room Vacation Bible School at Bethany Lutheran Church - June 8-12, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. 23 9:00a-Landscapers work crew 9:30a-Pastors Text Study 11:00a-Landscaping Committee-Conference Room 12:00p-Alanon-Conf. Rm. 4:30p-New Testament Greek Class-Library :00a-Landscapers work crew 9:30a-Pastors Text Study 12:00p-Alanon-Conf. Rm. 4:30p-New Testament Greek Class-Library 24 1:00p-Bible Summer Series -Messiah playground 18 9:30a-Weekly Bible Study- Conf. Rm. 6:00p-Property Committee -Conference Room 25 Jr. & Sr. High Summer day trip 9:30a-Weekly Bible Study- Conf. Rm :00a-KAH Packaging :00p-Messiah Lunch Bunch

10 MESSIAH LUTHERAN CHURCH 2411 West Avenue BURLINGTON, IOWA Non-Profit Org. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Burlington, IA Permit No. 360 Return Service Requested JUNE 2015 MESSIAH LUTHERAN CHURCH Phone: Fax: Sunday Mornings Worship in the Shelter House Adult Bible Study Worship 3rd Wednesday Supper 3rd Wednesday Holden Evening Prayer & Communion 8:00 a.m. 9:15 a.m. 10:30 a.m. 6:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. New this month - Bible Summer Series-Messiah playground June 10, 17 & 24 at 1:00 p.m. Scholarship/Graduation Sunday-June7th at late service Vacation Bible School June 8-12, 9:00 a.m.-12:00 noon at Bethany Lutheran Church Each Sunday in the library at 9:15 a.m.-adult Bible study: the gospel for the day