Mount Calvary Lutheran Church

Transcription

1 CHURCH NEWSLETTER October 2018 Mount Calvary Lutheran Church Rooted in the Past; Sheltering the Present; Reaching Out to the Future; Empowered by the God of the Ages ` ` P. O. Box South Main Street Mt. Jackson, VA (540) mcoffice@shentel.net Mount Calvary Lutheran Church Virginia Rev. Matthew A. Diehl, Pastor (mtcalrev@shentel.net) Members of Mount Calvary, Ministers Sunday, October 21, Mount Calvary will observe Homecoming Sunday Members past and present, members far and near, and friends of the church are invited to this celebration of Mount Calvary s 174 years of ministries that have served and continue to serve the church family, the Mt. Jackson community, the county, the state, the nation, and the world. Our guest preacher will the Rev. Darren Steadman, son of Bill and Diana Steadman. The 11:00 worship service of Holy Communion will be followed by a potluck lunch in the Parish Hall. Plan now to join your Mount Calvary family for this time of celebration and thanksgiving.

2 FROM PASTOR DIEHL For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1 Dear Friends in Christ, As I write this, the month of October is on the horizon. The leaves will soon be changing their colors. I look forward to seeing the beautiful changes God brings in the fall. Nature teaches us so much about God. In the fall, we learn that God brings change and change can be beautiful. Many people don t like change. Indeed, change can be a bit scary sometimes because we are naturally fearful of the unknown. We know what life is like now, but if life changes, we don t know if we will like it, or if we will be able to survive it. And yet, I suspect most of us have heard that for things to stay the same they must change. If you think about it, nothing ever stays the same. Over the past several years, my family has changed immensely. Josh is a grown man, living in Ohio, working at the Veteran s Administration, engaged to Ellen, living the life God has created him to live. Ben is preparing to leave for Pittsburgh to begin his studies at Pittsburgh Technical College. Of course, Becca and Leah are still at home, moving quickly through school. All of my children have changed. They aren t who they were a few years ago, and I am amazed to see the changes God brings in their lives. Each year they become more and more the people God has created them to be. That has been my prayer their whole life. If they weren t changing, I suppose I would know something was wrong! While change can be frightening because we don t know what change will bring, change can also be beautiful. Perhaps we shouldn t really be so afraid of change, but rather be intent on being open and receptive to the changes that come our way. As we continue to journey together, God continues to change us. God continues to bring us to places of blessing and paths of love. As is our custom, in October we will be celebrating our annual Homecoming our 174 th year of mission and ministry. Our annual Homecoming is an opportunity for us to thank God for our roots. I am reminded of the words from Colossians, As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. (Colossians 2:6-7). It will be an opportunity for us to reflect on God s supernatural and amazing love. We will remember that we have been loved with an amazing love and we are to love others the same way. To love others as we have been loved by Jesus may mean that sometimes we ll have to change. I m so delighted that our Homecoming preacher this year will be Rev. Darren Steadman. He has recently been ordained and is serving as Assistant Rector at Christ Church Episcopal in Richmond, Virginia, where his key ministries are worship management, pastoral care, and young adult outreach. As the old hymn proclaims: My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness; no merit of my own I claim, but wholly lean on Jesus name. If we ever find ourselves searching for a foundation for hope, perhaps we should re-examine our experiences of God. We can look once again at the reality of Christ crucified, dead, buried, and risen and its impact on our daily lives. As Christians, we look forward not only to a future with the Lord which we know will be glorious, but we also live each day changes and all with the knowledge that the Holy Spirit guides us through the challenges of this present age. I continue to consider it a privilege to serve along with you in ministry at Mount Calvary as we continue to journey together, learn how to love, and pursue God s vision for our congregation all the while facing the changes that come our way. I look forward to greeting you in church next Sunday. The peace of the Lord be with you,

3 The Congregation Council met in the Parish Hall Monday evening, September 17. The following members were present: Pastor Diehl, Rebecca Diehl, Judy Fultz (Treasurer), Susan Foltz, Lynn Holtzman, Mary Ann Mahoney, Anita Miller, John Minnick, Barb Pifer, and Kay Whetzel. Joe Proctor was unable to attend. Church member Roger Rudy was also in attendance. Meeting information-sharing, discussions, decision-making and announcements addressed the following: Otto Pebworth, our organ tuner and technician, met with the council prior to the meeting to give additional information regarding the organ currently stored in the Tidewater area which is available to Mount Calvary. Council elections will be held in December. The terms of Lynn Holtzman, Barb Pifer, and Joe Proctor expire at the end of December. Lynn has served two terms and is not eligible for re-election. Rebecca Diehl held her first cutting and trimming session when the stamps collected for the Stamp Alliance Ministry were trimmed. A total of 2,196 stamps were trimmed and later mailed to Florida. There they will be sold and the funds used to provide Spanish language Sunday School material. Rev. Darren Steadman, the son of Bill and Diana Steadman, will our guest preacher for the 2018 Homecoming service. Bishop Humphrey has agreed to preach for Mount Calvary s Homecoming service in October 2019 when the church will be celebrating its 175 th Anniversary. Submitted by Barb Pifer, Council Secretary

4 Thursday evening, October 4, 6:30 in the church parking lot There s still time! The beautiful, iris-themed, queen-size quilt on the narthex display case could be yours for the highest bid in the Quilters Guild s latest silent auction. The quilt s cross-stitching is the work of Guild member Crystal Minnick. There s lots of activity in the bidding for this beautiful quilt. Bidding will be open until Homecoming Sunday (October 21). Bids should be made in $5 increments. The winning bidder will be announced at the Homecoming Lunch.

5 Gather Us In

6 Hello everyone! Our playground looks amazing! We want to thank United Way for spreading mulch, putting toys together, and power washing the outside toys. The children have enjoyed the new lay-out of the playground so much. To help raise money for portable sinks and other items, the Center will be set up at the Mount Jackson Music and Harvest Festival. We will sell raffle tickets for themed baskets, have face painting, and there will be princesses. Please stop by and see us! We would like to thank Thrivent Financial for giving the Center $250 in seed money to help pay for some of the expenses in making the baskets. We will have our annual Halloween parade around town Wednesday, October 31. We will leave the center at 9:30 a.m. if anyone would like to join us! Have a blessed October! Regina and Anabel Barbara Frye October 4 Hunter Downey October 22 Stella Long October 8 Gale Goodwin October 22 Justin Hepner October 9 Cameron Seal October 23 Ben Diehl October 10 Shelley Nebgen October 24 Josh Diehl October 15 Alex Bodanske October 30 Leah Diehl October 15 Sarah Ryman October 31

7 First Reading Genesis 2:18-24 First Reading Isaiah 53:4-12 The Psalm Psalm 8 The Psalm Psalm 91:9-16 Second Reading Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12 Second Reading Hebrews 5:1-10 The Holy Gospel Mark 10:2-16 The Holy Gospel Mark 10:35-45 First Reading Amos 5:6-7, First Reading Jeremiah 31:31-34 The Psalm Psalm 90:12-17 The Psalm Psalm 46 Second Reading Hebrews 4:12-16 Second Reading Romans 3:19-28 The Holy Gospel Mark 10:17-31 The Holy Gospel John 8:31-36 September 1, 1957 In God We Trust first appeared on paper currency. September 2, 1880 Slave and lay preacher Nat Turner was born in Southampton County, Virginia. William Bradbury, composer of the music for Just As I Am, Jesus Loves Me, September 6, 1816 My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less, and Savior Like a Shepherd Lead Us, was born. September 12, 1971 Jesus Christ Superstar debuted on Broadway. September 15, 1949 His crusade in Los Angeles skyrocketed Billy Graham to national prominence. September 16, 1925 The Texas State Textbook Board banned evolutionary theory from all its textbooks. September 26, 1911 Mahalia Jackson, African American gospel singer, was born. September 31, 1517 Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the Castle Church door in Wittenberg. ALL SAINTS SUNDAY November 4 Youth Spaghetti Lunch and Bake Auction Sunday, November 4 Community Thanksgiving Service Sunday, November 18

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9 Terry and Gloria Chambers Eleanor Funkhouser Frances Gerow Jeanette Jones Bill Lloyd Stephanie Melbourne Kim Miller Emma Smith Geraldine Whetzel Mickey Williams William Ballance, former pastor of Mount Calvary Lauren Barnett, daughter of Tammy Barnett Lorenzo Bean, husband of Dorothy Bean Bob Blackburn, brother-in-law of Anita Miller Victoria Bohus, friend of Bucky Miller Ken Chambers, son of Terry and Gloria Chambers Phyllis Clark, sister of Walter Marston Alice Coffelt, friend of Reba Thompson Christopher Diehl, cousin of Pastor Dieh Mary Beth Foltz, sister-in-law of G.B. and Susan Foltz Carol Griffin, sister-in-law of Jill Griffin Mike Grim, son of Dorothy Bean Larry Heltebran, step-father of Steve Povlish Daryl Kingree, nephew of Donnie Pifer Dick Krol, friend of Kay Whetzel Shirley Leake, friend of Mickey Williams Joe Lewis, husband of Roger Rudy Matt Long, father of Stella Long Barbara McDonald, aunt of Lisa McDonald Miller Johnny McDonald, brother of Lisa McDonald Miller Spencer McIntosh, father of Noel Frye Shirley McWilliams, niece of Frances Gerow Donna Painter, friend of the G.B. Foltz family Kathy Rinard, Rebecca Diehl s music teacher Linda Ryman, sister of Paul Ryman Wilson Ryman, friend of G.B. and Susan Foltz Ann Thompson Shirkey, friend of G.B. and Susan Foltz Neil Showalter, friend of Donnie Pifer Charlie Stephens, father of Regina Clements Heather Taylor, friend of Bucky Miller, Donnie Pifer, and Roger Rudy Ryan Tomoff, friend of Susan Foltz Naomi Wine, friend of Mickey Williams Nancy Zirkle, friend of Jane Grant Burner Faith Formation Sunday Worship Offering Attendance Attendance Received* September 2 32 [n/a] $3,821 September $2,645 September [n/a] $4,066 September 23 (Outdoor Worship) $1,075 AVERAGES $2, *Budget Needs per Week: $3,345