The Evangel. From the Pastor... Justified by grace, we are a Community of Servants who follow Jesus example by living lives of service to others.

Transcription

1 The Evangel Justified by grace, we are a Community of Servants who follow Jesus example by living lives of service to others. St. Stephen Lut h eran Church September 2014 Volume 55, Issue 9 Inside this issue: Thank You Note; News & Events from Pastor Laura; Birthdays & Anniversaries; Sunday Narrative Lectionary Readings Sunday School News; God s Work. Our Hands. Sunday; Thank You Note Vacation Bible School Photos Spotlight on Serve; Vacation Bible School Daily Narrative Lectionary Readings From the Pastor... Even though my formal school years were over many years ago, whenever September rolls around I still get a little bit of that excited new start feeling. I guess that s because the life of a congregation still revolves around the school year... or program year of September through May. With that in mind, I want to share some of the things beginning this September. Wholly Wednesdays will begin on Wednesday, September 3 and continue on the first and third Wednesdays of each month. Lorri Yusten and Crystal Piirainen prepare and serve a wonderful meal ($3 donation for adults, $1 for children). Following the meal, Lynn Kriser leads a discussion on the upcoming Sunday Scripture reading from the Narrative Lectionary, Andy Roman leads children in the FAITH 5 (Share, Read, Talk, Pray, Bless) and I m involved with our confirmation ministry. No matter what your age, Wholly Wednesdays is a wonderful opportunity for the whole congregation to enjoy a good meal, fellowship, and growth in faith. I hope you ll give Wholly Wednesdays a try if you haven t. Sunday Adult Class will begin on Sunday, September 14 at 9:45 and this year we ll be using a DVD series called Living the Questions. Each class will include about 20 minutes of video and lots of time for discussion and questions. Each session will focus on significant questions of faith such as: Evil, Suffering, and a God of Love; Stories of Creation; Debunking the Rapture; Prayer: Intimacy with God; Thinking Theologically. Each DVD has lots of wonderful information and conversation with leading voices of faith. I hope you ll decide to join us. God s Work. Our Hands Sunday will be on Sunday, September 7. There is more information elsewhere in this Evangel but let me encourage you to participate in the ELCA churchwide day which is an opportunity to be God s hands in serving our community. We need people who can stay at church and write notes to school children at Cumberland which will be included with pencils. And we need people who will travel to Cumberland to help with weeding and planting, and with recovering chairs in the teachers lounge. There will be one service at 9:30 a.m. before we begin our service work. Lay Minister Schedule 7 Fall Festival 8 Many things I have tried to grasp and have lost. That which I have placed in God s hands, I still have. Martin Luther The Annual Fall Festival will be on Sunday, September 14 when Sunday School begins and we kick off our program year. We ll return to our regular worship schedule of Traditional Worship at 8:30 a.m. and Contemporary Worship at 11:00 a.m. Following the second service, we ll join in the Fellowship Hall for a meal centering around Brian Holmes wonderful pulled pork. You are asked to bring a dish to pass. It s a great opportunity for fellowship and to celebrate the beginning of fall. Sunday School for children begins on Sunday, September 14 at 9:45 a.m. and this year we will be using a new curriculum that goes along with the Narrative Lectionary we are using in worship. I m excited about this because what the children hear in Sunday School will match what we re talking about in worship, so the two will reinforce each other and hopefully help embed the stories in the memories of our children. We will also begin a new year with the Narrative Lectionary on September 7. We ll go back to Genesis and follow the flow of the biblical narrative all the way through the Old Testament up through the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and the beginning of the church. Even though the flow is the same, we ll be focusing on different stories within the biblical narrative. Hopefully, as we go through the narrative a second time, you ll gain a better understanding of the scope of the biblical story. That s a lot going on. A lot happening. I hope you ll be a part of it. Pastor Gary

2 Volume 55, Issue 9 Page 2 News & Events The youth team is now up and running with three people from each congregation. They are: Brian Yusten, Julie Dartt, and Abby Kriser from St. Stephen; David LaGrave, Erin McKenzie, and Allison Shiflet from Calvary. Please get to know them and expect to hear updates from them as we plan youth ministry this year. All Youth and Family Pot Luck September 28 th from 4-6:00P.M. at St. Stephen, 2900 N Waverly Rd. in Lansing. Come and get to know other youth and their families from both churches. We will have food, games and ways to get to know people from Calvary, our partner congregation for youth ministry. Youth will soon be receiving a postcard in the mail or they can pick up one at the church. After the Potluck there will be an informational meeting about the National Youth Gathering for summer 2015 (for those who have completed 8 th -12 th grade by next summer). We will discuss registration and fundraising for this summer. Though this is a summer event the deadlines are coming up very soon. Pastor Laura Kuntz In September Pastor Laura is having Coffee Hours. You are invited to stop by for conversation, questions and time to get to know one another. Open to kids, parents and others from the congregation. Sept 10 th, 3-6 Jam Centurion Dr, Lansing Charter Township Sept 24 th, W Saginaw St, Lansing SEPTEMBER Birthdays 1 Jana Kittilson 3 Naida Schelter Kali Montgomery Alex Holly 4 Jared Nicolay 5 June Hansen Jordan Dixon 7 Jackie Williams-Armstrong 11 Chris Miller 12 Mike Borta 13 Judy Higgins 17 Quenten Carpenter 18 Sandy Bara Bishop Craig Satterlee Kevin Butts 19 John Cox 21 Kristine Ranger Brian Holmes Nathan Cibula 23 Carol Urban 25 Carlos Vallin 27 Linda Stiffler Donna Milnes Mikaela Binegar 28 Joyce Rohrer Andrew Roman 29 Nancy Storm SEPTEMBER Anniversaries 8 Jack & Nancy Beyerhelm 19 Kevin & DeAnn (McPherson) Butts 24 Joe & Rachel Sturdevant Sunday Narrative Lectionary Readings September 7: Genesis 6:16-22; 9:8-15, Flood and Promise September 14: Genesis 12:1-9, Call of Abraham September 21: Genesis 39:1-23, Joseph in Prison September 28: Exodus 14:10-14, 21-29, Rescue at Sea

3 Page 3 The Evangel Sunday School News Sunday School will start on September 14 from 9:45am-10:45am!! We hope all of our Kindergartners through 8th graders will be there! This is a wonderful way for our children to learn about and grow in their Christian faith. Kindergarten-Grade 4 will be taught the first semester by Julie Dartt and second semester by Margaret Sheffer. They will meet in one of the rooms in the SS Hallway. Grades 5-8 will be taught by Brian Yusten and they meet in the Lounge in the SS Hallway. Registration will be at 9:45am in the main hallway by the balloons. St. Stephen is so fortunate to have such excellent, caring teachers. We will also have an adult SS Helper in each class each Sunday. They also are excellent, caring people. We are blessed here at St. Stephen!! We trust you are enjoying the summer! Summer Blessings! Miriam Bunge & Cindy Jenks, Co-Coordinators God s Work. Our Hands. Sunday September 7 On Sunday, September 7, St. Stephen will participate in an ELCA church-wide ministry called, "God's Work. Our Hands." Sunday. This ELCA-sponsored event is to promote our work in the community, and we've chosen to serve our partner school, Cumberland Elementary, this year. Following the 9:30 service, volunteers will head over to the school to re-cover chairs in the teachers' lounge, weed and tidy up the school grounds and plant mums. Those who are unable to come to the school are asked to spend a moment after the service writing a brief note wishing students well in the coming school year and attaching the note to pencils to be given away on the first day of school. Thank You Note I would like to thank Pastor Gary and all of the people at St Stephens who have shown concern for me during my knee replacement surgery. The surgery was on July 8th. After four days in Sparrow Hospital I spent two weeks at Okemos Health and Rehab Center getting therapy. Since returning to my apartment I have had three more weeks of therapy. Getting a total joint replaced is serious business. I am happy to report that I am on the downward side of all of that therapy and hope to be back in worship soon. In Christian love, Hazel Hiester

4 Page 4 The Evangel Vacation Bible School Fun!

5 Volume 55, Issue 9 Page 5 Spotlight on Serve September is here and we have a couple of very important service opportunities available. Volunteers are needed and that means YOU! Opportunities like these help God turn ordinary people into extraordinary witnesses! Sarah Holland, Serve Ministry Leader September 6, 9 a.m. Infant/Child Education Event: St. Stephen is partnering with the City of Lansing to host an educational event for families with infants and young children. The Ingham County Health Department will be setting up stations in the Fellowship Hall where people can learn about basic infant and child care including using cloth diapers, using nose syringes, cleaning ears, and thermometer use. The Health Department will provide nurses to train and coach congregational volunteers who will be helping out with the educational stations. We need three or more volunteers for this morning's event. The event should wrap up by noon. September 7 -- God's Work, Our Hands Sunday. This ELCA-sponsored event is to promote our work in the community, and we've chosen to serve our partner school, Cumberland Elementary, this year. Following the 9:30 service, volunteers will head over to the school to re-cover chairs in the teachers' lounge, weed and tidy up the school grounds and plant mums. Those who are unable to come to the school are asked to spend a moment after the service writing a brief note wishing students well in the coming school year and attaching the note to pencils to be given away on the first day of school. Cindy Jenks will be facilitating the note-writing in the Fellowship Hall following the service. Thank you to everyone who donated new socks and underwear for the Love Clothing Center Sock-it-to-Me Sunday event. The kids surely appreciate having new duds for the new school year. Thanks also to those who helped with the food distribution we had in cooperation with the City of Lansing in mid-august. Please contact me for more details or to volunteer for any or all of these amazing service opportunities! Let's make great things happen in His name! I can be reached at or saraha.holland@gmail.com or on Facebook, Sarah Holland. Cumberland School Donations Thank you to all who donated items to Cumberland School. We ended up with: 21 boxes of Kleenex, 2 binders, 63 glue sticks, 17 erasers, 3-12 count colored pencils, 263 pencils, 8 rulers, 10 bottles of glue, 10 spiral notebooks, 7 small and 1 large hand sanitizer, 2 protractors, 5 scissors, 6 sharpeners, 20 boxes of Crayons, 2 markers, 2 folders, and 1 package of office paper. Thank you for your generous donations to this wonderful ministry!

6 Volume 55, Issue 9 Page 6 DAILY NARRATIVE LECTIONARY READINGS for September Monday, Sept. 1, Genesis 2:4b-25 The Second Account of Creation Tuesday, Sept. 2, Genesis 3:1-7 The First Sin Wednesday, Sept. 3, Genesis 3:8-24 Sin, Punishment and Grace Thursday, Sept. 4, Genesis 4:1-16 Cain Murders Able Friday, Sept. 5, Genesis 4:17-26 Beginnings of Civilization Saturday, Sept. 6, Genesis 6:5-10 The Wickedness of Humankind Sunday, Sept. 7, Genesis 6:16-22; 9:8-15, Flood and Promise Monday, Sept. 8, Genesis 9:18-28, Noah and His Sons Tuesday, Sept. 9, Genesis 10:1-14, Nations Descended from Noah Wednesday, Sept. 10, Genesis 10:15-32, Nations Descended from Noah Thursday, Sept. 11, Genesis 11:1-9, The Tower of Babel Friday, Sept. 12, Genesis 11:10-26, Descendants of Shem Saturday, Sept. 13, Genesis 11:27-32, Descendants of Terah Sunday, Sept. 14, Genesis 12:1-9, Call of Abraham Monday, Sept. 15, Genesis 15:1-6, God s Covenant with Abram Tuesday, Sept. 16, Genesis 21:1-7, The Birth of Isaac Wednesday, Sept. 17, Genesis 25:19-28, The Birth of Esau and Jacob Thursday, Sept. 18, Genesis 35:16-26, The Birth of Benjamin and Death of Rachel Friday, Sept. 19, Genesis 37:1-11, Joseph Dreams of Greatness Saturday, Sept. 20, Genesis 37:12-36, Joseph is Sold by His Brothers Sunday, Sept. 21, Genesis 39:1-23, Joseph in Prison Monday, Sept. 22, Genesis 50:15-21, Joseph Forgives His Brothers Tuesday, Sept. 23, Genesis 50:22-26, Joseph s Death Wednesday, Sept. 24, Exodus 1:1-22, Oppression of the Israelites Thursday, Sept. 25, Exodus 3:1-12, Moses at the Burning Bush Friday, Sept. 26, Exodus 12:29-32, The Tenth Plague: Death of the Firstborn Saturday, Sept. 27, Exodus 13:17-22, The Pillars of Cloud and Fire Sunday, Sept. 28, Exodus 14:10-14, 21-29, Rescue at Sea Monday, Sept. 29, Exodus 15:1-21, Songs of Moses and Miriam Tuesday, Sept. 30, Exodus 15:22-27, Bitter Water Made Sweet The Narrative Lectionary readings will also be listed in each Sunday s announcements, posted on the St. Stephen website, and found in the online version of The Evangel.

7 Page 7 The Evangel LAY MINISTER SCHEDULE FOR SEPTEMBER Council Meeting Tuesday, September16 7:00 pm St. Stephen Lutheran Church 2900 North Waverly Road, Lansing, MI Phone: Fax: office@ststephenonline.org Website: StStephenOnline.org Traditional Worship: Sundays at 8:30 am Summer Worship: 9:30 am (One blended service May 25-Sept 7) Sunday School Class: Sundays at 9:45 am (Sept May) Contemporary Worship: Sundays at 11:00 am Church Office Hours: Monday Friday, 9:00 am 1:00 pm Staff Members Gary A. Bunge, Pastor Laura Kuntz, Children/Youth/Young Adult Pastor Renee Dixon, Office Manager Misun Moon, Contemporary Worship Leader Council Members Lynn Kriser, President Rebecca Bossenbroek, Recording Secretary Brian Yusten, Treasurer Don Sheffer, Facility Development Team Leader Bob Cameron, Financial Development Diane Singletary, Leadership Development Team Leader Cindy Jenks, WELCOME Ministry Development Andy Roman, NOURISH Ministry Development Sarah Holland, SERVE Ministry Development garybunge@sbcglobal.net PastorLauraK@gmail.com office@ststephenonline.org misunmoon1@gmail.com knitterlynn@gmail.com rebeccabossenbroek@comcast.net brianyusten@yahoo.com sheffer.1283@yahoo.com cameronw6216@sbcglobal.net rickard50@att.net nanajenks@gmail.com andyroman@hotmail.com saraha.holland@gmail.com SEPT 7 SEPT 14 SEPT 21 SEPT 28 ALTAR FLOWERS Robert & Naida Paulette Piirainen Kristine Ranger Diane Singletary Schelter ASSISTING MINISTERS Lorri Yusten Mike Borta (8:30am) Diane Singletary Miriam Bunge (8:30am) (Mike Borta, ) (9:30am) John V Soske (11am) (both services) USHERS Heath & Kathy Jim & Char Ruth Gaudard Terry Greiner (Terry Greiner, ) Buckley (9:30am) Seifert (8:30am) (8:30am) (8:30am) ALTAR CARE Char Seifert (Sept 7 & 14) and Claudia & Bob Cameron (Sept 21 & 28) (Claudia Cameron, ) COFFEE HOUR Sponsored by Faith Care Group (Margie Bauer) for entire month.

8 St. Step hen Lut her an Chur ch 2900 N. Waverly Rd. Lansing, MI Phone: Fax: Website: StStephenOnline.org DATED MATERIAL OR CURRENT OCCUPANT Sunday, September 14 is the first day of Sunday School, the beginning of our Fall/Winter worship schedule, and our Annual Fall Fest Potluck Dinner which will follow right after the second service. Brian Holmes will be cooking his wonderful smoked pork loins for us again, and you are asked to bring a dish to pass. Join us as we celebrate the beginning of the fall programmatic year and enjoy great food and fellowship. Hope to see you there!