A Monthly Publication of Atascocita Lutheran Church 7927 FM 1960 East, Humble, Texas. April 2008 Volume 12 Number 4

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1 A Monthly Publication of Atascocita Lutheran Church 7927 FM 1960 East, Humble, Texas April 2008 Volume 12 Number 4 New Liturgy to be Introduced April 2oth On Sunday, April 20 th, a new liturgy will be introduced that was composed and arranged by Zane Barra. Not only is Zane a tremendously talented organist and musician, he is also a gifted writer. Over the past year, he has been working on new music to accompany our liturgy that will be both easy to learn and enjoyable to sing. It will be very traditional but at the same time contemporary. It can be accompanied by both organ and piano with the option of using other complementary instruments as well. Please be sure to mark your calendars as ALC commissions this exciting new liturgy! ALC SPRING PICNIC APRIL 27TH, 12 to 4 pm Let s have a Church Picnic and Invite our Neighbors! We ll have hot dogs and drinks and cookies and fun! There ll be moonwalks and volleyball matches and lots of games for youth and seniors alike! See Sunday Parish Notes for more details!

2 Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Where are all the men? This was the theme of a conference I attended several weeks ago, along with a few other men from our congregation. It was very eye opening to say the least. Let me share with you some of the statistics that were taken from the website The typical U.S. Congregation draws an adult crowd that s 61% female, 39% male. This gender gap shows up in all age categories. On any given Sunday, there are 13 million more adult women than men in America s churches. This Sunday, almost 25% of married, churchgoing women will worship without their husbands. Midweek activities often draw 70 to 80 percent female participants. As many as 90 percent of the boys who are being raised in the church will abandon it by their 20 th birthday. Many of these young men will never return. Here are some other observations: A significant number of churchgoing men attend out of habit, unaffected by what goes on during worship. Quite a few men go to church simply to keep their wives/mothers/girlfriends happy. The majority of men who attend church do nothing during the week to grow their faith. This gender gap is not just a U.S. phenomenon. Christian churches around the world are short on men. The interesting thing is, is that no other major religion is like this. If we look at Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism; all have no shortage of men. As a matter of fact, in most of those religions, men practice their faith publicly and unashamedly. So what is it about Christianity that is driving men away? Why do other religions inspire male allegiance, while ours breeds male indifference? After all, Jesus had no trouble captivating men. Fishermen dropped nets full of fish and left families to follow him, but today s church can t seem to convince men to drop their TV remote controls for an hour a week. Without sounding stereotypical, most men (especially young men) are drawn to risk, challenge and adventure. Somehow, I believe that we have lost that in our Christian faith. Most churches offer a safe, nurturing community an oasis of stability and predictability. Studies show that women and older adults gravitate toward these things. Although, our official mission that was given to us by Jesus describes adventure, challenge and risk, most congregations are involved in making people feel comfortable and safe especially long-term members. There is a saying that states: Your system is perfectly designed to give you the results you re getting. Dr. Leon Podles, author of The Church Impotent: The Feminization of Christianity, writes that there is a pattern of feminization in Christianity going back at least 700 years, but the ball really got rolling in the 1800 s. Podles writes: With the dawning of the industrial revolution, large numbers of men sought work in mines, mills and factories, far from home and familiar parish. Women stayed behind, and began remaking the church in their image. The Victorian era saw the rise of church nurseries, Sunday schools, lay choirs, temperance movements, quilting circles, ladies teas, soup kitchens, girls societies, potluck dinners, etc. Soon, the very definition of a good Christian had changed: boldness and aggression were out; passivity and receptivity were in. Christians were to be gentle, sensitive and nurturing, focused on home and family rather than accomplishment and career. Believers were not supposed to like sex, tobacco, alcohol, dancing or other worldly pleasures. The godly were always calm, polite and sociable. This feminine spirituality still dominates many of our churches today. So what is the answer? Perhaps the first step is to just have open discussion. I don t necessarily agree with all of the arguments put forth by Podles and his contemporaries. The last thing we need in the church is a radical men s agenda that is directly opposed to the radical feminist movement. The church has already been there, done that. As with all things, we must come together in prayer and find common ground. For Jesus is Lord of all, whether Gentile or Jew, young or old, black or white or all those in between, and yes, even male and female. Pastor Gary L. Anholt

3 STEWARDSHIP THOT (April 2008) The Seven Financial Stewardship Myths and Principles #3 & #4 Myths #3 & #4 of the seven myths of financial stewardship are: Myth #3 People are giving all they can. Wrong! The national statistics depict the that the majority of church constituents of almost all flavors are not even close the biblical expectation that maturing in discipleship leads to contributing a tithe 10% of income. In our denomination a 1.5% percentage seems to be the median. Myth #4 -Telling constituents Our church needs money! produces generous giving. Wrong! Focusing on giving to meet the congregation s need to pay bills produces weak or unsatisfactory results. Stewardship education that is Christ-centered, discipleship giving, prompts constituents to generous giving that is a result of an attitude of gratitude. Myth #1 - Christians automatically commit themselves to generous financial stewardship. Myth #2 - If worship attendance is high, the need for money takes care of itself. Principles #3 & #4 of the seven principles of financial stewardship in high-per-capita giving congregation are: Principle #3 - Focus on the need of the giver to have an attitude of gratitude results in generosity that is biblical. The prevailing error is driven by the bill-paying mindset that centers attention of the need for the congregation to stay solvent. Principle #4 - Discipleship-centered congregations expect their pastoral leaders to emphasize biblical stewardship. This expectation is one that results in proportionate or percentage giving of income and maturing toward tithing. Principle #1- People give to various community and philanthropic causes for a different reason than they give to churches. Principle #2 - We conduct a stewardship education program every year. THE GOAL OF STEWAR DSHIP MI NI STRY I S TO HELP US A S GO D S PEO PLE TO GRO W I N O UR RELA- TIONSH IP WITH J ES US THROUG H THE USE OF THE TIME, TALENTS AND FIN AN CES GO D H AS EN- TRUSTED TO U S. Attention: All Greeters, Ushers, Lectors, Communion Assistants, Word and Sacrament Teams and Counters! - Attention anyone who is eager to be a Greeter, Lector, Communion Assistant, Word and Sacrament Team member, or Counter! Please make plans to attend a short but very important retraining session on April 19th at 9am. We will review our duties and will also go over changes made to make us even more effective! We are looking forward to seeing you, and THANK YOU for all you do! Karen Schoenfeld

4 Building Task Force Update The Building Task Force is still going strong! We have made a few member changes over the last few months, and everyone is up to speed. Thanks to Michelle Mikesell and David Berthold for their time and passion given to the project. They have both stepped down due to time conflicts. We welcome Nate Hutchinson, Bob Gronwaldt, and Johne Dowell. They are excited to be on the team and ready to keep moving forward! We are working hard to get things rolling. At this point, we are awaiting final drawings and estimates from the architect, Matt Roesler. We should have everything from him by early May, and we will then begin the bidding process. While we are waiting, we are going forward with gathering soil samples and working on loan applications. We could have ground breaking as early as JULY!!! Here is an updated list of Building Task Force members. We welcome your questions and comments. Gary Anholt, Johne Dowell, Allyson Evans, Steve Galloway, Bob Gronwaldt, Nate Hutchinson, Sid Nice STEWARDSHIP NEWS NOW LOOK WHAT YOU VE DONE! (February) February contributions and attendance were below traditional averages. Regular offerings for the first six months of the Atascocita Lutheran fiscal year have been 93% of the projected income plan THANKS if you are ahead or even with of your household commitment for the year. Please help the cause if you are behind your plan. Expenses for five months of the current fiscal year have been $1, more than the approved spending plan. This means that ALC is at 101% of the spending plan for the first five months of fiscal year. The contributions during February toward FAITH VENTURE 2007 (FV07) were as expected. Gifts for the construction and renovations project were $6, The commitments for the capital funds appeal are for new construction and renewing the existing facilities. Through the middle of March giving for FV07 has exceeded $70,000. Thanks!!! for your faithful and growing generosity! Chrysalis School Registration Underway It s time to register for the school year! Registration will be open for our two, three, and four year old classes. We operate on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00-1:30. Class sizes are limited, so don t wait! During the month of March, registration fees will be $65 for non-church members and $35 for church members. On April 1, those fees will increase to $85 (non-members) and $55 (members). So don t delay! If you have any friends, neighbors, or family members who are looking for a friendly and nurturing environment with top-notch teachers and outstanding programming, encourage them to check us out! Interested parents can check out the school website ( or call Lisa Hall ( ).

5 Apr. 7 James & Debbie Barry Mike & Dixie Teague 10 Allen & Catherine DeWoody 11 Pastor Gary & Linnae Anholt 13 Robert & Marge Muniz 15 Mike & Suzie Eubanks 21 Allen & Amanda Sallee Celebrating Birth- Apr. 1 Diane Trautman 4 Marvin Aspelin 6 Scott Alley 8 Mason Chavez 9 Linnae Anholt James Hower 11 Melissa Christensen 12 Micki Perry James Hutto Mattie Truitt 13 Nicole Berthold Marge Muniz Greg Perry 16 Eva Leigh 17 Susan Hankin 19 Rachel Bachert 20 Bryanna Rudy 25 Morgan Wiley 27 Hailey Hoyt Ruth Schumacher 28 Dan Galloway 29 Yvonne Bachert 30 Aurora Bentrim Kylie Main 31 Tanya Sorensen IF YOU HAD A BIRTHDAY OR AN ANNIVERSARY DURING THIS MONTH AND YOUR NAME DOES NOT APPEAR ON THIS LIST, PLEASE CALL THE CHURCH OFFICE. Remember to use your Kroger Share card (available at the church) and your Randall's Remarkable card when you shop for groceries. ALC receives a donation of 1% of your total bill. Altar Flowers Given With Love April 6 by Susan Croskey in memory of Jennifer Hardy 13 Open 20 by Bob & Jennifer Gronwaldt in honor of their 5th wedding anniversary 27 by the family of Kylie Main in honor of her 4th birthday Sign up in the narthex to give altar flowers. Our church florist will make a beautiful arrangement. Cost is $35. Vacation Bible School VBS will be here before we know it! The CRAFT Crew needs your help early this year. We are collecting empty, clean yogurt containers--any brand will do. We are also in need of empty, clean baby food jars-- larger than 4 oz. Any other jar between 6 and 8 ounces will do, too. There will be boxes in the fellowship hall for collection. Thank you in advance for your help! Blood Pressure Checks Blood pressure checks will be done the last Sunday of each month after both services. You will have a record to keep, and we will maintain a record for you at the church. All are welcome to stop by either for a screening or regular monitoring. Also, anyone trained in taking blood pressures who would like to be part of the team, please call Karen Schoenfeld at

6 ATASCOCITA LUTHERAN CHURCH 7927 FM 1960 East, Humble Texas (281) Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Huffman, Texas Permit No. 19 ATASCOCITA LUTHERAN CHURCH Our Vision: As a growing, diverse community of believers