CHRIST LUTHERAN CHURCH The Good News

Transcription

1 CHRIST LUTHERAN CHURCH 2610 CAMPBELL STREET VALPARAISO, IN RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED NON-PROFIT ORGN US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 163 VALPARAISO, IN Included in this Issue: Message from Pastor Erica Social Ministry for July: Lutheran Deaconess Association (LDA) and ELCA Mission Builders CL SENIORS & FRIENDS Girls Night Out Little Lamb Preschool News Youth Director Search CHRIST LUTHERAN CHURCH The Good News

2 CHRIST LUTHERAN CHURCH 2610 N. Campbell Street Valparaiso, IN Fax clcvalpo@clcvalpo.org website: CLC STAFF Rev. Timothy Knauff, Jr. Senior Pastor pastortim@clcvalpo.org Rev. Erica Gibson-Even Pastor pastorerica@clcvalpo.org Rev. Jerry Castleman Pastor Emeritus Karen Stingely Music Director karen.stingely@clcvalpo.org Jenny Bias Church Administrator jen.bias@clcvalpo.org Heather Budnik Business Manager heather.budnik@clcvalpo.org Jen Gottlieb, Director Little Lamb Preschool jen.gottlieb@clcvalpo.org Milan Coburn Property Manager milan.coburn@clcvalpo.org Juli Verkler Parish Nurse forever20154@cox.net CHURCH COUNCIL OFFICERS PRESIDENT : Mike Felten VICE PRESIDENT : Grace Safrin TREASURER : Faith Noe SECRETARY : Trish Acton COUNCIL MEMBERS CHRISTIAN EDUCATION: Sheila Burnside CHRISTIAN GROWTH: Sue McPherson CHURCH PROPERTY: Marla Niksch HOSPITALITY & OUTREACH: Sara Long SOCIAL MINISTRY: Irene Adams STEWARDSHIP: Amy Boedeker WORSHIP & MUSIC: Tim Malchow YOUTH: Mary Ennes LLP REP: Helen Arvidson YOUTH REP: Caitlyn Fields JUNE ALTAR GIFTS Holy Communion Wine Michele Sutherland ~ Celebrating Brendan s 21st Birthday!! Altar Candles Given to the Glory of God Eternal Lamp Candles Given to the Glory of God Florals July 3 ~ Given to the Glory of God July 10 ~ Burnside Family ~ Celebrating Abby s Birthday!! July 17 ~ Bill Parker ~ In Memory of my Wife, Olga Parker, July 15, 1930 July 24 ~ Given to the Glory of God July 31 ~ Given to the Glory of God THERE ARE STILL OPPORTUNITIES TO SIGN UP FOR THE FOLLOWING 2016 ALTAR GIFTS: COMMUNION WINE $20~ ALTAR CANDLES $20 FLORALS $30 ~ ETERNAL LAMP CANDLES $20 All-ages Faith Formation! Come for some all-ages faith formation time Sunday, July 17, at 9:20. We'll meet in the Gathering Space and get creative together! We'll gather again on August 7 to get handson talking about worship. SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, August 27, 2016 A tradition of service began in Northwest Indiana in 2009 when nutritious meals were packed for families in need. Since that first year of packing meals, 850,000 meals have been packed. On August 27, 2016, the goal is to pack 150,000 meals to reach the goal of One Million Meals for NWI! The packing event will take place at the Valparaiso University ARC with 90% of the meals made available to NWI families in need and the remaining 10% going to international hunger relief. You can help in one or two ways: 1. Donate funds to purchase the meals through Pack Away Hunger (PackAwayHunger.org). You can learn about Pack Away Hunger at their website and make a donation through their website. 2. Be part of a packing team for the August 27 th event at the ARC! If you want to be part of the CLC packing team (we need 10 people to form our own team), please contact Karl Reichardt (karl.reichardt@valpo.edu; ) to express your interest. Usually there are two packing sessions one in the morning and one in the afternoon, each lasting for about 2 ½ hours. This is a great service project for all ages from youth to retired folk! Many churches of NWI are represented by youth groups, whole families, as well as young adults through retirees! The time really flies by, and you meet many, many nice people from all over NWI. CL SENIORS & FRIENDS Summer Picnic at Bass Lake Thursday, July 28, 2016 Rain date = Friday, July 29 Meet at CLC at 9:15 a.m. CDT to Car Pool [Bass Lake is on EDT] Use sign-up sheet in East Link Hallway Bring a side dish or dessert & your lawn chair Brats & burgers, Diet Coke, lemonade, coffee provided. Get directions from Bob Hall For more information please contact Roma Schmidt or roma-48@hotmail.com

3 CLC Social Ministry and Mission July 2016 As you do it for the least of these, you do it for Christ. (Matthew 25:40) Each month the Social Ministry Committee highlights a special giving opportunity. July s specific emphasis is to provide support for the Lutheran Deaconess Association (LDA) and ELCA Mission Builders (MB) organization Builders. Lutheran Deaconesses wash the feet of the world. With towel and basin, deaconesses share food, clothing, medicine, love, and the gospel with those in need. Every church can see service as central to its identity and it s calling as God s people. The LDA trains and supports deaconesses for servant leadership. It also encourages the whole people of God in their diaconal life. It leads the church in recognizing its call to diakonia. LDA national headquarters are located on the Valparaiso Univ. campus and CLC has benefitted from the work of deaconesses over the past several years. Mission Builders are part of an ELCA worldwide church that rolls up our sleeves and gets to work. MB volunteers use their God-given skills to help ELCA congregations, schools, campus, and social ministry organizations construct or improve their facilities. A typical project includes the MB, members of the congregation/organization, and various other professionals from the community working side-byside to improve facilities. CLC was the wonderful beneficiary of MB workers when building our new sanctuary. Use your weekly worship service envelope and indicate LDA/MB on the line marked Social Ministry with the amount you wish to give in addition to your regular giving. Thank you for your support of monthly social ministry emphasis needs this month CLC Social Ministry and Mission Committee. Social Ministry Committee members are Irene Adams, Claire Bartusch, Diana & Bill Iltzsche, Kathy Lundstrom, Faith Noe, Lisa Owen, Barbara Peat, Ed and Karen Seykowski, and Tim Sutherland. A Message from Pastor Erica Together, we grow in faith through worship, faith formation, mission, and fellowship. As a congregation, we are working to center our life together around these themes. We are structuring our time together with a Faith Formation Hour time built into our community life for us to grow together through conversation and coffee, through study and prayer, through Sunday School and intergenerational activities. But the first item on that list is first for a reason! Worshipping together is the center of a life of following Jesus. And I m excited that our new structure will help encourage us to think about how and why we worship together all ages, with all sorts of backgrounds and callings. God puts us together for a reason assembles us into the Body of Christ because it s when we re together that we best grow and we best share God s love with the world. We need each other, and never more so than in worship! We need to sing each other s songs. We need the children to invite us into wonder and playfulness. We need the youth to lead us with their gifts. We need older adults to model faithfulness and connect us to a community beyond our families. We need to worship together! The reason I bring my kids to worship each week (well, to be honest, the reason my husband brings them to worship and does the work of teaching them how to worship) is because this is THE habit of faith we want to pass on to them. Worshiping together as God s people is about getting it into our bones. Children and adults alike we need the contents and the habits of worship in our bones! We need to hear the good news of God s love in Jesus over and over and over, until it s in our bones. We need to hear and receive the promises of God in baptism and communion over and over and over, until they are in our bones. We need to get into our bones the habits of faith that worship teaches the habit of honest confession and repentance. The habit of trusting God for forgiveness. The habit of lifting others in prayer, of asking others to pray for us. The habit of singing our trust and joy and sorrow. The habit of letting God connect us with those all around us, different from us in many ways, ways that it turns out we need. The habit of being sent out into our lives and world as signs of God s love for all we meet. We worship to get it into our bones. We worship with kids for the same reason so that it gets into their bones! So that the good news, the promises of God, and the habits of faith are there for them now, and as they grow. As more young people have joined us in worship over the last few years, they ve begun to change how we worship. I can t wait to see how God will change us all as we grow and worship together!

4 BABY CARE KITS All clothing items newborn to age 2 (2) gowns or sleepers: long- or shortsleeved (no feet) (2) t-shirts: lightweight cotton (1) jacket/sweater/sweatshirt: with hood, or include a baby cap (2) pairs of socks (2) receiving blankets: medium-weight cotton or flannel, or crocheted, or knitted with lightweight yarn, up to 52" square (4) cloth diapers: flat fold preferred (1) hand towel: dark color recommended (2) gentle soap bars: 4-5 oz., bath-size, in original wrapping (2) diaper pins: or large safety pins 3-ply baby yarn and flannel fabric in increments of.75 yards 3 PERSONAL CARE KITS New and in original packaging (1) bath towel: lightweight, dark color preferred (between 20 x 40" and 27" x 52") (1) toothbrush: adult size (1) nail clipper (2-3) bars of soap (8-9 oz.) (1) STURDY comb NO TOOTHPASTE PLEASE FABRIC KITS New or Gently used (2) spools of matching or neutral colored general purpose thread, yards each (2) pieces of cotton or cotton-blend fabric (no knits or 100% polyester) Each piece should match one of the sizes below: 2 ¼ yards of 58"-62" wide fabric, or 3 yards of 42"-45" wide fabric, or 4 yards of 34"-37" wide fabric Girls Night Out Thursday, July 14, 7pm La Cabana, 807 E Lincolnway Women of all ages join us for a night out! Friends are welcome. We'll try to eat outside. LWR/CLC FABRIC KIT PROJECT 2016 First time for CLC participation Kits Completed-16 Project Leader-Sandy Keammerer The Fabric Kit Project has packed 16 kits with a total of 96 yards of fabric and 32 spools of thread. Each kit must have 2 three-yard pieces of 100 per cent cotton fabric and two new spools of thread. Check out the exact fabric measurements/thread in our weekly bulletin and monthly news letter. Resale shops, antique malls, clearance racks, red tag area, and individual sewers are great sources for fabric for this project. The fabric kits are being sent to the sewing center in Africa where young girls are being taught how to sew on treadle sew machines. Learning a marketable skill can help them break out of the cycle of extreme poverty for themselves and their families. Thank you to Thrivent Action Teams for supplying seed money for fabric and thread. Any financial gift can be donated through the offering envelope marked-fabric Kit Project. Monthly Needs are fabric and thread. Little Lamb Preschool Our Outdoor Learning Center It truly does take a village. We are richly blessed at Little Lamb Preschool! God loves this ministry and it shows! Three years ago when the LLP staff met and had an in-service on outdoor play we brain stormed and came up with the idea of a natural outdoor learning center. We had a huge wish-- to provide a large outdoor space for the children to play and learn as they use their large muscles. We contacted a professional playground architect and got the ball rolling. Once we had a plan, we needed money to make it happen. Through generous personal donations, memorials, and Thrivent Choice dollars given to LLP from CLC s congregational members as well as numerous in house fundraisers and the participation and donations of the families of Little Lamb we were able to meet our goal! Not only was the money an extremely important factor but we also needed donations of time to install the sod, equipment, stepping stones, an outdoor classroom, and an organized toy shed. Milan and Beth Coburn were instrumental in facilitating the crews and completing a great deal of the physical work. Many congregation members, LLP parents, LLP staff, and Eagle Scouts also provided a lot of the labor necessary to make the playground complete. Lastly, behind every great project is a very supportive and enthusiastic board. Simply put this playground could not have been completed without all of the wonderful people who contributed to it in many ways. It truly does take a village and what a village we have!!! WE ARE ALWAYS THANKFUL Director s end of year note.i personally want to thank CLC congregation and staff for all the time, help, support, donations, prayers, and words of encouragement you have shared throughout the year. My sincere thanks to the wonderful LLP Board members who generously donate their time and help to our various activities whenever asked! We especially thank Marla Niksch and Jo Ellyn Depasquale who have served faithfully on the LLP Board for two terms each. We will miss them very much and appreciate all the love and support. I also want to deeply thank each of the LLP staff members who work, plan, pray, worry, love, and tenderly teach each precious lamb at LLP with incredible dedication and commitment. Together, we are touching the lives of many precious children and their families as we serve God through shepherding His children.

5 LWR/CLC BABY CARE KITS PROJECT 2016 GOAL-500 KITS COMPLETED-535 PROJECT LEADER, Sandy Keammerer AWESOME NEWS 1-We reached our 2016 Baby Care Kits Goal of 500 in May. THANKS TO ALL WHO HELPED TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL. We will continue our gathering and packing until the LWR truck comes to Christ Lutheran on the last Saturday of October. AWESOME NEWS of CLC's Baby Care Kits have been processed for overseas distribution so far this LWR calendar year(nov. 1, 2015-into 2016). Our kits along with other LWR kits are expected to reach over 30,000 people, including nearly 15,000 children. Rummage sales this year have been a huge help for our clothing needs. Keeps the tips coming so we can take advantage of this source. Watch for sales, mark downs, clearance, two for one, and bag sale for what is needed for our kits so our money can be stretched as far as possible. Vacation Bible school July 31 August 4 Parents: The registration forms for this summer's VBS- "Surf Shack" is on the church's website. You will be able to fill out the form and submit it online. Your registration, holding your child's place at VBS, will not be complete until you come to the church office to pay the $16 registration fee and sign the form. Volunteer forms are in the Gathering Area. Please turn into the church office as soon as possible. FINAL REGISTRATION IS SUNDAY, JULY 10 THANKS to Thrivent Action Team money, individual financial gifts, and Social Ministry funding for your support that enables this project to help others. Use the offering envelope and mark your gift to Baby Care Kits Project. This money will be used to buy items that we do not get in donations. No financial gift is too small! Help can always be used! Just let me know if you are available! JULY NEEDS ARE BARS OF GENTLE SOAP (JERGENS, IVORY, WHITE DIAL) AND SLEEPERS WITH/WITHOUT FEET. This is an exciting time in the life of our church, and we need your help. Below you will find the job posting, including a link to our Director of Youth Ministries landing page, which gives a complete job description and instructions for application. This posting is on our CLC Facebook page. Please help to get the word out, so that we may reach as many qualified applicants as possible. Please share (on Facebook), , text, Tweet, Snap, send the posting by mail, hand-deliver to, or call any appropriate contacts. We will be accepting resumes beginning now through July 31, We are looking forward to taking the next steps in our search and appreciate your support! YOUTH DIRECTOR POSITION Christ Lutheran Church, a thriving congregation in Valparaiso, IN, wants you to join in our vision of growing Christ-centered relationships with our youth and their families! Support and cultivate our well-established high school youth and foster our blossoming and enthusiastic middle school group. Learn more online at (will be on-line Monday, June 20) Applications can be sent to ymsearch@clcvalpo.org from June 20 through July 31, 2016.

6 Christ Lutheran Church July 2016 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 Youth Mission Trip 3 Seventh Sunday after Pentecost with Crill and Provenzano Baptisms 11:30 am Crill Baptism Reception (CH) 4 Office Closed 6:00 pm Property (120) 7:00 pm Financial Advisory Committee (107) 7:00 pm Youth Board Meeting (209) 5 7:30 am Executive Committee (offsite) 12:30 pm Staff Meeting (CH) 6:30 pm Psi Iota Xi (CH) 7:00 pm The Spiritual Life Bible Study (S) 6 6:00 pm Christian Growth Meeting (107) 6:00 pm Popcorn Fest Meeting (119) Eighth Sunday after Pentecost End of VBS Registration 9:20 am Congregational Forum (CH) 2:00 pm Open House (CH) 11 6:30 pm Stephen Ministry Supervision (209) 12 7:00 pm Boy Scouts (AC) 7:00 pm Council (209) :30 pm VMOS Meeting (209) 3:00 pm Memorial Garden Meeting (107) 7:00 pm Hospitality & Outreach(107) Ninth Sunday after Pentecost Stephen Ministry Sunday 9:20 am Summer Intergenerational Sunday School 24 Tenth Sunday after Pentecost :30 am Staff Meeting(209) 7:00 pm Boy Scouts (AC) 7:00 pm Music & Worship Meeting (209) 7:00 pm The Spiritual Life Bible Study (S) 25 6:30 pm Stephen Ministry Supervision (209) 26 7:00 pm Book Club (120) 7:00 pm Boy Scouts (AC) 20 9:00 am TGN Mailcrew (209) 7:00 pm Christian Ed Meeting (107) 7:00 pm Social Ministry & Mission (119) :00 pm "Our Carriage" Support Group (107) 28 1:00 pm Senior Meeting at Bass Lake Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost 3:00 pm VBS Family Night