VOICE OF ATONEMENT JANUARY Inside this issue: Epiphany. Living in God s Love~Reaching out with Hope

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1 VOICE OF ATONEMENT Living in God s Love~Reaching out with Hope JANUARY 2015 Inside this issue: From Pastor Carl 2 Faith in Action 3 Epiphany Potluck & Worship 3 Outreach Ministry 4 Adult Education 4 National High School Youth Gathering 5 Hannah Circle 5 Theater And Theology 5 Altar Guild 6 Worship Workshop 6 Congregational Meeting 6 Children s Ministry 6 Hey! What s up with my Service? 7 Financial Report 8 Confirmation 8 Midweek Worship 8 Epiphany əˈpifənē noun an appearance or manifestation especially of a divine being (1) : a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something (2) : an intuitive grasp of reality through something (as an event) usually simple and striking (3) : an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure For a few months now we ve been using the Narrative Lectionary for our daily and weekly scripture reading in worship and in our devotions. We ve heard some great stories along the way: the promises given to Noah and Abraham, God s deliverance of the Israelite people through the Red Sea and from exile, and the promise of the coming Messiah. We ve heard the stories of God s faithfulness to God s people and God s promises in the midst of a broken and unfaithful world. And now we re moving into the stories of the New Testament. Between now and Easter we ll hear stories of Jesus and his ministry with his ragtag group of disciples. We ll hear about healing, miracles, and how the Kingdom of God breaks into our world in unexpected ways and how that challenges the status quo. But here s my question for you today. Are these stories simply information? Are they pieces of knowledge to store in our heads waiting to be pulled out at the next Bible Trivia Bowl or is there something more to these stories? This is the season of Epiphany. Among other things this is a time in the church when we hear stories of new revelations about Jesus. We discover more about the nature of the Word made flesh and we get a little window into the Kingdom of God. And as we hear these stories our hope is that you will not only hear the story, but you will also wonder where you find yourself in the story. What does Jesus baptism mean for your baptism? When you feel lost or alone, what does it mean to think of Jesus 40 days in the wilderness? Stories are more than information. Stories have power. Think about the ways we ve learned about who we are through the stories shared by our family at the Thanksgiving table or around the Christmas meal. They re not simply a recitation of fact, they re a way of sharing a truth in a way that sterile information just can t reach. That is our hope any time we share the stories of scripture, especially during Epiphany; that as more and more is revealed to us about Jesus, more and more will be revealed about you and you will find yourself in the story of our relationship with God that has been unfolding since the very beginning. Yours in Christ, ~Pastor Chris Women s FSS 8

2 Page 2 WHISKEY FOR MY MEN; BEER FOR MY HORSES A few weeks ago, I met with several Atonement members to help them begin thinking about the elements they might want to have included in their memorial services when that time comes. One of the questions raised in the sessions and in private conversations had to do with the music that might be chosen for such a service. Once upon a time that was quite easy. Almost always, even if services were held in a funeral home instead of a sanctuary, the music would be hymns, sung by a soloist or by the congregation, accompanied by an organ. While that is still the case today, more and more individuals and families request music that would not typically be thought of as church music. I first became aware that the times were changing a few years ago when I conducted memorial services for an aunt and uncle, who first met on the dance floor of the Trocadero Ball Room at Elitch's Gardens. In memory of their first date and of their continued love of ballroom dancing through their 60+ years of marriage, both of their services began and ended with the music of Glenn Miller. String of Pearls and Tuxedo Junction were absolutely perfect for them and for the occasion. In subsequent years, whether I have been asked to conduct services for relatives as the family pastor or for individuals known to me through church connections or for total strangers whom I have never met, requests for music one might not think of for a memorial service have been more and more common. There are at least three reasons, I believe, for this change. Sunday Church services have become increasingly informal, from the way people dress to the inclusion of non-traditional hymns and music as part of contemporary worship. Increasing numbers of churches now have at least one service each week led by microphone-amped guitars and drums with songs and liturgy projected on screens, rather then read from of prayer books or hymnals. Second, access to virtually any style of music is now readily accessible on Compact Disks. This means we can now have access to old-time favorites, which may not be included in newer versions of church hymnals, such as In the Garden or The Old Rugged Cross as well as virtually any style of music one might desire. Third, and most of all, more and more families want to remember the total life of their loved one by including songs and performers that were personal favorites instead of or in addition to typical church hymns. Now, whether I am asked to conduct a memorial service in a church sanctuary, a funeral home chapel, or on the banks of the Frying Pan River, I fully expect that at some point, the music will be non-traditional. So, while the memorial service opened and closed by the music of Glen Miller may have been the first, but it was not the last to include one or more musical selections I would never have expected to be part of a service where we gather to say our last good-byes. To name a few: songs by Elvis; Willie Nelson s, My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys; The Seeker s, There s a New World Somewhere; Conway Twitty s Why Me Lord?, Garth Brooks, The Dance, Frank Sinatra s I Did It My Way. And just two weeks ago, a service that began with Ave Maria and ended with one I had never heard before (and which will not be part of my memorial service): Whiskey For My Men and Beer For My Horses. Realizing that at age 76 I am on the back nine of my life, I recently wrote down requests and ideas for my own memorial service. At this point, the suggested music is quite traditional. But who knows? Since I continue to conduct memorial services for others as well as attending services for individuals I know, there is always the chance I ll hear something new that will lead me to add a CD for my family to consider playing when the time comes. ~Pastor Carl

3 Page 3 FAITH IN ACTION ELCA Social Statement on Criminal Justice ELCA s most recent social statement, adopted at the 2013 churchwide assembly, is The Church and Criminal Justice: Hearing the Cries. Per the ELCA website, it presents a comprehensive perspective on matters related to the U.S. criminal justice system and the many communities affected by this system. The statement affirms the principles of the U.S. criminal justice system, but also reveals the desperate cries that reflect the system s serious deficiencies. Drawing from the biblical witness to God s rich forms of love and justice for all humanity, the ELCA is compelled by a holy yearning to address the need for a change in public attitude and posture, and to call for dramatic reforms in policies and practices in the criminal justice system. In its planning last summer, FIA decided to focus on this social statement in spring 2015 with no idea how timely it would be given the recent incidents in Ferguson, MO and New York City involving black men and police officers. Book Club on Criminal Justice Join our FIA book club by reading The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander. The book examines the caste-like system that has developed in the U.S. as a result of the high number of African Americans in prison who are then denied the hard-won rights won of the Civil Rights Movement. Mark your calendar for the following Adult Education sessions in which we will discuss the book and invite speakers: March 1, April 19 and May 17. FIA Picks A Pastoral Letter to White Americans by Jim Wallis, president of Sojourners: Faith in Action for Social Justice. The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander (see above). Video Message on Racial Justice by ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton at Events/7711. EPIPHANY POTLUCK & WORSHIP TUESDAY, JANUARY 6TH 6:30 PM Peter s Pen Christ Be Our Light! January 6th is the Feast of the Epiphany, also known as the Festival of Lights in the Orthodox Church, due to the preponderance of candles used in the service. Epiphany 2015 we are beginning a new tradition of celebrating the feast of Epiphany, something we usually only get to do when it falls on a Sunday. We are inviting folks to come out for a worship service filled with singing, food, and candlelight. We are inviting our sister congregations to join with us in this joyous celebration. We will begin at 6:30 p.m. with what we Lutherans do so well, a Potluck. We will be providing the dessert, so please bring either a main dish, a side, or a salad. The season of Epiphany then takes us through events in Christ s life particularly the events where God broke through to our world, revealing the power of the trinity. After listening to our texts for Epiphany and through our prayer together, the worship team for the season wove together several elements into the theme Christ Be Our Light. Some of these Service of Song, Food elements Belonging to God, Standing in the light of Grace, Challenge of being Christ s Light in the and Light world. There will be stations set up during worship to help us reflect on various aspects of our theme. The stations and the liturgy for the 10:30 service have been put together by our youth, who will also be helping to lead the worship services during this 5 week period. We invite you to enter into the season and experience God s reveling Godself in your own life. ~Peter Hebert

4 Page 4 OUTREACH MINISTRY The Outreach Ministry is about reaching out, extending services or assistance beyond current or usual limits. The focus is on identifying ministries that our congregation supports and lifting them up by providing information, seeking volunteers, and coordinating activities. Much of our effort involves publicizing information about what these organizations do and how we can help in our congregation. Some of the activities that we support are as follows: The Angel Tree with gifts for Community Ministry and Lutheran Family Services. We collected and delivered 103 gifts in Lutheran Family Services- we are looking at activities to collect sheets and blankets for refugees, or a drive to collect paper products. Soles for Souls- As of Sept 10 th, 2,641 pairs of shoes had been collected by the members of our Church community and donated to Soles for Souls. The boxes are full again. Community Ministry - our church collected over 90 pounds of school supplies this summer. We also fill the cart in the lobby with food items and grocery coupons on a regular basis for their food bank. Jeffco Action Center - We collect school supplies for them throughout the year. Habitat for Humanity - Habitat had a team that came to our church and put on a pancake breakfast fundraiser. Atonement Lutheran Church also supports other ministries, such as our youth, Lutheran World Relief and Sky Ranch and Rainbow Trails camping ministries. If you would like to be a part of the Outreach Ministry team or if you have ideas about how we can extend the ministries we support, contact, Jan Sweeney or Susan Wager or other team members. Better yet, join us at our next meeting on January 11 th in 2015 at 6:30 pm at Atonement. Susan Wager, Outreach Ministry team ADULT EDUCATION The Lutheran Course II Have you made a New Year's resolution? The Adult Ed ministry team suggests this: to join us Jan 4th through Feb 15 for the 7 sessions of the Lutheran Course II! The topics presented are the Theology of the Cross, bondage to sin, grace, sinner and saint, service, kingdoms on the left and on the right and vocation. The format is a DVD presentation by one of these people: the Bishop of the LaCrosse area synod, the Bishop of the Metro New York synod, the Executive Director of the Lutheran Theological Center in Atlanta, Professors from the Lutheran Theological Seminary, Pacific Theological Seminary and Wartburg College; the DVD presentation is followed by our own discussion and sharing. Come for learning and fun together on Sundays at 9:15 am. ADULT ED: CONTINUED Did you resolve or do you desire to develop a daily Bible reading or study? [Pause to consider your freedom to even do this (think of Christians who had to flee Mosel from ISIL!)] Two suggested tools are Scripture Union, either through the website or you can receive a quarterly booklet and their "Encounter with God" takes one through all the books of the Bible in a 5 year cycle. Bible Gateway is a website and offers these interesting devotionals, "365 Day NIV study", "40 Day Journey through Lent with Dietrich Bonhoeffer", "C.S. Lewis Daily", "Jesus Code" and "Jesus Calling". May you walk close to God in 2015!

5 Page 5 HIGH SCHOOL NATIONAL YOUTH GATHERING Every three years the ELCA hosts a National Youth Gathering filled with faith formation, worship, study, fellowship, service and play. This event for High School aged students, will be taking place on July 15 th through July 19 th of This year, the destination is Detroit, Michigan. A non-refundable deposit of $150 is required to reserve your spot. Payment of the deposit is due to the church office no later than January 11 th. Checks should be made out to Atonement Lutheran Church. For questions, please contact Eric Benson at: (720) HANNAH CIRCLE Repent and Forgive Hannah Circle will meet on Tuesday, January 20, 2015 at 1:00 pm. Our lesson is titled, Repent and Forgive, and is found on page 30 of the January Gather Magazine. The need for forgiveness and reconciliation is timeless, and this study, as well as other articles in Gather Magazine for the 1 st month in 2015, are well worth reading. Please join us for the lesson and fellowship. THEATER AND THEOLOGY Appoggiatura Come join us for showing of Appoggiatura at the DCPA (Denver Center of the Performing Arts) on January 27 th. Written by three-time Pulitzer nominee James Still, Appoggiatura follows three closely related Americans, each nursing a hunger and a hard-to-heal wound, as they travel to the romantic city of Venice seeking solace. As time bends and magic beckons around every corner, this favorite of the Colorado New Play Summit weaves a quirky and lyrical narrative exploring love, loss and the human soul. Benediction If you are not able to make it to the showing of Appoggiatura, don t worry. You can join us on February 10th at the DCPA for a showing of Benediction. Hailed a masterful look at the end of life by the Denver Post, this adaptation of Kent Haruf s best-selling novel Benediction transports us to the high plains of Colorado. The final chapter of Haruf s remarkable trilogy is a powerful drama about three souls searching for meaningful connections despite separation, loneliness and the race against time. Reservations for Appoggiatura are due January 6 th. and Reservations for Benediction are due January 20th. Sign-up sheets are in the Narthex and the ticket price is $ Please make checks out to Rocky Mountain Synod, and give them to Jean Marshall ( ),at registration time. Carpooling is available from the church at 5:30 PM.

6 Page 6 ALTAR GUILD Altar Guild will meet Saturday, January 10, 2015 in the Kitchen and Cafe at 10:00 AM. We will enjoy brunch, review the new set-up instructions and organize the calendar for the year. Please plan to attend. If you would like to help with the food for the brunch, please sign up in the Narthex. All persons-individuals, couples, two member teams, former members, those curious about providing this service in support of worship services are welcome. If we can maintain the group at its current size, this job requires you to serve 4 weeks, 2 weeks each time, twice a year. WORSHIP WORKSHOP Saturday January 10th Assisting Minister Training 9:00 AM Reader Training 9:30 AM Altar Guild Training 10:00 AM For anyone who is currently serving, or signed up during our recent Worship Fair, or would like to be a Reader or an Assisting Minister, please come to a brief training session on Saturday January 10 th. Assisting ministers should come at 9:00 AM. Readers should come at 9:30 AM. Altar Guild training will be offered at 10:00 AM at the beginning of the annual Altar Guild meeting and brunch. See Peter Hebert if you have any questions. Please meet in the Sanctuary. ANNUAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING SUNDAY, JANUARY 25 All members are requested to attend our annual Congregational Meeting on Sunday, January 25 th, to review the year just past, and plan for the year ahead. The past year will be summarized by the Ministry Teams, and we ll prepare for the new year by voting on the 2015 Budget Plan. This is an important meeting, so please plan to attend! The meeting will be held in the Fellowship Hall at 11:45 AM, following the 10:30 worship service. CHILDREN S MINISTRY Madeline Hebert and Kari Bland did an incredible job of leading the children s Christmas pageant. We thank them for their hard work, and if you ask any of the Sunday School children, we are certain they will tell you that they had incredible, gigantic, humongous amounts of fun presenting the Christmas program. After a holiday break, Sunday School and Muffins in the Middle will resume on January 11 at 10:15 am. Our next Children s Ministry Team Meeting will be on Tuesday, January 20 at 6:30 pm in the Education Unit. Feel free to join us and share your ideas. Amanda Whitt paisley615@gmail.com

7 JANUARY Page 7 HEY! WHAT S UP WITH MY SERVICE? Liturgical musings from the Worship Director. Imagine waking up every morning having an egg, toast, and coffee for every breakfast, followed by a peanut butter and jelly sandwich at lunch, and salisbury steak with boiled potatoes and peas for dinner. Between meals, you do exactly the same things at the same time with absolutely no variation ever, listen to the same song, watch the same TV episode, wear the same clothes every, single day. As an exchange student in Germany, I had something similar happen to me. Prior to living there, I looked forward to Sunday afternoon dinner, because it meant for that we would be having mashed potatoes, my favorite way to eat my favorite vegetable. I would help my mother set the table and strategically placed the mashed potatoes in front of my plate, making sure I was the first to get a crack at them. With 5 boys in the house, you never wanted to be at the end of the serving line for something you wanted. But after one year living on a potato farm in northern Germany, where potatoes were served at every meal, and in every possible form imaginable, I came to not only find potatoes in any form less than exciting, but I also came to dislike them. This is not to say that routine is bad, in fact we humans thrive on routine. The familiarity of the routine gives comfort, and affords us the opportunity to think on things below the surface of the common everyday concerns. Routine can also ground us in a history, giving us a sense of identity, helping to define who we are over and against the world at large. In this way routine is life-giving and nurturing, set that against the dangers of monotony which can lead to disinterest and even malnourishment in extreme cases. Our worship is no different. The routine of our Lutheran liturgy gives us meaning, rootedness and a sense of belonging to something much bigger than ourselves. It allows for the words and prayers to be uttered when they don t seem to come to us so readily. And in times of difficulty, the discipline of the liturgy is life-giving when other things seem to fail. But the liturgy also is fraught with the danger of sinking into sameness and monotony. The Church has recognized this fact as far back as the development of the liturgy itself. The liturgies of St Chrysostome, St Basil, the Mozarabic in Spain, the Gallic, and the Roman liturgies were all simultaneously in use. Certain liturgies were used for certain liturgical seasons to highlight the nature of the season, and sometimes for the sake of practicality (i.e. separating baptism and confirmation because there was no bishop available to perform the baptisms). By virtue of our Lutheran theology, the nature of Evangelical Worship is to be free to communicate the Gospel. Not only is each congregation free to express itself as it desires, but every individual within the service is equally free (more about this in a later musing) There are many factors which go into our Worship planning at Atonement. We start with encountering the scriptures prayerfully and openly. We look at the season of the church year, and ask if a particular part of the liturgy should be highlighted, amended or omitted. An example of this would be to omit the Hymn of Praise and the Alleluias during lent, or not having the Confession and Forgiveness during the season of Christmas or Easter because of the redemptive nature of those feasts. Our highest worship should be reserved for our highest feast days. This all helps to give a rhythm to our liturgical year. As we enter Epiphany and this season of light, we continue to bask in the light of Christmas, celebrating God breaking into this world through Jesus. The liturgy will mirror that, with the return of the Kyrie and the singing of the Gloria (Glory to God), connecting us back to angel s songs. At the early service, we will be broadening our repertoire from the hymnal and will be learning setting 5 one part at a time. During this time, we will be using setting 3, a familiar setting from the LBW. The 10:30 service has been designed by the youth of our congregation and will include station prayers, and music focusing on Christ is Our Light? We invite you to come and participate in either or both of the services and to encounter Christ anew in this season. ~ Peter Hebert

8 Page 8 We have received $24,995 in Mortgage Reduction contributions so far this year, and have a balance of $26,372 in the account. Budget Expenses November YTD Monthly Average Mission Support (shown above) YTD $ 28,553 $ 307,675 Income $ 32,537 $ 27,805 $ 305,852 Expenses $ 24,661 $ 23,834 $ 262,177 Net Income $ 7,876 $ 3,971 $ 43,675 With Principal Reduction $ 4,397 $ 5,319 November was an exceptional month for income with giving exceeding the budget for the month. The special holiday offerings for Thanksgiving were also a blessing. For the month, total revenues exceeded the plan by nearly $4,500. However, we still are behind the plan in total revenues by a little $2,600. Expenses continue to-be less than the budget resulting in positive net income for the month and year-to-date. Capital Fund Atonement Lutheran Church, ELCA Staff 6281 West Yale Ave Lakewood CO Phone: churchoffice@atonement-denver.org Pastor Rev. Chris Davis Pastoral Staff Rev. Dr. Carl Hansen Worship Director Peter Hebert Office Admin. Kathy Fletcher Communications/Media Office Assistant Nick Root Choir Accompanist Carol Ott Organists Carol Ott Gayle Gunderson Parish Nurses Beverly Karika Ruth Zartman Confirmation In January Lutheran Church of the Master (14099 West Jewell Ave, Lakewood) Starting Wednesday, January 7th, we will be meeting again at Lutheran Church of the Master for Dinner and Class. Dinner is at 6:00 PM Class starts at 6:30 PM Mid-Week Worship and Luncheon Wednesday, January 14th 11:30 AM January Altar Flowers 4th Betty Moody 11th Robert Miller 18th Open 25th- Open Joyce Fisher Sue Neslund The family of Jean McLaughlin Women s FSS Women s FSS will be meeting January 22nd at the Red Lobster located on South Wadsworth for a fun-filled dinner. We will be meeting at 6:30PM. We can t wait to see you there! Council Council President Vice-President Secretary Treasurer Cong. Caring Worship & Music Women s Ministry Men s Ministry Fellowship Children s Ministries Youth Ministries Adult Ministries Building & Grounds Mission Resources Financial Secretary Outreach Evangelism Faith in Action Melissa Lemke Tom Ayers Allison Ball Ruth Ann Fleming OPEN Linda Neslund OPEN OPEN Tracy Ford Amanda Whitt Eric Benson Gayle Gunderson Ron Andersen Terri Winter OPEN Jan Sweeney Jean Viste Laura Buhs