King of Kings Lutheran Church

Transcription

1 - 1 - King of Kings Lutheran Church "Doing justice, loving kindness, walking humbly with God" (from Micah 6:8) Phone: `Website: kok@koklutheran.org 5501 SE Thiessen Road Milwaukie, OR Church Office Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 9am to 5pm Ministers, The People of King of Kings Pastor, Aimee Bruno Secretary, Susan Carder Choir Director, Lonnie Cline Custodians, Harry & Sharon Konsa Organist, Karen Corbett September 2011 Trusting in God's love and grace, King of Kings......affirms the gifts of all God's children...honors the wisdom of all generations...is a safe, caring community where you're freed to be yourself...joyfully welcomes new ideas and encourages creativity...provides opportunities for personal and spiritual growth...reaches out boldly in response to the needs of each other, the community, and the world...joyfully reflects faith in Christ through lives of stewardship and discipleship...looks to the future with hope and meets the challenges before us with courage

2 - 2 - September 7 7:00 pm Choir Rehearsal resumes September 8 3:00 pm King s Cupboard Open September 11 9/11 Remembrance Sunday September 12 6:00 pm Spirits & Theology September 13 9:30 am Sewing for Others resumes September 14 9:30 am Bible Study resumes September 18 11:30 am Congregational Check-In September 18 2:00 pm Shower for Pastor Aimee September 22 3:00 pm King s Cupboard Open October 2 10:00 am Blessing of the Animals October 3 6:00 pm Spirits & Theology October 9 October 16 Special Coffee Hour & Video Hosted by SAC Commitment Sunday SAVE THE DATE! St. Francis Day and Blessing of the Animals Sunday, October 2 Mark your calendars for this year s Blessing of the Animals. We re going to have a woofing good time as we celebrate the pets that bless our lives. Watch for meow details soon. Dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, ferrets, lizards, fish, frogs oh my!

3 - 3 - Pastor s Message Dear Friends, Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all God s benefits who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases; who redeems your life from the grave and crowns you with steadfast love and mercy. Psalm 103:2-4 This month we will gather for a time of honoring, remembering, and reflecting on the 10 th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. We ll gather for worship at our regular time 10 am that Sunday morning. We ll have special songs and prayers for forgiveness and grieving and hope. Then, during the day, we ll hold a vigil, keeping the sanctuary open to anyone who wants to come and pray. We ll be asking some of you to assist to be here to keep vigil and to sit with anyone who happens to come in and need some company and to help answer questions. We ll have quiet music playing in the background, a place to lay flowers in remembrance, candles to light, and a place to write reflections. Some might ask why we are having this remembrance. Some are tired of talking about that day. Many are tired of the hate and anti-muslim rhetoric that this incident has brought out. Some people think we should move on. September 11, 2001 was a significant day in the life our country and the world. It is a very strong memory for most of us where we were that morning, what we saw and felt, what we saw in the faces of our neighbors, how life has not been the same since. It is still affecting us today in many ways. Fears of another attack are always in the backs of our minds. With the death of Osama bin Laden this year, this fear increased that there would be retaliation, and there still could be. This has changed airline travel from body scans, to families not being able to see each other off at the airport, to the no-fly list. We ve been fighting two wars our country couldn t afford which has brought our country to the brink of bankruptcy and caused

4 - 4 - financial havoc on ordinary families. We are still living in the shadow of the September 11 th attacks. God has something to say about what concerns us. God is with us in our struggles to understand September 11. God is with us as we try to heal and forgive and try to move on try to live our lives in hope. God is here to comfort us when we are afraid. God is here to challenge us to stand up to those forces of death and destruction that kill innocent Iraqis and Afghanis and ignore the poor and hungry in our own country and throughout the world. God is here to heal. God is here to show us how to forgive and be forgiven. I hope you ll sign up to keep watch at the vigil that day. I hope you ll invite your friends and neighbors into a safe place where they can reflect and feel safe. I hope that God will ease your fears. I hope that our church can be a place that responds to the needs of our community, especially to grieve, to come together, and to reflect. I hope our country will learn from our past and move into the future in a new way so that God s Kingdom can truly come. Pastor Aimee Welcome Back Sunday September 18 10:00 am: Worship with back to school blessing 11:15 am: Coffee and Church Check-In Check-in topics to be addressed: A. Report on the Synod Assembly including a video of our keynote speaker Shane Claiborn B. Update on our Council goals to revitalize the congregation: What we ve done so far and what is still in the works C. Update on Pastor s maternity leave

5 - 5 - Stewardship News The Baptism of the Gauls Author Mark Allan Powell tells a story of the Baptism of the Gauls. The ancient region of France and Belgium and neighboring parts of Italy, The Netherlands and Germany was invaded and conquered by the Romans. When Rome became Christian, under Constantine, missionaries went to this fierce region and began to convert the inhabitants to Christianity. One thing they noticed was that as the missionary submerged the new convert in the waters of the river or stream, sometimes the Gaul would hold one hand above the flood. It did not take long for the missionaries to discover the reason. When these fierce tribes warred against a neighbor, it was the unbaptized arm that held the sword or spear in a very unbaptized manner. Dr. Powell uses this story- true or not- to illustrate the notion that stewardship is about getting completely wet! Being a good steward of God requires that we hold back nothing. We do this because everything that we have truly belongs to God. That is the fundamental principle of stewardship. All that we are, all that we have, is on loan. We have a Creator to whom we belong. We have a Savior who bought us with a price. And for all of this, we do not owe God anything! Grace is the good news, for we could never repay so much! In celebration of all we are and all we have, we choose to live faithfully for God. We trust God to be in charge of our lives. When we put God in charge of our lives and our possessions, our lives get better, because we trust in a God of grace, who wants the best for us.

6 - 6 - Modern Christians sometimes, like the ancient Gauls, hold their hands above the waters of baptism- and sometimes that hand is clutching a wallet, or a purse. It is hard to trust our money, our livelihood, to God s charge. We know our bills, our commitments, and our needs, we reason. God knows them, too. The bible tells us, in many stories, that God cares how we think about our money. God cares that we acquire our money with integrity through our God given vocation. God cares how we regard our money and possessions, not as an entitlement, but as grace. God cares how we manage our money, neither hoarding it nor squandering it. God cares that we spend our money in ways that are pleasing to God. In October members of our congregation will again have the opportunity to declare our relationship as stewards of God. We prayerfully consider the trust we place in our Creator and Savior to care for us. With our hearts we commit to God a portion of what God has loaned to us. And we live joyfully, in thanksgiving for God s abundant grace. Reflections on Biblical Stewardship: Our Duty and Delight by Mark Allan Powell 2011 INCOME Received Budgeted $87, $81, Through August 31, 2011

7 - 7 - K i n g o f K i n g s R e a c h e s O u t King s Cupboard News and Updates The need for food in our area continues to grow and King s Cupboard works hard to meet unrelenting demand. July was a recordbreaking month and August was the second highest service number in pantry history. The extra product received from July s retail food drives is essentially gone. USDA allocations are smaller. Federal funds distributed for over 20 years to help pantries purchase basic foods were cut this year to agencies in the Portland metropolitan area, a result of the recent federal budget battle. Good news: the pantry is currently able to handle the dual challenges of increasing demand and higher food costs. But continued fundraising and grant writing are crucial to meeting the long term need; we are working hard to ensure the pantry remains strong and able to help. We are grateful for all the ways you support the pantry with food, funds, by volunteering or with prayer. Thank you! Current Pantry Food Needs Keep the pantry in mind if garden bounty exceeds your needs. Please bring produce donations to the pantry early on distribution day (9 a.m. 2 p.m. on 2 nd or 4 th Thursdays of the month). Other products needed to stock the shelves: Spaghetti sauce (cans preferred) Beans, canned (any kind) Vegetables, canned (anything except corn) Tuna Hearty soup Macaroni & cheese Boxed sides (pasta, rice, potato)

8 - 8 - K i n g o f K i n g s R e a c h e s O u t Backpack Buddies News and Updates Get ready! Get Set! Go! Yes, it is time to think of school as just around the corner and here at King of Kings, it brings up BACKPACK BUDDIES! This is our 5 th year of partnering with Milwaukie Lutheran Church to serve weekend lunches to students at Milwaukie Elementary and El Puente School who are on free and subsidized lunches. As you know we try to provide nutritious, healthy and interesting meals, 2 lunches per student per weekend. When you add up the number of lunches it can get a little scary. This year we expect to have at least 72 students (that s 144 lunches per week) and so we do need help. We try to shop effectively and economically but we need help in providing those meals. The kinds of food we can use (& that you may place in the chest under the BACKPACK BUDDIES sign in the entryway) include: Entrée with protein: chicken or beef noodle soup, beef-a-roni, ravioli or similar choices Fruit cups: applesauce, peaches Juice boxes: 100% fruit only Snack packages: cheese & crackers, granola bars, energy bars Obviously we need and will always accept CA$H to help with this lunch program. We now get some help through the school district s food bank but we still have to pay something for that as well as what we shop for. Some in the congregation have said they would be willing to adopt a student for the entire year. At $1.50 per lunch or $3.00 per weekend which adds up to close to $ per school year we would gratefully accept any of those adoptions. A check in the offering plate with a notation for Backpack Buddies will go to the project and you will be credited with the contribution and another child will be cared for.

9 - 9 - K i n g o f K i n g s R e a c h e s O u t Backpack Buddies continued If any of you would like to volunteer, we do the packing of the lunches on the 1 st & 3 rd Wednesdays at 3:00 pm, for less than an hour, at Milwaukie Lutheran. We make deliveries to the school every Thursday and we have wonderful deliverers but it is always good to have back-up available. If you would like to volunteer in any way let me know or tell Susan in the office. Thank you for all that you do. Please keep BACKPACK BUDDIES and the children that receive these lunches in your prayers. Ricky Jamtgaard Project Start Right Wrapped Up Volunteers picked up a basket of school supplies at King of Kings for Clackamas County children whose families need help getting them ready for school. Thank you to all of you who participated in this project. Attention all Quilters and Knitters (or Crocheters) Sewing for Others will gather for our first meeting of the fall on Tuesday, September 13 at 9:30 am. We cut out squares for quilts, tie off quilt tops, read and discuss scripture lessons for the following Sunday with Pastor Aimee, and have coffee and refreshments. Several of us go out to lunch following. Prayer Shawl creators are invited to join with us to spend the morning crafting love and warmth into our creations. If you would like to make a prayer shawl; check with the office for patterns. People who have received Prayer Shawls say they feel wrapped in our prayers for them. Remember to bring your scissors and a summer story to share. All are welcome!

10 K i n g o f K i n g s R e a c h e s O u t Dear members and leaders, Have you heard? Last week, the 2011 ELCA Churchwide Assembly overwhelmingly passed the vote to launch the ELCA Malaria Campaign. We will join hands with our sisters and brothers in Africa to do our part and help end deaths from malaria - - for good. Nearly 800,000 people die each year from malaria. Most live in Africa. Most are children under 5. But it doesn t have to be that way. We know what it takes to stop malaria. The disease is completely preventable and treatable. Working as a church, through churches in Africa, we already have the structure in place to reach individuals and communities that other organizations cannot reach. We already have health care providers trained to save lives. What s next? You. We need your help. Please learn more and help spread the word. Tell your friends and family. Get your congregation and synod involved. And please give generously to support this important work. Your donations to the ELCA Malaria Campaign will help provide mosquito nets, health care, education and more to help those most in need. Blessings as we continue this work together, The Rev. Andrea DeGroot-Nesdahl Coordinator, ELCA Malaria Campaign CTRL + click to follow blue links Drought in the Horn of Africa Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and other countries in East Africa are experiencing the worst drought in 60 years. The ELCA has committed $1.25 million for drought relief to support long-term rebuilding; more help is needed. See and also (click on News Releases in the left-hand column).

11 Bread for the World: Oregon Oregon BFW is part of a nationwide Christian citizens movement seeking justice for the world's hungry people by lobbying our nation's decision makers. Hunger and the Budget Crisis link for more information: Bread for the World: Oregon A faith based call to action Saturday, September 17th, 9am - 1pm free event Mercy Corps Global Headquarters 45 SW Ankeny St. Portland, OR The current budget crisis threatens devastating cuts in programs that help the poor and hunger, both within our country and overseas. The benefits of decades of advocacy work to reduce poverty can be erased with the decisions made this year and next. This conference will detail the impact of these cuts and formulate an advocacy action plan which can combine our voices to create a circle of protection around these programs, and reaffirm the idea that a budget is a moral document that represents the values of our nation - of opportunity for all. Keynote Speaker: Chuck Sheketoff, Oregon Center for Public Policy Panelists: Joe Hastings - Catholic Relief Services, Jeff Kleen Oregon Food Bank, Ton Head - George Fox University Economics Dept., Robin Stephenson - Bread for the World For more information or to register, please contact: Mike Hiland, Oregon Bread Team Event Facebook Page

12 Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord? I have heard you calling in the night. the past and the present, the young and the old All of God s children have a place in the choir! Next to the word of God music deserves the highest praise. If you resonate with and/or feel compelled by any of the above, then it is definitely time for you to join the Chancel Choir at King of Kings! Our first rehearsal will be on Wednesday, September 7 th, beginning at 7:00 p.m. & all are welcome. We have a great mix of traditional and contemporary music that is guaranteed to enhance worship and warm your heart. Please come and help us Shout the Good News which is the title of this year s Christmas Cantata. Hope to see you soon. Lonnie Cline Choir Director B i b l e St u d y We will again be meeting Wednesday mornings at 9:30 beginning September 14. To start we will be viewing a DVD of the PBS series, God in America. We also have an accompanying study guide to direct our discussion and understanding. A special feature of this study invites and leads us to visit sacred spaces. Portland is one of only eight US cities in this guide.

13 Baby Shower for Pastor Aimee September 18 at 2:00 pm here at KOK. Pastor Aimee is registered at Notice that she says "New, used, or homemade items are fine. Purchase these items or something similar. Please no electronics". All are invited & welcome, but we do excuse the men. There are many moms in the area in need. Donations of new and gently used items will also be collected for Clackamas County Love, Inc. Some ideas include blankets, clothing, bibs, toys, books, bottles, etc. Spirits & Theology or Time: Monday, September 6 pm Place: Round Table Pizza, SE McLoughlin Blvd. Discussion question: Is it part of our Christian duty to be aware of/or participate in politics, to vote? Fellowship abounds and ideas about spiritual matters are exchanged in an informal and public setting. We certainly don t have all the answers, but we sure have plenty of opinions! We usually have a nice big room all to ourselves to enjoy a glass of wine or beer or soft drink and pizza or salad. We all chip in for the pizza and it averages out to be about $5 for an evening of stimulating conversation. Be prepared to come with a list of questions you d like to talk about and we ll put them on a list for the months to come. Come when you can. Bring friends. All are welcome.

14 Church Council Highlights Don read from a book God s Tender Words for Life s Tough Moments by Margaret Houk. God will help us to persevere if we ask. Christian Education: Winston Kurth led a small discussion about Adult Ed. It was decided that it shall lapse until Pastor returns from maternity leave. Finance: Treasurer s report listed a concern about electricity rate increase. A letter was sent by the Bishop to the congregation thanking us for continuing our Mission Support during these struggling financial times. Food Pantry: Air Conditioning is too expensive at this time. There are some steps we can follow before it becomes a great concern. In July we served a record number of clients and August was the second highest. Pastor: Visited 9 people and trained two people to visit and bring communion while she will be away. The visiting list is filling up and she hopes to train 2 people a week to make home visits. We ve got some folks facing very serious illnesses in our congregation and it couldn t come at a better time that people be trained for visitation as part of our King of Kings ministry. Property: No meeting this month but Harry Konsa informed the group that he is continuing to look for large cupboards to install in the classrooms and the downstairs bathroom light needs a new fixture. Radical Hospitality: Mary Cromer informed the group that the Food Pantry fund raising event date will be Oct. 29 th. SAC: Commitment Sunday will be October 16. On October 9 SAC will host a special coffee hour & present a video on stewardship

15 Soul Café, the new Region 1 online community is here! What if you could easily and effectively communicate with other congregations, youth leaders, camps, campus ministry sites, schools and other ELCA leaders in the Pacific Northwest? What if you could bring your ideas and questions around stewardship, or outreach, or youth groups, or whatever, to a large and ever growing like-minded group of individuals who share your concerns? What if conversations, shared resources, and developing best practices became part of a growing library of local wisdom associated with the very people you want to talk with more? And what if time, distance, and cost were not an issue? Enter Soul Café our new online community is a sacred space on the web that enables geographically separated Lutheran congregations, church affiliated organizations, and individuals to meet, interact, and get to know each other through idea sharing and communication for real solutions to the shared problems, issues, and challenges facing the Church today, This initiative places us ahead of the curve at a strategic period in our history when we can no longer afford to be behind it! Want to know more? Log onto and be a part of this incredible new adventure!

16 FIVE VENTURES IN THE QUEST FOR ALIVENESS New perspectives in medicine, physics, theology, and spiritually encourage a fresh look at the healing, transforming ministry of the church. Like the early church the presence of God in Christ is a powerful resource in a ministry of hope. The following events offer experiences in the journey of faith. JOURNEY TO ALIVENESS Saturday, October 8, 2011, 8:30 5:30 (light lunch) and CIRCLES OF HOPE Four Tuesdays, October 11, 18, 25 & November 1, 7:00 9:00 pm Milwaukie Lutheran Church 3810 SE Lake Road, Milwaukie, OR Send registration ($20) to Ricky Jamtgaard 3565 SE Nase Court Milwaukie, OR phone: JOURNEY TO ALIVENESS is a one day venture following Jesus through the depths of false hopes into new life as the person we were created to be. Alive to GOD one moves from fear to FAITH, anxiety to PEACE, despair to HOPE, and hostility to LOVE. CIRCLES OF HOPE will model a way to build up on another, where two or three are gathered in Jesus name and are still open to the presence of God. Once experienced, participants can decide if they would like to share the experience with others. Check out the Soul Cafe group site titled, Circles of Hope where you will find documents, a discussion site and an announcement of a training event for a small group ministry. LEADER: DALE JAMTGARD, Retired Pastor

17 VBS Fun!

18 Coming and going

19 Let's Celebrate! God's Blessing to you as you celebrate... September Birthdays 1 Katherine Hinds 15 Heather Goodrich 7 Barry Burns 17 Phyllis Borge 8 Penny Charman 19 Ellen Burns 8 Paige Maxwell 21 Adonica DeVault 10 Mike Brooks 22 Susan Brooks 10 Kristin Leibner 22 Cathy Pederson 13 Michael Hess 24 Todd Noble September Baptisms 5 Casey Schmidt 25 Selma Eckert 8 Ryan Stephens 27 Orv Borge 10 Melissa Noble 27 Alea Leibner 18 Kelan Goodrich 28 Aimee Bruno September Anniversaries 8 Alicia & Michael Hess 13 Mary Zellharie & Gene Zaharie 15 Mike & Patty Hess 18 Bob & Sioux Smith 23 Chris & Kurt Wubbenhorst 27 Tova & Didrik Gritzka If we miss YOUR special day, PLEASE let the church office know, we might not have the information. THANKS!

20 Prayers & Thanksgivings... Cherri Newborn granddaughter of Sherri Paasch, for strength and good health Barbara Daughter of Sherri Paasch; for hope and healing in the face of addiction Holden Frederick Peterson Blessings on your baptism day! Karen Corbett Recovering from surgery to remove spinal cyst JR Potter Suffering from unusual blood enzyme levels causing muscle pain & weakness, undergoing tests Family & Friends of Angelo Demetrikikes Brother-in-law of Margaret Wittrich, at his death Warren Littlejohn Sharon Konsa s father; good medical test results Gary Sinnen Friend of Konsa s; good recovery from prostate surgery Michelle Franssen Lommen s friend; continuing good recovery from thyroid surgery Kurt Wubbenhorst Treatment for lymphoma; chemo Doug McDowell Treatment for lung cancer; chemo Jay Lowry Gene Zaharie s brother-in-law; radiation for prostate cancer Vicki Flannery Mary and Gene Z s neighbor; chemo Jeanette Johnston Chris W s cousin, breast cancer, Dina Black Multiple myeloma, chemo & radiation Wilma Raymond For comfort & peace; in assisted living in Sandy Prayers will be left on our prayer list for two weeks unless otherwise requested. Please notify Pastor Aimee if prayers are needed for a longer period. Remember we have a prayer chain at King of Kings. Prayer requests can be called from 9am-9pm to: Marjie Brock, Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape!