The Tidings. October 2009 MAKE IT SIMPLE. A newsletter of Central Lutheran Church of the Holy Trinity

Transcription

1 The Tidings October 2009 A newsletter of Central Lutheran Church of the Holy Trinity MAKE IT SIMPLE Jesus has come that we may have abundant life. His feeding narratives attest that the generosity of God is assured whenever Jesus rules in the earth and we count on that generosity. (From Mandate to Difference: An Introduction to the Contemporary Church, by Walter Brueggemann) This October we are introducing Central s stewardship theme for the year, MAKE IT SIMPLE. At a time of profound change in our world, including the environment and the economy, we are being asked to live more simply. We know that Jesus preached about simplicity in living and about generosity in loving. Jesus asked us to love one another, and to have faith that God will provide us with enough. Throughout the month in our worship services we will be discussing God s abundant love for us and four ways to make it simple : i October 11 th Following Jesus i October 18 th - Facing the Truth i October 25 th - Acting Together (Locavore Feast After Church) i November 1 st - Sharing Enough (Consecration Sunday) On October 25 th, we will host a locavore potluck feast after church. This locavore feast will be in the Parish Hall immediately following services and childcare will be provided. We ask you to...continued on page 9

2 October 2009/ Page 2 Central Lutheran Church of the Holy Trinity 1710 Eleventh Avenue Seattle, Washington phone: fax: Fall Schedule Singing School: 8:30 am Choir: 9:00 am Sunday School: 9:45 am Adult Forum: 10:00 am Worship: 11:00 am Pastors: Shannon Anderson pastor@loveiscentral.org By appointment on Monday through Wednesday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm Verlon Brown office hours by appointment, please call the office, Office Manager: Sandy Kraegel office@loveiscentral.org Office hours: 9:30-4:30 Tuesday-Friday Thank you! ACOLYTES: Daniel Kaiser, Corinne Burger, Evan Farley, and Claire Kaiser ALTAR GUILD: Bob Hartl, Jen Evans, and Lecia Phinney ASSISTING MINISTERS: Theresa Wagner, Jackie Brolsma, Steven Chapman, Cliff Kempner, and Paul Huffman COFFEE: Brian & Sue Anderson, Steven Chapman, David Copley, David Johnson, Anna Copley, Christa Dumpys, Jackie Brolsma, Darla DeFrance, Marinko Kordich, and Bill Donkervoet COMMUNION BREAD: Cynthia Wold TELLERS: Allen Jones, Kevin Urdahl, Pam Gregory, Chris Kealy, Jeff Roberts, Tracy Slaughter, and Adam Rauch USHERS: Lois Austin, Nate Copley, Nicole Anderson, Clarie Kaiser, Theresa Wagner, Kevin Urdahl, and Brooke Powers Music Director: Jim Peterson music@loveiscentral.org Custodian: Duane Miles Nursery Attendant: Selena Wimmer We are an open and affirming congregation, which in Lutheran churches is called Reconciling in Christ. We seek to share God s love with all people regardless of race, age, gender or sexual orientation. All are welcome. Receive the lessons via Many people find it helpful to read the Sunday lessons ahead of time. If you would like to receive a weekly with the upcoming Sunday s lessons, please let Sandy know at office@loveiscentral.org.

3 October 2009/ Page 3 Note from Pastor Anderson By now, most of you have probably heard about the decisions that the ELCA made at the Church Wide Assembly in August. At that gathering, the voting members adopted a new social statement called Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust. Following that, they adopted recommendations calling for the church to find ways to recognize same sex relationships and to allow churches that wish to call pastors in those relationships to do so. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, I was able to watch much of the debate at the assembly over the internet. As I watched, I was struck again and again by people on both sides of the issue who spoke clearly from their perspective but also with deep respect and care for those who differed from them. One pastor shared a message from a gay parishioner who had spoken to her before the assembly. He said I really hope that these recommendations pass, but I also have a concern if they do. I know that there are many people who do not want them to pass and I hope that if they do pass we find a way to make them continue to feel welcome in this church. I have experienced feeling marginalized in the church and I don t want anyone else to ever have to feel that way. Steven Chapman who was a voting member at the assembly called me after the decisions were made and said make sure that in your prayers at church on Sunday you include those who are feeling hurt or confused by the assembly s decisions. We as a congregation have prayed for many years that the day would come when God s gay and lesbian children were fully recognized in the church. As we celebrate with joy the decisions of this assembly, I also want to take the care and concern that assembly members expressed for those who are hurting. Our mission at Central is to share God s love for all people. One way we can do that in the days and weeks ahead is to continue to hold in prayer this church body and all of its members even those we disagree with. The ELCA has taken a bold step in proclaiming God s love. Please join me in prayer for all of our sisters and brothers in this body as we move forward into a new day. Peace, Pastor Shannon A BIG! thank you to Brian Schoof for cleaning the Parish Hall and taking care of emergency plumbing repairs while Duane was on vacation!

4 October 2009/ Page 4 From the Co-Presidents Dear Congregational Members~ The Church Council gathered September 15, 2009 for our monthly meeting. We spent our mealtime hearing from Steven Chapman about his experiences as a voting member to the Church-wide Assembly held in Minneapolis in August. Steven engaged us in his reflections as he talked about how it felt to be present at this historic event! He was able to see the fruits of his 20 years work to bring church-wide acceptance of gays and lesbians into ministry and committed relationships become a reality. If you haven t had a chance to talk to Steven about it, be sure and inquire. He tells a powerful story and you ll find it truly inspiring! HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SEPTEMBER MEETING: i i i The Council focused most of their attention at this meeting on the financial health of Central. The Treasurer s Update (see page 5 for further analysis) shows that we have a current deficit of over $12,000. The council did some creative thinking about how we could deal with the deficit and move forward with the ministry we are currently doing. You can see their plan in a special article about the Deficit Reduction Act (pages 6-7). At the request of the recently formed Social Action Committee, the Council voted to endorse Referendum 71 and donate $200 to Washington Families Standing Together. Referendum 71 asks voters to approve the recently passed law which recognizes the rights of domestic partners including same sex couples. The Council also took time at this meeting to plan the celebration of the end of the capital campaign, Generations of Generosity. Many ideas were discussed. We hope the day can be one of deep gratitude and thankfulness for the truly successful effort made by all. Be sure to attend and if you miss it, we hope you hear all about it! We continue to appreciate this opportunity to serve you in this shared ministry. We are excited for the return to our Fall Schedule. Blessings in Christ, Jackie Brolsma and Cheri Cornell

5 October 2009/ Page 5 Treasurer s Update As we head into the fall, I am sorry to report that our operating fund which covers all of our normal operations, from salaries to Sunday school curriculum and from benevolences to electricity needs help. During the first eight months of the year, our expenses have exceeded our revenue by $12,639, leaving a balance in our operating fund of only $6,613 as of August 30. This is the lowest that the operating fund has dropped in at least the last 12 years. At the current rate, the fund will go negative before the end of this year. This is primarily a problem with income, not expenses. In fact, our actual expenses ($142,003) for the year to date have been far enough below budget ($147,119) that if we had received the income that we had budgeted, we would be in surplus territory for the year rather than the small deficit that we budgeted for the year. For example, kudos to Pastor Shannon and our office manager, Sandy Kraegel, for their good work on a new copier contract. That change will save us several thousand dollars this year and more money in the future. Our income, however, is another story. We are under budget on every income line (envelope offering, loose offering, Simply Giving, Sunday School offering, building use, and interest) and have brought in only $129,364 through August 31, compared with budgeted income of $142,515 for the year to date. Now, I hasten to add that our congregation is not in any danger. We have very healthy reserves that we have been steadily replenishing as we have paid off our loan to ourselves that financed our capital improvements. Our combined reserve funds outside of our endowment have a net balance of $293,508 as of August 31. And in this year of a very difficult economic climate, our total income has actually exceeded our total expenses. In the last few months, we have had several families complete payment of their capital campaign pledges and shift some or all of the money that they had been giving to the operating fund. That should help in the months to come. Please consider prayerfully whether you might also be able to help us put our budget back in balance. Respectfully submitted, Jamie Pedersen Treasurer

6 Central Council Enacts Deficit Reduction Act of 2009 October 2009/ Page 6 Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2009, Seattle, Washington ~ In a stunning move intended to quell any possible concern over the church s larger-than-expected budget deficit, the Council of Central Lutheran Church boldly debated and enacted the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) of This sweeping piece of legislation was the brainchild of congregation co-presidents Cheri Cornell and Jackie Brolsma who agreed that it was no longer time for business as usual. When Jamie Pedersen let us know that revenues were coming in lower than projected, Jackie and I knew that we couldn t just wait and see if things improved, said Cheri Cornell. We proposed the DRA because we thought it was time to address our revenue short falls head on. We are so excited about the ministry that is happening here right now that we don t want financial issues to slow us down. At first Cheri and Jackie merely hoped that the Council as a group could collectively raise $1000 as a leadership gift toward the DRA fund. The co-presidents were filled with the spirit when council members made individual pledges totaling $2,225! Cheri, not usually prone to emotional breakdowns in council meeting, shed several tears of joy and gratitude at the generousness of the Council. On Sunday, September 27, Council will stand before you and ask the rest of the members of Central to follow Council s lead by making a contribution toward the Deficit Reduction Act fund, a contribution over and above that which members have already pledged for the 2009 Operating Budget. Council would like members to consider contributing an additional 1/52 nd of the amount they ve already pledged to the 2009 Operating Budget (If you have a weekly pledge, just add an extra week. If you pledge monthly, ¼ of your monthly pledge would be about 1/52 of your annual pledge). The council is hopeful that congregation members will be able to raise an additional $4,000 on top of the $2,225 they have already pledged. A total DRA fund of $6,225 will put the 2009 Budget back on track. Each Worship Service in October will include a special Deficit Reduction Act collection complete with Special Pretty DRA envelopes for member contributions. Members should ready themselves for this important all-hands-on-deck program to beat back the 2009 Budget Deficit! Questions should be directed to your Congregation Co-Presidents, Cheri Cornell and Jackie Brolsma.

7 October 2009/ Page 7 CENTRAL LUTHERAN CHURCH Referring Committee: Church Council September 8, 2009 THE DEFICIT REDUCTION ACT OF 2009 BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF CENTRAL LUTHERAN CHURCH 1 Preamble: 2 Whereas, the members of Central Lutheran Church are fiscally responsible and generous 3 and have pledged offerings of over $180,000 for the Year 2009; 4 Whereas the Recession of 2009 is much worse than anyone could have imagined; 5 Whereas, despite incredible efforts on the part of our Congregation Members, actual 6 offerings are approximately 8% percent lower than budgeted; 7 Whereas building use fees are lower than projected (not enough weddings this summer); 8 Whereas cash reserves are historically low; 9 Whereas Council has already trimmed any fat in the 2009 Budget; 10 Whereas we need to raise approximately $6,200 to ensure that the Congregation remains 11 within its 2009 Budget SECTION 1: Council shall show its leadership in reducing the 2009 Budget Deficit by 14 raising $2,225 in new offerings for the year 2009 from among members of Council with percent participation SECTION 2: The Council shall invite every Congregation Member to help with Deficit 18 Reduction by making a contribution to the church over and above any amount he/she 19 has already pledged toward the 2009 Budget. Council suggests that each member 20 consider contributing an amount equivalent to 1/52 of his/her 2009 pledged offering SECTION 3: The Council prays that the Congregation can raise at least $4,000 in addition 23 to Council s leadership gift of $2,225. A total Deficit Reduction Act collection of at least 24 $6,225 should allow the Congregation to meet the Congregation s 2009 Budget SECTION 4: At each of the worship services in October 2009, there shall be a Special 27 Collection with Special Pretty Envelopes in support of the Deficit Reduction Act of Each member is invited to give as much and as often as he/she can SECTION 5: Any member with any question about the purpose, intent or meaning of this 31 Deficit Reduction Act of 2009 should feel free to call his/her Congregational Co- 32 Presidents, Cheri Cornell and Jackie Brolsma SECTION 4: This bill shall go into effect immediately.

8 October 2009/ Page 8 This n That Young Adults at Central In September, the Young Adult Group took advantage of the beautiful weather by enjoying an afternoon sail on Bill Donkervoet s boat. We also took some time to think about activities for the next couple months. In October, we ll meet at 7 pm on the 22nd for happy hour at the Elysian in Capitol Hill. In November, we re hoping to do a potluck and in December we re planning a service project. If you have any questions about the young adult group, contact Katie Gilliam (katie.gilliam@gmail.com), Shannon McMullen (shannon.mcmullen@gmail.com) or Bill Donkervoet (bill.donkervoet@gmail.com). Join us Thursday, October 22nd at 7 pm at the Elysian! Central Men s Gathering The next Men s Group meeting will be October 20th at 7:30pm at Oddfellow s Cafe at th Ave on the corner of 10th and Pine, just around the corner from the church. Come have some dinner, grab a drink, and find out how everyone wrapped up their summers. If you have any questions, please contact Mitch Watney at mitch.watney@gmail.com. Central Knitters There are lots of crafty people at Central and a group of them gathered on September 20 th after church in the sanctuary basement and started a new project. We re knitting hats for the guests of the community lunch and you are invited to join us. The next meeting will be October 18 th after church and we will be meeting the 3 rd Sunday of every month. Even if you don t know how to knit, you are welcome to join us and Jen Evans will be happy to teach you. The group is open to both kids and adults. Talk to Jen ( ; rappevans@earthlink.net) if you want more information and we hope to see you in October.

9 ...continued from the front page October 2009/ Page 9 bring a dish that, if possible, uses locally grown and produced ingredients. You could also bring a dish that ties you to this community or some other community (perhaps a family recipe that is special to you). If you aren t able to bring a food item, please come and share the joy of your company with us. During the meal, we ll share stories about the food we brought and meals where we have experienced the abundance of God. Hopefully, this shared meal will model agricultural sustainability and support local farmers and it will be a simple way to enjoy each other s company. The next Sunday, November 1 st, will be Consecration Sunday, when our pledges for the upcoming year will be brought to the altar. (Letters to you and your family with pledge cards will be mailed by the second week of October.) Please join us during the month of October as we Make It Simple. Pastor s September Report to Council (for August activities) Every month, Pastor Shannon submits a written report of activities to the council. Below is a version of this report. Please ask her if you have any questions about her activities or any of the community groups she meets with. If you would like a pastoral visit or know someone who might, please let her know. Pastor Shannon works Saturday-Wednesday. Church Meetings/Events i Staff Meetings i KidsAreCentral i Church Council i Leadership Development i Vacation Bible School i Executive Committee i BOF i Adult Faith Formation Community Meetings/Events/Representation i Community Lunch Board i Serve Lunch for Board day of service Teaching and Study (10 hours) i Participated in Text Study 8/6, 8/13, 8/27 i Led Sunday School Teacher Orientation 8/23 and 8/30 Worship i Preached 8/16, 8/23, 8/30 i Baptism of Pedersen Triplets 8/30

10 October 2009/ Page 10 This n That Parenting Group Resumes at Central October 11th 9:45 am in the Adult Meeting Room upstairs Join Stephanie Cross and other parents the second Sunday of the month starting in October to share the joys and struggles of parenting, get group feedback, gain an understanding of why children misbehave, and learn skills for building a parent-child relationship based on equality, mutual respect and cooperation. Emphasis on principles of belonging and contribution, encouragement, communication, problem solving, family meetings, and positive discipline approaches. Stephanie would like to get feedback from parents to find out if parents would like the parent group to continue. You can talk to Stephanie at church or her at steph.cross@verizon.net. LATCH s 15 th Annual Auction- There s No Place Like Home ~ Goes LIVE! We are pleased to announce that the 2009 LATCH Auction There s No Place Like Home is LIVE NOW and ready for you to start bidding! LATCH s on-line auction will take place during September and October and we anticipate over 1,000 virtual attendees will log onto our site. Please visit our auction at: and start bidding in support of LATCH! We appreciate your support of LATCH and your help to make our on-line auction successful. Donation forms are available on our website, If you have any questions or need anything, please feel free to contact Jackie Schultz at ext 105 or at jackie@latch.org. Thank you for impacting many families in our community by helping us provide affordable housing in supportive communities truly for our residents there is No Place Like Home! About LATCH Lutheran Alliance to Create Housing (LATCH) is a coalition of 35 Puget Sound area Lutheran congregations. Our Mission: We build safe and nurturing communities that recognize the right to affordable housing, the importance of self-determination, and the value of mutual respect. We work collaboratively to develop and maintain housing, create resident-managed rental cooperatives, and advocate for public policies that address the needs of our communities. Our offices are located at th Ave. NW, Seattle, WA Contact us at , and visit us at

11 October 2009/ Page 11 This n That Bible Study Group Resumes in October Our bible study group took a break for the summer, but we will begin meeting again on October 19 th at 6:30. Last spring we studied the book of Isaiah. At our meeting on the 19 th, Pastor Shannon will lead us in a brief one session study and we will choose a book or topic to study over the fall or winter. Suggestions include reading one of the gospels, looking at the psalms or studying the lectionary texts. This is a great time to join the group. We meet from 6:30 8:00 in the sanctuary basement. Our meetings include pray, support and the study of scripture. Talk to Pastor Shannon if you are interested. Central has long had a presence on the web, but this past month, we unveiled a newly designed website that will allow us to communicate more regularly with members and to outreach more efficiently into the community. On the new website, we ll be able to post times for special services and put up important announcements (like church canceled due to snow ). In addition, the website has a church calendar that is constantly updated so you can check it if you forgot when your next meeting was or if you want to know what s going on. The Tidings will also be available from the website so visitors and members alike can get a feel for our community. Check out New Testament Scholar to offer study on Luke at Central Central is very pleased to be one of the host sites this fall for a synod wide series of Bible Studies on the Gospel of Luke. For three Sundays in November, The Rev. Dr. George W. E. Nickelsburg, professor emeritus of Religion at the University of Iowa and internationally known New Testament scholar, will lead a three-week series on the Gospel of Luke. November 1 st November 8 th November 15 th Luke Among the Gospels What Makes Luke Special? The Passion and Resurrection of Jesus According to Luke These events will begin at 12:30 pm. with a light lunch. Though there is no charge for lunch, a basket for contributions toward lunch will be available. The presentation will begin about 1 pm and last for about 45 minutes. It will be followed by a discussion, question and answer period.

12 October 2009/ Page 12 Adult Forum Schedule October 4th - Long-Range Planning Presentation Many of you have been involved in the long-range planning process over the last year and thanks to your willingness to take surveys, participate in adult forums and provide feedback, the Long-Range Planning Team has put together a working document that will guide us over the next year as we seek to work on our identified goal of need-oriented evangelism. The forum on October 4 th is your chance to see the plan, discuss it and learn how you can participate in strengthening the overall health of our congregation. October 11th, 18th & 25th - November 1st - Pilates/Body Movement Class (see description on following page) Pilates/Body Movement Class (see description on following page) November 8th, 15th, & 22nd - Christian Ethics Come to a 3 part series on Christian Ethics and how they play out in our every day lives. At the first session, Pastor Shannon will share with us a framework to consider Christian Ethics: how theologians approach it and how we can frame our discussion. The next two sessions we will highlight several parishioners, discuss their careers, the ethical challenges they face and how their faith informs their actions. Please contact tom@donlea.net if you have questions or ideas for these sessions. Dear Centralites, On October 25th during Adult Forum we are beginning something new this year: Café Central. Unlike most of our Adult Forums that include a guest speaker or lecturer, Café Central will rely on the real experts YOU! It will be an interactive way to promote dialogue amongst Central members. We are designating the last Sunday of each month as Café Central and will begin each session with a topic to hold discussion in small groups. We are trying this format in response to a desire on behalf of members to get better connected to each other and have more time to discuss deep questions that we are all trying to address. Look for the calendar soon and please plan to join us!

13 October 2009/ Page 13 Adult Faith Formation Pilates/Body Movement Class offered at Central in October The adult faith formation team is continuing to explore ways to help folks grow in their faith. As part of that, we will be offering an Introduction to Pilates/Body Movement class this fall that will be lead by Central member, Cynthia Wold. As Christians, we believe that our bodies are gifts of God and means through which we can explore the divine and the gift of creation. Cynthia, as a massage therapist and as a student of body mechanics, believes deeply in the connection between the body and the spirit and is excited to share that with her faith community. She will be leading classes during the adult education hour from October 11 th to November 1 st. Below, please read a little introduction from her about what she will be doing: The study of connection is something I ve been pursuing in a variety of ways for many years. In my mind, connection to God, to self and to others is the synopsis of the 10 commandments. How one does this is the interesting stuff. One way to make connections is through an understanding of this body we are given at birth. For nearly 20 years I ve studied posture, body mechanics and movement through my field as a massage therapist. About 13 years ago I added the study of a martial art called Aikido. Along the way I ve also studied Pilates and Gyrotonics. For me, these various movement practices add to my understanding of connection to God, self and others by educating my body, mind and spirit. I d love to share with you some of what I ve learned during adult forum. If you d like to participate, wear clothes that are easy to move in. If you have a mat, you can bring it. If you are not too mobile, I will modify the movements so that you can do them from a seated position. October 11, 18 and 25 and November 1 are the dates. Hope to see you there. Cynthia Wold

14 October 2009/ Page 14 Our Gang One of the nice things about fall is seeing familiar faces as people return from their summer vacations. This month, Central welcomed Jon and Juni Nelson back from their summer in Minnesota and learned that Jon had been busy this summer putting together a book, The Cross and the Butterfly- Stories of a Pastor s Life Journey for Justice and Community, which tells stories of his life and ministry. Included in it are many of the letters that he wrote for the Tidings over the years. Way to go Jon, we all look forward to reading it! Also of note this September, Lois Austin makes her television debut as a worship assistant on TV Eucharist which airs on KING 16 on Sunday mornings. Lois helped out Mitch Watney who also made his debut as the preacher that morning. TV Eucharist isn t the only place you can find Mitch preaching. He is now the Interim Associate Pastor at Grace Lutheran in Des Moines where Dave Johnson s parents are members. Pastor Shannon sure is glad her husband has a job even if it does mean she has to cook more often! You may have heard about the new knitting group at Central, but knitters sure aren t the only crafty folks around. Willa Brunsman who wants to be a fashion designer when she grows up recently showed up at church in a dress that she had designed and that she and her aunt had sewn together (and she looked cute as a button!). There has been much talk in the news these days about economic stimulus and Our Gang wants to report that Tom and Julia Maywald are doing their part to stimulate the economy by remodeling their house. They are also stimulating their community building skills by living with a neighbor while the work is being done. We hear it is going well, but expect that they will be glad when they can move back home. Late summer is a great time to be outside and many Centralites have been taking advantage of the beautiful weather. Wayne Johnson recently returned from a bike trip to the San Juans, Kari Roe just finished her 4 th triathlon and Cheri Cornell had a great time backpacking this month with her girlfriends while her husband Bruce took Corinne and Ethan on a camping trip. Until next month... SAVE THE DATE! Film Screening: Pray the Devil Back to Hell October 2 nd, 2009 from 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm Turner Auditorium, Health Sciences Building, Room D-209, University of Washington The film chronicles the courageous tale of the women in Liberia who ended a civil war.

15 October 2009/ Page 15 Happy Birthday Faith and Everyday Life Below, you ll find the names of Centralites celebrating their birthday this month. Share a birthday wish with them and help make it a special day! Jeffrey Cook 10/1 David Copley 10/3 Gaylord Furulie 10/4 Hillary Krajnik 10/4 Ella Jursek 10/5 Timothy Wood 10/5 Yada Hartmann 10/6 Ray Austin 10/7 Ruby Engrav 10/8 Wayne Johnson 10/8 Mary Lou Maag 10/9 Brian Schoof 10/9 David Kaiser 10/11 Barbara Doggett 10/12 Anna Copley 10/13 Hannah Emmons 10/15 Sally Brunsman 10/19 Chris Kealy 10/21 Corinne Cornell Burger 10/24 Kaja Jursek 10/27 Jon Nelson 10/27 Phillip Buff 10/28 The Play s the Thing The line is from Hamlet. The play s the thing wherein I ll catch the king. Hamlet has to get his uncle to confess to killing his father, but verbal confrontation won t work. Only by playing out the scenario of the murder in the form of a drama, will the king realize that Hamlet knows what he has done. Drama stirs us and draws us into experiencing what the characters in the play are feeling. We lose ourselves temporarily and become part of the action in the same way that the actors become the characters. Those same feelings and experiences inside us are called out and resonate with what is before us. Dramas unfold in our lives all the time. They happen in our families, at work at church. There are advantages to letting ourselves be caught up in those dramas. There are some downsides too. We can fail to remember that what is happening is someone else s experience and not our own. We can rush in and act as if the events were happening to us when often they are not. We fail to keep just enough objectivity to remember that we are separate from the other players in the drama. God wants us to get caught up in the drama of Jesus but also wants us to remember that we aren t him. God wants us to care about others but not to become them. We can t help if our self disappears. So attend the theater of life, learn, benefit from it, experience it, enjoy it. But please, stay in your seat and know that even if the drama convicts you of being yourself, your outcome is not necessarily that of the actors on stage. Lutheran Counseling Network

16 October 2009/ Page 16 August Attendance For Prayer August 2nd 44 August 9th 59 August 16th 64 August 23rd 62 August 30th 102 Coffee Hour Schedule Please find the coffee hour assignments for the next two months below. Please check your schedule ahead of time and if you are unable to take care of coffee hour on your assigned Sunday, please try to switch with someone and let Sandy know who will be taking your place. October 4th- Sally Brunsman and Jeffrey Cook October 11th- Jon & Juni Nelson and Cheri Cornell October 18th- Dave & Stephanie Cross and Sara Debassai October 25th- Anne Bush and Suzy Oversvee November 1st- Julia Maywald, Tom Donlea, Jen Evans, and Andrew Rapp November 8th- Meredith Fane (additional help needed- please let Sandy know if you can help) November 15th- Jonna Farley, Jen Hartley Fernandez, and Alex Fernandez November 22nd- Barbara Palecek and Craig Fryhle November 29th- Steve Gibson (additional help needed- please let Sandy know if you can help) Central does have a Prayer Chain. If you are interested in joining it or have a concern you would like to have the Prayer Chain pray for, please contact Pastor Shannon ( ; pastor@loveiscentral.org). Shut In: Doris Schlecht Doris Carlson Ill and recovering: Kathy Twohig Cliff Kempner s niece Jessica Cliff Kempner s dad Jack Roger Nyhus mom Phyllis Tom Donlea s niece Amy and her son Hudson Sue Anderson s mom Lois Brian Anderson s mom JoAnn Jim Peterson s partner Billy Jonna Farley Yada Hartmann Duane Miles sister-in-law Dixie Jon Nelson Don Firth Julie Mattson Tom Donlea s cousin Liam Elaine Wright Bruce Myka s father Jerry Bernice Meyer Natalie Tews father Paul Jackie Brolsma s mother Ardis Mourning: Family and friends of Betty Haberman on her death

17 October 2009/ Page 17 Community Lunch on Capitol Hill Please mark your December schedule now! December is Central s month to prepare and serve the Community Lunch! We count this ministry as one of the most important things we do as a congregation. We are proud of the long history of hosting the Community Lunch on Capitol Hill at Central. Actions speak louder than words, however, so we are called to be participants in DEEDS, as well as words. December is a busy month, but it is also a month of great need for those who rely on the hot, generous meals they know are available at Central twice a week. Central people, as a sponsoring congregation, please pledge to help prepare, serve, and clean up for all the Tuesdays and Fridays in December: This is a Christmas gift that costs nothing but your time and talents. Soon there will be a sign-up form on the bulletin board in the Parish Hall. Consider what you can do to fill all the spaces in this sheet and reap the rewards of service and fellowship freely offered and received! Operation Nightwatch Invites you to an Open House Sock it to the Homeless Sunday, October 25 th, :30-3:00 pm Homeless people are on their feet all day, and rarely have more than one pair of socks and those are often wet. Last year, friends of Operation Nightwatch collected over 15,000 pairs of new white adult men s socks for distribution to homeless people through the winter. Start collecting socks now, and bring them to Nightwatch for Sock it to the Homeless Sunday! Operation Nightwatch th Ave. S, Seattle Between Jackson & Yesler RSVP or questions call

18 Central Kids Page October 2009/ Page 18

19 The Spirit Volume 26, Number 9 News for the congregations of the Northwest Washington Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America October 2009 Together We Study The Book Of Acts by The Rev. Wm Chris Boerger, Bishop In my report to the congregations and rostered leaders of this synod from the 11 th Churchwide Assembly of the ELCA I invited the synod to be in Bible Study of the book of Acts for the months of October and November. In our recent debates I heard questions about the importance of scripture in our life as a church and I heard conflicting understandings about the role of the church in the world. I want to take these comments seriously. I have always found the book of Acts as a challenging description of the church and its many issues. The story of how the church came into being is an important one for us to know. I believe that we will find that we have much in common with these early believers and their story can inform ours. So I invite you to read the book of Acts. In the coming days I will post thoughts and reflections of my reading on the web. This is not intended to be the final word on the issues raised by the texts. Rather, I invite you to look over my shoulder as I re-engage with this part of the Bible. Your study can be in family groups, as an individual, as a small group or in some form of congregational gathering. The format is not as important to me as the fact that we together will be looking at the same portion of scripture for these two months. I intend to bring this to conclusion by the first Sunday in Advent, November 29. The writer of Acts saw the church as an inspired community. That community would have to define what the role of a disciple of Jesus would be in a changing world. The structure of the synagogue would influence and give way to the assembly of the followers of Jesus. This new gathering would make decisions, guided by the Holy Spirit that would change long held views of what it meant to be a follower of God. This new church would reach out to people outside itself so that the story of Jesus could reach the whole known world. This assembly would wrestle with how to use the variety of gifts given to it by God. The book of Acts will raise some discomfort in us as we see the power and the conviction of the early church. We need that discomfort to instruct us on how we might reach out with power and conviction to our time and our places. We are the heirs of this legacy. How we move into the world in response is a significant question that must be addressed. So I invite you to join me in this time of prayer and study. I pray that we will learn from God s Holy Spirit what it means to be the church of Jesus Christ and how that church is to act in God s world. I invite you to join in this time of prayer and reflection. Editor s Note: You will be able to easily access the Bible Study on the homepage of the synod s website at

20 Auction For Open Door Ministries Open Door Ministries is an extended ministry of the Northwest Washington Synod of the ELCA. Open Door provides pastoral care and referrals for persons living with HIV/AIDS, as well as the gay and lesbian community. Since 1992, Open Door has provided pastoral care for well over 1000 persons. The Annual Gala Dinner and Auction is the only fundraising event that supports this ministry. This year s dinner and auction will be held from 5 to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7, at Brockey Center on the South Seattle Community College Campus in West Seattle. The college is known for its fine Culinary Department, which will be serving the meal. Cost for the evening is $65 per person before Nov.1 and $75 per person beginning Nov. 1. We are expecting more than 200 people and have a goal to raise over $50,000. Some of the items for bid at this year s auction are: Two seats in the Diamond Club section at Safeco Field A catered Eritrean Feast for eight people; Two nights/three days in a cabin at Kayak Point Twelve bottles of quality Washington State wines And much more. To register for the event, please contact Darleen Atik at or by darleenatik@comcast.net. First Lutheran Church in Mount Vernon provides a dinner meal the last Tuesday of every month at Friendship House, a shelter for the homeless. Fir-Conway Lutheran in Mount Vernon provides a meal the first Sunday of each month. (For 23 years Friendship House, a private shelter, has provided shelter helping those less fortunate. They provide three meals a day and more than 4000 meals a month.) Members of Oak Harbor Lutheran in Oak Harbor reach out to community teens with Mocha Mondays. Students not only receive food, lots of food, but also friendship and a warm greeting. This ministry began last fall with five to ten students attending each gathering. By spring more than 25 were attending Mocha Mondays. University Lutheran in Seattle shares it kitchen and dining hall with Teen Feed. (Teen Feed is a meal program that serves the forgotten or marginalized homeless youth who live in the U-District.) Because Teen Feed is able to use the facility they are able to serve more than 800 meals each month in a safe and welcoming environment. The youth of First Lutheran of Bothell will be preparing and feeding the homeless at the Compass Center in Seattle on Sunday, Sept. Here n There 27. Following dinner they will join The Church of Steadfast Love (the worshiping community at the Compass Center) for worship. And, the youth from Our Savior s Lutheran in Stanwood, served a meal at the Compass Center on August 19! Members of Nativity Lutheran in Renton participated in the Renton CROP Walk. The Renton walk raised more than $25,000. The Spirit, a publication of the Northwest Washington Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), is intended for members, leaders, and clergy of synod congregations and organizations. Congregations are encouraged to copy The Spirit and include it in their own newsletters. The Spirit can be downloaded from the Synod website. Northwest Washington Synod, ELCA 5519 Phinney Ave North Seattle, WA Telephone: Toll Free: Fax: office@lutheransnw.org Editor: Margit Peiffle margit@lutheransnw.org Telephone: Website: Information for the November 2009 issue of The Spirit is due to the Synod Office by Wednesday, October 7.

21 October 2009 October 2009 S M T W T F S November 2009 S M T W T F S Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday October 1 2 Shannon on vacation 10:30am Community Lunch (Parish hall) 6:00pm American Indian AA (Parish 3 8:30am Singing School (Church) 9:00am Choir (Church) 9:45am Sunday School 10:00am Adult Forum (Parish 11:00am Worship (Church) 4 Shannon on vacation 7:30pm NA meeting (Parish 5 10:30am Community Lunch (Parish hall) 7:00pm KidsAreCentral meeting (Upstairs Adult Meeting Room) 6 Don Jensen on vacation 6:30pm AA Meeting (Parish 7:30pm Stewardship & Finance (Upstairs Adult Meeting Room) :30am Community Lunch (Parish hall) 10 10:30am Confirmation class (Sanctuary basement) 6:00pm American Indian AA (Parish 11 8:30am Singing School (Church) 9:00am Choir (Church) 9:45am Sunday School 9:45am Parent Group (Upstairs Meeting 10:00am Adult Forum (Parish 11:00am Worship (Church) 12 6:00pm Comm. Lunch Board mtg. (Upstairs Adult Meeting Room) 7:30pm NA meeting (Parish 10:30am Community Lunch (Parish hall) 6:15pm Council Dinner (Parish 7:00pm Council Meeting (Sanctuary basement) :30pm AA Meeting (Parish :30am Community Lunch (Parish hall) 17 6:00pm American Indian AA (Parish 18 8:30am Singing School (Church) 9:00am Choir (Church) 9:45am Sunday School 10:00am Adult Forum (Parish 11:00am Worship (Church) 12:30pm Knitting Group (Sanctuary ba 19 6:30pm Bible Study (Sanctuary basement) 7:30pm NA meeting (Parish 10:30am Community Lunch (Parish hall) 7:30pm Men's Group (Oddfellow's Cafe) :30pm AA Meeting (Parish 6:30pm Worship Committee (Pastor Shannon's office) 22 7:00pm Young Adult Group (The Elysian) 10:30am Community Lunch (Parish hall) :30am Confirmation class (Sanctuary basement) 6:00pm American Indian AA (Parish 25 8:30am Singing School (Church) 9:00am Choir (Church) 9:45am Sunday School 10:00am Adult Forum (Parish 10:00am Café Central 11:00am Worship (Church) 12:30pm Potluck (Parish 26 7:00pm Long-Range Planning Meeting (Sanctuary basement) 7:30pm NA meeting (Parish 10:30am Community Lunch (Parish hall) :30pm AA Meeting (Parish :30am Community Lunch (Parish hall) 31 6:00pm American Indian AA (Parish

22 October 2009/ Page 22 Central Lutheran Church th Avenue Seattle, WA RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Seattle, WA Permit #398 Central Lutheran Church Following Christ, sharing God s love for all people. Mission Statement