Words from our pastor from the letters X,Y,Z

Transcription

1 Ascension Lutheran Church 406 S. 5th Avenue Coon Rapids, IA May 2017 Christ Lutheran Church 1201 S. Elm Street P.O. Box 167 Jefferson, IA Words from our pastor from the letters X,Y,Z Poor X, Y, and Z. The last letters of the alphabet. Honestly, it s a bit tough to find words of a Biblical nature to use as a newsletter topic. X has been used a substitute for Christ in Christmas, but in recent times that practice has been frowned upon in religious circles as inaccurate or inappropriate. In actuality, X is also the Greek letter, Chi, and has been considered acceptable as a spelling in both religious and writing practice. According to author Daven Hiskey, in his internet article entitled, The X in Xmas Doesn t Take the Christ out of Christmas. It turns out, Xmas is not a nonreligious version of Christmas. The X is actually indicating the Greek letter Chi, which is short for the Greek, meaning Christ. So Xmas and Christmas are equivalent in every way except their lettering. In fact, although writing guides such as those issued by the New York Times, the BBC, The Christian Writer s Manual of Style, and Oxford Press discourage the use of Xmas in formal writing, at one time, it was a very popular practice, particularly with religious scribes, who are thought to have started the whole Xmas thing in the first place. Indeed, the practice of using the symbol X in place of Christ s name has been going on among religious scholars for at least 1,000 years. Eventually, this shorthand trick spread to non-religious writings where nearly everywhere Christ appeared in a word, the Greek Chi would replace that part of the word. For example, in the 17th and 18th centuries, there are numerous non-religious documents containing instances of Xine, which was a common spelling for someone whose name was Christine. [To explore more of this author s research and posting on the Internet, please check out this link: Y could be a reminder that each of us is the you that God s love and grace are bestowed upon. It is also the first letter of Yahweh, the traditional Hebrew A name of the Hebrew God, represented in Hebrew by the tetragrammaton ("four letters") יהוה (Yod Heh Vav Heh), which was transliterated into Roman script as Y H W H. Because it was considered blasphemous to utter the name of God, it was only written and never spoken, which resulted in the original pronunciation becoming lost. The name may have originally been derived from the old Semitic root הוה (hawah) meaning "to be" or "to become". Z is last but not least Well, we have zealots, who were members of a first-century political movement among Judean Jews who sought to overthrow the occupying Roman government. The word zealot derives from the Greek zelotes, meaning emulator or (zealous) follower. (Source: And that s where my thoughts on these last three letters come to an end, and so does the alphabet! Peace and blessings! Pr. Terry

2 Page 2 Community of Faith Congratulations, Pr. Terry! After years of splitting her time between pastoral responsibilities with Community of Faith and her studies at Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Pr. Terry will graduate on Sunday, May 14! While her formal studies are complete, there are remaining qualifications to complete the TEEM program before she can be ordained. Ordination is tentatively planned for October. At that time, Pr. Terry will be eligible to consider a call to serve as a fullyordained minister of the ELCA. While she and Jon attend graduation ceremonies in Dubuque on May 14, Pr. Lou Hoger will lead worship in both congregations. Ruth Broman and Laura DePenning will serve as musicians. MAY Birthdays/Anniversaries BIRTHDAYS 6 - Lisa Waddle 11 - Cindy Moore 15 - Kim Christensen 16 - Jeanene Baker 29 - Thea Ballard, Melva Dickman ANNIVERSARIES 5 - Lou & Lois Hoger From our Lutheran Camps Know a young person who would make a great counselor? Both camps are in need of summer staff. It s a life-changing experience! Add this concern to your prayer list. INGHAM / OKOBOJI LUTHERAN BIBLE CAMP Summer is just around the corner and camp weeks are filling fast. Schedules available at church. Check out the FB page and the website for dates and options. Family Camp is a great way to take a vacation! To register for any event call OKOBOJI or go on-line RIVERSIDE LUTHERAN BIBLE CAMP There is a week of camp for any age! The summer schedule begins mid June, so check out the website for registration and other information. We hold up in prayer For healing: Cindy Moore, Melba Smith, Noah (Betty Raygor s grandson), Erwin Post (Mary Bower s father), Paula Murphy, Jeanene Baker, Fereleen Acton (friend of Jeanene), Brandi Stormer, Marlin (Virgil Dickman s brother-inlaw) In long-term care: Bernice Pevestorf, Curtis & Rebecca Franzeen WIS Assembly - What is it? The Western Iowa Synod Assembly is the primary decision-making body of the Western Iowa Synod and gathers every year. Voting members are chosen from local congregations. Together with other leaders of the ELCA and guided by the Holy Spirit, they discuss the work of the church in the world and make decisions reflecting the challenges we face and the strengths we all bring to loving and serving our neighbors - locally and globally - in the name of Jesus Christ. The 2017 Assembly is June 9-11 in Sioux City. Pr. Terry Ann Mogensen annieangel@gmail.com Phone or text Mondays - Off Tuesdays - Jefferson Wednesdays - Jefferson Thursdays - Coon Rapids Fridays - Coon Rapids Saturdays - Off Men in Mission Men in Mission is an organization of men in the ELCA who gather to do mission with one another and to minister to each other. CLC s men are involved with the Church of Damascus Road in the correctional facilities at Ft. Dodge and Rockwell City. If anyone is interested in learning more or attending worship with the Church of Damascus Road this spring, contact Dave Bohnet for information.

3 Community of Faith Page 3 Especially for Ascension Lutheran members At their April meeting, Ascension council members brainstormed fundraising ideas to bolster the general fund. Among the ideas suggested were a pancake dinner or spaghetti supper, or an activity related to STEM (science, technology, engineering, math). The council welcomes all fundraising suggestions, no matter how far out-of-the-box. Please share your ideas with any of our leaders. And be ready with your volunteer time to help make it happen! Ascension welcomes Laura DePenning to membership. Laura has been attending since moving to Coon Rapids as a school teacher at CR-B. She currently serves on our church council, volunteers for worship duties, and shares her musical talents as piano player. Welcome, Laura! We re glad you re with us. Mark your calendar.... Ascension will host ecumenical Vacation Bible School Monday-Thursday, July 31-August 3. Volunteers will be needed. Watch for your opportunity to help! At ASCENSION MAY Volunteers Greeter... Marcia Young Reader... Doris Royer Communion... Larry & Dianne Jensen Ushers... LaVerne Royer/Harry S. Lawn mowing... Miesner/Dickman/Shackelford Changes to Community Garden For the past two years, volunteers from Ascension have planted, cared for and harvested bushels of produce from the Community Garden plots in our backyard. Food was shared with the local Food Pantry, through New Hope Bargain Shop, and to church members. Some changes are planned for There has been a shortage of volunteers to do the hard work of planting and caring for the plots. Also, since the local Food Pantry is open only one day a month, many times harvest of fresh produce did not coincide with their open date. For these reasons, Ascension will not host the Community Garden this summer. Small areas of the tilled ground are available to community individuals or groups who wish to cooperatively grow produce for their own use. The rest of the space will be used by Larry Miesner for his personal produce business. If you know of anyone who would be interested in caring for a portion of the garden, please tell a council member. The new format for Sunday morning Church4Kids has been met with good success since it began after the first of the year. Under the new format, children accompany an adult leader to the student classroom following the children s message on Sunday. There they enjoy a short Bible activity and/or song time, and return to the worship service during the hymn of the day. Thanks to all our monthly volunteers; your work is appreciated! Week 1 - Donna Pevestorf Week 2 - Phyllis Lago Week 3 - Twyla Brede Week 4 - Brenda Dudley Week 5 - Tammy Reynosa

4 Page 4 Community of Faith Of special interest to Christ Lutheran members Day Camp comes to CLC June Rooted is the theme for CLC s annual Summer Day Camp June A team of counselors from Riverside Bible Camp at Story City will head the program. Campers will learn more about who Jesus is, how He came to love and serve others, and how we can be a part of doing the same. The theme is based on Colossians 2:6-7. Campers who will enter grades 1-6 this fall will gather daily from 10 am2:45 pm at the church. Preschoolers ages 4-5 meet from 10 am-12:45 pm each day. All campers are asked to bring their own sack lunch. We will be looking for daily helpers, food donations and housing volunteers. Promotional posters will be available for members to post around our community. This is a great outreach opportunity. Day Camp applications will be available on our website or at church. Invite your grandkids, friends and young neighbors! Christian Ed Opportunities at CLC Brief children s Sunday School in the fellowship hall following worship Ecumenical Bible Study every Wednesday 8-9 am at Greene Bean Coffee in Jefferson Bible study every Sunday 8-8:45 am before worship, informal & lay-led st Table Grace meal & fellowship at Uptown Café in Jefferson, noon the 1 Tuesday each month Women will meet at 7 pm on Wednesday, May 24, in Jefferson (note change of date). The May lesson is a devotional, 10 Prayerful Reflections for our Faith Journey. The new study format has a stand-alone lesson in May and December to allow those who may not be able to participate monthly to come for a one-time devotion. All women from CLC and ALC are welcome. Extra copies of May Gather magazine will be available. Tenth Triennial Convention in Minneapolis Women are reminded of the Tenth Triennial Convention, All Anew to be held at the Minneapolis Convention Center July 11-16, The 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation will be observed by exploring ways the Holy Spirit transforms us. Registration is now open at In need of items for Lutheran World Relief kits Our congregation is collecting personal care items to assemble 40 (or more) kits for Lutheran World Relief. We have enough toothbrushes. But we re still in need of more dark bath towels, heavyduty combs, bars of bath soap and nail clippers. Please bring your donations to church anytime. We have until summer to deliver the kits. Wanted: All book lovers! Envisioning Christ book club is currently reading, Heaven is for Real and usually meets for one hour at 6 pm on Mondays. If you have ideas for a good book with Christian content, let Bohnets or Aegerters know. All are welcome! TLC bowling party May 24 The final TLC event for this spring will be the annual bowling party at 2 pm on Wednesday, May 24. Cost for one lane of bowling will be paid from the youth fund. Please invite youth grades 1-7 to attend. If you need transportation or have questions, please contact Jan at ARC Food Pantry in MAY: Cookie mixes Cash donations also welcome. See Pr. Terry if you can help fill food boxes at the Food Pantry.

5 Community of Faith Page 5 Minutes from Christ Lutheran Council ~ April 12 Present: Jacob Bohnet, Dave Bohnet, Ruth Freeman, Cindi Daubendiek, Pr. Terry Mogensen and Jan Rosdail Pres. Jake Bohnet presided. Pr. Terry shared opening devotions. Secretary s report: The March council minutes were approved as presented. Treasurer s report: Account balances as of April 12 were checking $13,429 and savings $14,710. Pastoral report: Report included planning and attending regular worship services and monthly council meetings and usual monthly activities for both February and March. Mileage expenses for COF were$ in February and $ in March. Feb. mileage was related to ongoing assistance for families in crisis in both communities. Plans for completion of TEEM coursework were shared. Graduation at Wartburg Theological Seminary will be May 14, 2017 with WIS requirements to be completed over the next several months. Final approval and ordination will most likely happen in the fall. Committee reports: Property: A mowing rotation has been set up. Mower has been serviced. A list of spring clean-up items needing to be done will be posted and volunteers are asked to sign up to do them instead of setting a designated date. A request was approved for the church to be used on Monday, Dec. 11, 1-4 pm by PEO. Worship/Altar Guild: Volunteers are needed for Altar Guild immediately. Talk to Luann if you are available to help set up communion, changing liturgical colors, etc. Education: Diet of Worms Reformation dinner will be April 23 at 5:30. RSVP to Jan. Day Camp will be June Help will be needed to provide daily snacks and lunch for counselors, to assist the staff with small groups, and to provide host homes for the Riverside counselors. See Jan if you can help. Evangelism: Follow-up contacts have been made with recent visitors. All are asked to invite newcomers to worship and to reach out to those who were once actively involved in our congregation to welcome them again. New Business: The placement of a TV for the sanctuary was tabled. Jan will be gone most of May, so volunteers will be needed to do weekly church cleaning. It was approved to add the Lenten Luncheon offering of $142 to the table cloth fund for the purchase a set of blue cloths. Jan will contact Ruth Broman about the total cost. Old Business: Supply pastors are needed for Wartburg graduation on May 14 and for the weekend of Synod Assembly. Pastor will check on this. We still need a volunteer delegate for Synod Assembly the weekend of June The hosting sign-up sheet still has many openings. Assignments will be made if slots are left open. The meeting ended with the Lord s Prayer Respectfully submitted, Jan Rosdail, recording secretary Next meeting will be Wednesday, May 10. Ascension Lutheran Council ~ April 6 Ascension Council met at 5:30 pm on Thursday, April 6. Present were Harry Shackelford, Larry Miesner, Dona Tuel, Pr. Terry, Brandi Stormer and Donna Pevestorf. Secretary s report was read and approved. Treasurer s report was discussed. Harry mentioned problem with address at the bank has been resolved. Dona moved, seconded by Larry to approve report. Property: Lawn mower is ready to go for summer. Plans to repair memorial light. Community Garden was discussed. It was agreed to let Larry M. have first chance at using the plot this summer, with the possibility of offering a small space to a local individual or group who may want to co-op grow a limited number of vegetables for their own use. Worship: No report. Education: Sunday Church4Kids is going well. Pastor s report of activities and mileage for March were received. Several upcoming events were discussed, including baptism, First Communion class, Laura DePenning to be received as new member, installation of officers, and May wedding for A. Smith & A. Howell. Synod Assembly is in Sioux City June Our female delegate is Laura DePenning, with a male delegate still considering attending. Pastor s ordination has been pushed back to the fall of She will graduate from Wartburg Seminary May 14. Old business: Reviewed Easter week schedule. Prom Closet distributed 60 dresses this season. New business: Harry provided information regarding the possibility of borrowing a pancake grill from Catholic Church at no charge. Other fundraising ideas discussed included spaghetti supper and STEM program. Other fundraising ideas are welcome. Dona Tuel discussed God s Work, Our Hands Sunday September 10. Looking for ideas for a community project that our church can do. Meeting adjourned. Donna Pevestorf, secretary Next meeting will be Thursday, June 1, at 5:30 pm.

6 READ all about it! New CR-B reading program targets youngsters who may benefit from one-on-one volunteer assistance. Linda Honold, a Coon Rapids area resident, educator, and member of the Coon Rapids United Methodist Church, is spearheading a tutoring project beginning soon in Coon Rapids- Bayard schools. She recently shared information about the new program with us in hopes that some (or all!) of our members may feel called to help support the program with their time and/or funds. There are three components to the program that will take place one after the other, beginning in May and continuing through the summer if there is sufficient interest and support in the community. The first part of the project involves pairing volunteers with students who find reading challenging. Volunteers will read with the students, taking turns, discussing the reading, and enjoying books together during minute sessions scheduled between 3-4 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. To date, 17 CR-B students who could benefit from the additional help with reading have been identified by teachers, and information about the new project has been shared with their parents. The goal is that the reading partners will complete five age- and ability-appropriate books together, and the student will then select a book to add to their own personal reading library. This initial stage of the program will run through the end of this school year in the CR-B elementary area of the school. The next part will provide special reading activities to children from 10:30-11:30 am, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays beginning the first week after the end of school to the end of June. At 11:30 am, children will receive sack lunches to take home. The third component will provide additional reading time a week or two before school resumes in the fall. Plans for this last component will be finalized pending interest and availability of both volunteers and readers, as this is often a time set aside by families for vacations and summer travel, as well as fair activities. Volunteers can help in any of three ways: Volunteer as a reading tutor on a regular basis. Volunteer as a substitute reading tutor available on-call on an as needed/as available basis. Contribute funds to support the purchase of reward books and allow students in need to participate in Scholastic book order activities during the school year. To learn more about the program, or to sign up as a volunteer tutor, substitute tutor, or funding partner, please contact Linda Honold at

7 COMMUNITY OF FAITH MINISTRIES Ascension Lutheran / Christ Lutheran 406 S. 5th Avenue Coon Rapids, IA Page 6 Community of Faith REFORMATION 500 Wittenberg: an artists' colony Wittenberg, where Luther lived for much of his life, was a tiny town in the Germany of that period. And yet Luther found himself living only a few doors away from two of the greatest German painters of the day, Lucius Cranach and his son. The Cranachs are responsible for the series of striking portraits of Luther that still survive. For information on ways our congregations can observe the 500 th anniversary of the Reformation, visit