The Epiphany Star November 2014

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1 The Epiphany Star November 2014 Newsletter of Epiphany Lutheran Church Fort Wayne, Indiana Dear Epiphany Lutheran Church, Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. Amen Why do you need to be a part of a local church? Has the need for a neighborhood church gone the way of the neighborhood grocery and pharmacy stores? We all live such busy lives maybe what we need is a mobile application for our cellular telephone. When we decide that we need church we can just punch it up on the telephone and there we are in the midst of a congregation. Is that what worship and churches have come to be in our world today? I know it sounds like I am being very negative. I am really just trying to be realistic in getting at the heart of where we are as a faith community/church these days. In the Ten Commandments we heard God speaking to us that we are not to worship any graven images. We are to worship the Lord our God. Have we become so distracted by everything going on around us that our focus has shifted from the teachings of God to the teachings of humanity? When was the last time you got excited to go to a major worship service (Christmas Eve, Easter, etc) like you do when you go to attend a concert or a major sporting event? When was the last time you made a poster to take to worship like you did to the concert? The concerts, sporting events, and even major worship services are exciting and get our adrenaline levels high, but do they really help us live our lives or help us develop into the caring/ loving/supportive human beings that God intends for us to be? I think each of us should look at the priorities that we have set in our lives do we even have such things as priorities in our daily lives any more? So often I hear people say that their lives (including my own) are so busy meeting all of the daily activities that there isn t enough time to try to prioritize things in one s life. If that is true, then do we need to slow down long enough to look at the priorities we have established in our daily routine and then ask of each event that comes along, Is this really on my priority list, or is it something others expect me to do? November is a perfect month to take a moment and look at your daily routines. It is also important that we be as realistic as we can by setting realistic expectations on our lives. I also know that the majority of you have put your faith and belief in God as a high priority. However, you know some people in your lives 1

2 that haven t put God in Christ Jesus as a high priority in their lives. You have to spend time with anything that is a high priority in your life. Is your faith life in God a hobby that you only practice being a follower of Jesus Christ when it is convenient or when nothing else is going on? Make November a month to remember to re-establish the true priorities in your lives. Make worship and development of your faith in God a high priority. Your soul depends upon it. See You Sunday! In Christ, Pastor Richard Hartman We are Christians, called by God, committed to: Sharing the Gospel, Serving others as Christ taught us, and Creating disciples for witness. Epiphany Lutheran Church s Vision Statement: A Christian family of God committed to sharing the Gospel and serving others, through joyful worship, education, and fellowship. The Fellowship committee will be providing breakfast for the Quarterly Voters Meeting on Sunday, November 16 th at 9:00 am. Sausage gravy and biscuits, breakfast casseroles, and donuts are on the menu. Please sign up on the bulletin board outside Amanda s office so we know how much food to prepare. All are welcome! 2

3 November Baptismal Birthdays Mason McKenna Michael McKenna Justin Jancso Molly Richard Lee Jacob Flennery Joyce Husted Kristen Minda Hartman Jonathan Hartman Cathy Rumfield Linda Jancso Mark Herb Happy birthday to those who celebrate their second birthday during the month of November! Martin Luther said, When you wash your face remember your baptism. Take time to remember and celebrate with your family by using the special booklet Celebrating Your Baptismal Birthday (found in the narthex tract rack). Please feel free to stop in or call for any of your Pastoral needs. Our office hours are as follows: Pastor: Sunday - Thursday 8:00am-2:30pm Monday and Wednesday evenings Some Saturdays Amanda: Tuesday & Thursday 10:00am-2:30pm, Wednesday 12:00-6:00pm Other times as needed Due to unexpected circumstances, these hours may be subject to change. Us: Pastor s office... pastor@epiphanyfw.com Pastor s home... rlhart49@frontier.com Amanda s office... amanda@epiphanyfw.com WEB SITE: 3

4 Meals on Wheels Thank you for your continued support of this vital mission in our community. We donated a total of $213 in the month of October, bringing our total donations to over $3,700! Please let Amanda in the office know if you would like to be added to the list to give to this worthy cause. Thank you for sharing the gifts God has given to you! Comfort Ye My People Our quilting group will be meeting Sunday, November 9 th at 9:00 am to start a new year of quilting. We sent off 89 quilts to Lutheran World Relief last month thanks to many hours of dedication this past year. New members are always welcome to our group if you can use a pin or tie a knot, you can help! Thank you for being a blessing to others all around the world. Angels Among Us! We have members of our congregation who do many things behind the scenes, and we want to take the time to recognize just a few in this month s issue. Angels, you know who you are! Thank you for your contributions of time and talents! 89 Quilts were counted, packed up, and shipped 65 Health Kits were assembled 61 Baby Layettes were knitted, crocheted, and assembled 72 School Kits were put together Kits & Quilts were taken to St. John s for Lutheran World Relief The Epiphany Sign along Maplecrest was updated The Lawn continues to be mowed 4

5 Join us for Worship! Every Sunday at 8:00 am and 10:15 am Every Monday at 7:00 pm Sunday School & Confirmation classes at 9:00 am on Sunday. Please join us! November 2 nd : All Saints Day Revelation 7: John 3:1-3 Matthew 5:1-12 November 9 th : 22 nd Sunday after Pentecost Amos 5: Thessalonians 4:13-18 Matthew 25:1-13 Thanksgiving Worship Service Please join us at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, November 25, November 16 th : 23 rd Sunday after Pentecost Zephaniah 1:7, Thessalonians 5:1-11 Matthew 25:14-30 November 23 rd : Christ the King Ezekiel 34:11-16, Ephesians 1:15-23 Matthew 25:31-46 The Saturday morning Men s Bible Study will continue their study out of the book The Man In The Mirror. We will meet Saturday, November 8 th at 7:00 am for breakfast and the Word. All are welcome. We hope to see you there! November 30 th : 1 st Sunday in Advent Isaiah 64:1-9 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 Mark 13:

6 Mission Report November 2014 Your generous donations and time made it possible to assemble 65 health kits, 61 baby layettes, 72 school kits and 89 quilts for Lutheran World Relief! These were boxed up and taken downtown to begin the journey to help so many people. The boxes from Epiphany filled more than half of the truck! These are now on their way, and we are already thinking about next year. A list of all needed items is on the bulletin board and on the table in the narthex. We also collected winter items for the Come2Go Ministries, which assist the homeless in our community. These items will be collected all winter because the need increases as the temperatures continue to drop. Hats, gloves, socks, scarves, hand warmers and toiletries are high on the list. There will be a collection box in the narthex. Woodburn Christian Children s Home would like us to assist them again with their Christmas party. More details will be provided as soon as we get them. Our Mission for November is participating in the Rescue Mission fund raising campaign REAL CHANGE, Not Spare Change. Details and information can be found on the following page. Please continue to bring in food items for Associated Churches Food Bank. This is an important ongoing mission of our church. Thank you again for your continued giving of time, talents, and items needed in support of Outreach Missions. YOU ARE AMAZING!!!!! Written by Sandi Swanson 6

7 Let s Decorate! The date has been set to decorate Epiphany for the Christmas season! Please join the fun on Saturday, November 29 th at 10:00 am. There are jobs for all ages, so consider making this a part of your family s holiday tradition! We hope to see you there! R E S C U E M I S S I O N C A M PA I G N For the month of November, our outreach activity will be to participate in the National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Campaign for the Rescue Mission in Fort Wayne. We hope to support this campaign in a couple of ways. Skip a Lunch, Feed a Bunch On average, an individual spends more that $5 on lunch daily. The Rescue Mission can provide 3 nutritious meals to the hungry in our community with this $5. If you would like to help, there will be an envelope in your mailboxes marked Rescue Mission for you to make a one-time donation to provide these meals. REAL CHANGE, Not Spare Change The Rescue Mission seeks to address both residents immediate needs for food, clothing, and shelter and more long-term needs such as addiction counseling, employment assistance, educational advancement, and transportation. We will have collection containers in the narthex for change all collections will go directly towards this campaign. We will send all of the collected funds to the Rescue Mission at the end of November. Please help fight hunger and homelessness in our community. 7

8 On Sunday, November 9 th following the 10:15 am service, our Youth Group will be holding a shoe-cutting party for the relief organization Sole Hope, which supplies shoes to children in Uganda. These shoes can be life-saving, since feet that are injured by walking barefoot on rough terrain are an easy entry point for disease and parasites. Everyone is invited to be a part of this project! There are several ways you can help. Volunteer: Come to the party, where we will be cutting the parts of the shoes out of denim and plastic. The more people we have, the more shoes we can make! If you can, please bring your own fabric scissors for the denim or a strong pair of scissors for the plastic pieces. Donate: We are in need of some supplies, especially thin plastic. This can be from recycled items; you can donate clean, empty milk jugs, 2 liter bottles, large dish soap bottles, or plastic folders. We also need large safety pins and gallon Ziploc bags for packaging up the shoe pieces. In addition, you can donate medical supplies for use in caring for injured feet: surgical gloves, cotton balls, medical tape, antibiotic cream, gauze, and band-aids. Sponsor: Once the shoes are cut out, the pieces are shipped to Uganda, where they are assembled and soled by shoemakers in the community, who receive much-needed wages from the work. The cost to ship and assemble each pair of shoes is $10. We are hoping to sponsor every pair of shoes we cut. If you would like to help, please make a check out to Epiphany with Sole Hope in the memo, and place it in the offering plate. Thank you for partnering with our youth and Sole Hope to make a difference in the lives of children. 8

9 Youth Group is in full swing, and we d love to see you at our next gathering! Here is the schedule for the upcoming months: November 9 th at 12:00 pm: Sole Hope service project December 6 th during the day: Bell ringing for the Salvation Army December 7 th at 12:00 pm: Chapter 1 of The Jesus Creed and holiday celebration All middle and high school youth are welcome. We hope to see you there! Bell Ringing with the Salvation Army Epiphany has signed up to ring the bell for the Salvation Army s annual red kettle collection on Saturday, December 6 th, from 9 am until 6 pm at the Kroger store on Saint Joe Center Road. We will need lots of ringers, so if you are able to help, please sign up on the sheet on the bulletin board outside Amanda s office. You can come on your own or with a loved one groups of two or three are ideal, since you may need a quick break every so often. Please plan to ring for at least an hour; you can sign up for more time if you would like! Be sure to dress for the weather that day we will be ringing outdoors. Thank you for supporting this important mission in the season of giving. College Care Packages Finals Week can be a very stressful time, and we would like to let our students know that we support them in their studies. We are collecting items through Sunday, November 23 rd to be sent to them. Here are some of the items that every college student needs: Snacks: microwave popcorn, gum, candy Drinks: hot cocoa mix Food Cards: McDonald s, Burger King, Subway Other: pens, pencils, gas cards Please donate 7 of any of these items so no one is left out! 9

10 Nov. 2 nd Nov. 9 th Nov. 16 th Nov. 23 rd Nov. 30 th LBW Setting II WOV Setting 5 Feast of Life (Janzow) LBW Setting II LBW Setting I Organist / Pianist Sara Sara Amanda Pickett Sara Sara Assisting Minister Rebecca Hartman Alicia Jim Dia Herb Jane Dawkins Lector 8:00 am Kurt Unrue Deb Crawford Sue Johnson Cheryl Ralston Anne Lohman Lector 10:15 am Molly Cathy Rumfield Bob Havers Ron Michael Melissa Hartman Acolyte Jacob Flennery Zoey Osheskie Rachael Pickett Mason McKenna Erin Robinson Communion Assistant 8:00 am Charlene Schroeder Devin Meunier Anne Lohman Tammy Aschliman Richard Lee Communion Assistant 10:15 am Sue Molly Cathy Rumfield David Dawkins Ron Michael Altar Guild Need Need Need Need Need Greeter(s) The Hedins The Roemers The Rumfields Barb Werling The Picketts USHERS This Month Capt. Lee Hedin Amber Logan Sandy Hedin Minda Hartman Steve Auman Thanks for Serving! 10