September Back to (SUNDAY) School! Community of Love Lutheran Church. Sharing God s Abundant Love. First Communion Class.

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1 Community of Love Lutheran Church The Ligh Back to (SUNDAY) School! It s that time of year. Time to resume your education your Christian education. Lucky for you there are several opportunities at COL no matter what your age. September 2013 Sharing God s Abundant Love Sunday School Sunday School begins on the 15th of September. Sunday School is for those from the age 3 to however old you are (and don t worry, no proof of age is required for adults). The time for Sunday School is 10:45 AM to 12:00 noon. The children spend time learning songs, listening to Bible stories, making crafts, and learning verses. A special focus this year will be on learning music to sing on the fi fth Sundays during worship time. Adults meet for study and discussion. Yes, it sometimes gets lively and it s always thought provoking and respectful. So don t rush out after worship. Get your coffee and join us for adult Sunday School. Christian education is for lifelong learners. Come out and continue to learn. First Communion Class First Communion class will be held during October as the children prepare to receive their First Communion on October 27th. The class is open to children who have not yet received First Communion. Speak to Pastor Dan if you are interested in having your child participate in this class. Confirmation Class Confi rmation Class for youth in 7th and 8th grade will begin in the Fall. Speak to Pastor Dan if you are interested. More information will follow. Monday Bible Study Monday Bible Study will begin Monday, September 16th, at 12:30 p.m. Bring a sandwich and a dessert will be provided. If you are interested or have any questions, speak to Nancy Kelly.

2 Hearts in Action Scholarships Presented Pictured above: (From the Left) Susan LaBranche and Sally Monsilovich [Hearts in Action board members], Teresa Dolan, Bridgette Lees, Pastor Dan Bodine (in back), Kristy King, Karen Bradley, and Emily Deeves. (Not pictured: Caroline Hamilton and Rebekah Linde) Five of the seven recipients of this year s Hearts in Action Scholarship received their awards at a worship service at Community of Love Lutheran Church, in Oxford, PA. The theme of the service was Legacy of Faith. The Hearts in Action Scholarship is a competitive scholarship funded through the estate of Charles and Margaret Middleton. They wanted to pass on a legacy of knowledge and service and wanted the scholarships to be awarded to students studying for careers in Ministry, Education, or Health Sciences. Our recipients this year: Teresa Dolan pursuing PHD in Health Education Bridgette Lees pursuing a BS in nursing Kristy King pursuing a BS in nursing Karen Bradley pursuing a degree in education Emily Deeves pursuing a BA in Communication Science and Disorders Caroline Hamilton pursuing a degree in Biology/Psychology Rebekah Linde pursuing a degree in Physical Therapy Congratulations to each one of these dedicated students!

3 Help Wanted Sunday School teachers (including substitutes) and assistants are needed. No experience is necessary -- we will train. We re looking for people who want to share God s word with young people. Please see Pete Hill if you want to be part of the Christian Education team. The rewards are priceless! Reaching Out to Others The Service to Others Committee helps to focus our Christ-like actions on others within our community and the world. Throughout the year many donations of goods and time are planned for the benefi t of God s greater community. Our small congregation has blessed many folks in numerous ways throughout the years because of your generosity. Again, we thank you for the Heart of Christ that you display each time you share in these ministries. This fall we again have opportunities to touch the lives of others within our area. More specifi c info on each will be forthcoming but please check over the following list and mark your calendars. We appreciate your contributions! Thanks! Sun., Sept. 22: Matters of the Heart Adoption Forum Sat., Sept. 28: Bingo and Tea for the residents of Luther House Sat., Oct. 5: Bake Sale during Philips Florist s Mum Fest (to benefi t our Thanksgiving Baskets) Sat., Oct. 19: Fall Road Clean-Up to help preserve the home God has chosen for us all Throughout the month of November: collections for Thanksgiving Baskets. It s a group!!! That s right! COL has given birth to a new FEAST group. As of Sunday August 25th we have two FEAST groups. We also have a substitution list for those who do not wish to commit to being part of a group but would like to take part occasionally. If you are not sure what FEAST is all about, it is an opportunity to gather with a small group for times of fellowship. Even though the deadline for signing up has past, grace abounds here at COL. If you would like to be a part of FEAST, just give Pat Bodine a call or leave a message at the offi ce. If you want to know more about FEAST, give Pastor a call. Congregational Life Report Congregational Life sponsored a Family Movie Night on Aug 22 in the COL Movie Theatre. Our feature presentation was Born to Be Wild, an adventure about a young boy who befriends a gorilla name Katie. When the boy fi nds out about an injustice that is about to happen to Katie, he and the gorilla set off to seek her freedom. Our seventeen guests were treated to walking tacos, courtesy of Mike Brandt and the Coe Family. Our budding chef, Katherine Milley, treated the group to watermelon shaped cookies. Thank you to our caterers and thanks to all who came out to enjoy the evening s entertainment. We hope to continue this tradition of Children s Movie Nights next year in June and July, culminating in a Family Movie night in August.

4 The Recipe Box This month a special treat TWO RECIPES! Our fi rst recipe is for those who might have a few too many zucchinis. Why, oh why, doesn t money grow like zucchinis?? Zucchini Casserole 4 cups of grated zucchini 1 ½ cups grated Monterey Jack cheese 1 teaspoon seasoned salt 4 eggs, beaten 2 cups cheese cracker crumbs - In mixing bowl, combine zucchini, cheese, seasoned salt and eggs. Mix well - Spoon mixture into a buttered 3-quart baking dish and sprinkle cracker crumbs over the top. - Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. - Invite someone over for dinner. Enjoy! Our second recipe was a favorite at the Music and Worship Team Potluck. Chutney Cheese Dip Yield: 2 cups This dip is good with celery sticks, carrots, crackers, or sesame pretzels. 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese 1/2 cup (hot) mango chutney 1/2 tsp. dry mustard 2 tsp. curry powder Blend ingredients well and place into dish. Top with sliced almonds, if desired. Chill for a minimum of 4 hours. Council Council approved the switch of accounting software from PowerChurch to QuickBooks. Individual giving statements will still be generated in PowerChurch. Corner $10,000 was borrowed from the Hearts In Action fund to meet current expenses. This is a loan to be paid back with interest. Discussed elections to be held in November for the 3 seats available on council. A detailed discussion was lead by Joe Deeves and Doris Petersen, two of the organizers of our upcoming Connections Cottage Meetings. We will be holding 8 separate small group meetings to give everyone in the congregation a chance to voice their opinions to improve our worship experience in the future - making our services more targeted to the wishes and needs of our congregation as a whole. Our next Council meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 24 in the church offi ce. Everyone is encouraged to join us. We Want To Apply Your Giving Where You Want It COL very much appreciates the generous gifts given by our congregants. But we want to make certain each gift is used for the purpose you intended. Most of the offering is for our general fund. However, if you are making a specifi c gift please clearly specify on the memo line of your check. For a tangier taste, use a scooped out pineapple half as the serving container. Enjoy!

5 Hoagie Fundraiser Congregational Life Ministry will be holding a Hoagie Fundraiser in September to offset the cost of maintenance repairs in the Church. Details will be posted in the announcements starting September 1st. This is a great way to have a night off from cooking when school starts. You and your friends will also be helping to support this ministry at the same time! Look for more information in the weekly announcements. What s smiling, grateful, and filled with fun? A room fi lled with Luther House Bingo players! Please help support our fall Bingo and Tea at Luther House on Saturday, Sept. 28 from 2pm-4pm. Check the weekly bulletin for more information. Matters of the Heart A discussion group for those whose lives have been touched and connected by adoption. Matters of the Heart is the new name for our adoption group. We welcome all members of the adoption triad...adult adoptees, adoptive parents and birthparents as well as the families that support them. We endeavor to offer a safe and compassionate setting for those in post-adoption. a place to come and share concerns, joys and sorrows, to explore unanswered questions with the realization that some questions may forever go unanswered. a place of understanding to seek reconciliation and share our adoption experiences from the heart. Our next quarterly meeting will be held on Sept 22nd at 2 pm in the church offi ce. For more information, please contact Linda Hettinger via at homeyg.65@gmail.com or by phone at BirthdaysSeptember & October Take time to celebrate your special day! Bette Ann Walton 09/01 Tina Sauk 09/02 Denise Snarr 09/03 Brandon McHugh 09/14 Joseph Deeves 09/17 Glenn Frederick 09/24 Jack Powers 09/24 Dina Heffner 09/30 John Hoffert 10/04 Charles Mattson 10/04 Bob Bradley 10/06 John Murphy 10/07 Ian Hill 10/10 Hunter McCardle 10/11 Paige Blum 10/12 Amy Luke 10/16 Julia (Johnson) Patrick10/16 Doug Hipkins 10/17 Willard Hunsinger 10/22 Karl Pollich 10/25 Karen Pattinson 10/26 Jon Raike 10/28

6 Project Fiji a BIG Success Many thanks to all those who contributed goods or funds for Project Fiji. This outreach effort was a collection of books and school supplies for the Fijian village of Dravawaalu. COL member Karen Bradley spearheaded the collection and was overwhelmed with the response. Karen visited the village as part of University of Delaware s study abroad program. She wanted to give back to the Fijians, who were so welcoming to her and her classmates. Many school supplies were collected as well as Bibles, children s books, toothpaste, toothbrushes and even some sunglasses and jump ropes. Your generosity also included the necessary funds to ship a very large box across the Pacifi c Ocean. Copies of The Light and several worship folders were also included. Karen s professor, Lusianne Browning, whose mother lives in the village was so touched by COL s generosity. The big box should arrive around September 19th. COL s spirit of giving and sharing God s abundant love is worldwide! Pencils and Notebooks and Book bags, oh my! The Lighthouse Staff was so pleased with all of the donations delivered during the week of August 11. Many thanks to everyone who shopped for food supplies for the Lighthouse clients weekly dinners and for the school supplies that helped to fi ll many a school-bound book bag. Your caring has made such a difference in the lives of many students here in Oxford! Thanks for Sharing God s Abundant Love!

7 What can I do to help COL raise more funds to attain a more balanced budget? Don t just ponder by yourself come and join other ponderers at the church offi ce on Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 7:00pm. Perhaps we can formalize a plan for action as we share our ideas together. An idea box will be in the church offi ce. If you can t make the meeting, please place your name and ideas/thoughts in the box. We will include them in our evening s conversation. We hope to have lots of participation as we work on this as a community of love. Thanks! Blessings of the Redner s Save-A-Tape Program Service to Others would like to thank the members of COL for your faithfulness in submitting your Redner s Save-A-Tapes. Together you have been able to realize funds of $ to help with the cost of the Thanksgiving Baskets for this year. Each year the amount from this program has increased to help us brighten the Thanksgiving holiday for those with special needs. It s easy to participate -- just asks the checkout clerk for a card for the Save-A-Tape program. (The clerk will activate the card; no need to sign anything.) Then, simply present the card to the checkout person before your order is processed. (A Save-A-Tape message will appear on the register tape.) Bring your tapes to church and place them in the black mailbox attached to the welcome table on the right as you enter the church. The clerk will gladly print a duplicate receipt upon request if you need one for your records. (This is a year-round program so we are already starting to save for next year.) AN ADDED BONUS FOR YOU - For each $100 in purchases you will receive credit for.10/ gal savings off a gallon of gas (up to 20 gals.) at the A-Plus Sunoco near the cross roads of Rt. 10 and Rt 1 bypass. Please contact Linda Hettinger at if you have any questions regarding this win-win program. Thanks to all of you for your participation in the program, which has helped COL to Share God s Abundant Love with many in our community.

8 WOW WOMEN OF WORSHIP Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me. Rev. 3: 20 DOORS Doors can be either what separates us or joins us to what is beyond. Doors can be boundaries that keep us from others or they can keep us nestled safely within, comfortable and cozy with the things that matter most in our lives. Doors can be a portal that, when opened, can welcome in a new perspective, changing the course of your moment, your day, or your life. How many doors do you have in your home? How many doors do you have in your life? Who is knocking at your door awaiting a time to join in fellowship with you? In the verse above we see Christ at your door. He is knocking and awaiting your response. Here at Community of Love we have numerous ways of opening that door and responding with an invitation for Him to join us. One such option is joining other women in our congregation for our monthly Women of Worship (WOW) meetings where a meal will begin our discussion/ fellowship time together. (Wait didn t Christ say he would eat with us and we with Him???) Why not come, open the door, and spend some time in Christ s presence with others responding to His knock? Our fall sessions will begin at 6:30pm in the church offi ce complex on Thursday, Sept. 5. We will be discussing our summer book called Home to Harmony by Philip Gulley and perhaps even fi nding ways the main character, Quaker Pastor Sam, opened doors to Christ s bidding. Perhaps his perspective will help us all take the opportunity to listen more carefully for that knock and formulate what we ll do when we open those doors. Can you hear His knock? Whether or not you ve had time to enjoy the summer reading, that knock is for you :O)! All women are welcome! So please, don t you stop to knock just come right on into the offi ce complex at 6:30pm on Thursday, Sept. 5. We re waiting to welcome you to another year of fellowship with Christ.

9 The Ligh for Kids Here s a list of just a few of the animals that Noah took on his boat. Find each one hidden in the word search. Come back here every month for more fun things to do!