A Beautiful Expression

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1 NOVEMBER 2016 volume 18 number 9 What s INSIDE 1 The Pastor s Pen 2 Church Council News 2 Mission Statement 2 Finance Report 2 Stewardship 3 Worship times 3 Kindschy Greetings 4 Social Concerns 4 News from the Treasurer 5 Word Puzzle 6 Serving and Readings 7 Church Calendar Hope Lutheran Church 2882 Arlington Avenue Riverside, CA Pastor: The Rev. Julie Kelly Organist: Norma Townsend Office Manager: Doris Diaz Office: (951) Fax :(951) Web Address: hoperiverside@att.net Pastor s tmedmondson@sbcglobal.net A publication of Hope Lutheran Church, Riverside, CA From the Pastor s Pen New Promise and New Work Happy New Year! I am so excited to begin 2018 here at Hope. In readings from the book of Isaiah and Matthew it s easy to look at the bright side of things as they remind us of the light of Christ shining in our daily lives, pointing to the hope and joy that we have in the promise of Christ. With the new year come new promise and each morning we remember the promise of our baptism in Christ with great joy. With new promise comes new work and new opportunity. I am grateful for the joyful expectation of the people of Hope when it comes to doing new work as a people, as a church, and as a community. As we move expectantly into our new work together, let us not forget our commitments of time and A Beautiful Expression financial support for the church and the community at large. Every little bit counts. If you are wondering how you can help support the growth and ministry of our congregation please feel free to reach out to myself or members of our church council. It is our joy and our duty to continue the good work of hope and to begin new work simultaneously, so that we may sing with the heavenly chorus, new life, new joy, to all He brings, listen to the angels sing: glory, glory, glory to the newborn King! Gentle Blessings, Pastor Kelly Flowers are needed for our sanctuary for 2018! Your flower donations recognizing special dates for family members, or dedicated simply to the glory of God make a beautiful display adorning the altar area. For flowers during Lent (Feb. 18- Mar. 18) please see Pastor Kelly. Please sign up on the flower chart in the Narthex. 1

2 Voice of Hope volume19, issue 1 Church Council News As we move on to a new year, we give thanks to those who have served on the church council this past year. They led us through a very important transition year which gave us Pastor Kelly and new hope for Hope. This year we have four new members serving on the church council. This year s council anticipates an exciting year, partnering with Pastor Kelly and the congregation to bring an exciting new future to our church. We will highlight the important actions of the church council in the monthly newsletter in order to keep the congregation informed and encourage you to ask questions, give your suggestions, and lend your support as we go through another exciting year. Church Council Executive Committee Larry Hall - President (new) Sara Mills - Vice President (returning) Larry Stumpf - Treasurer (returning) Ann Morandi - Secretary (new) Committee Chairpersons Larry Dodson - Property Management (new) Connie Fortier - Congregational Life (new) Helga Stafford - Evangelism (returning) Carol Haffter - Social Concerns (returning) Susan Kitchens - Stewardship (returning) Lori Lane - Worship (returning) Mission Statement: At Hope Lutheran Church, Riverside, Jesus Christ leads us to welcome and respect all people, to grow in our whole being as gospel ministers, to equip children for life in the Christian heritage, to serve basic human needs in our community, and to worship God in word, in song, and in life. Larry Hall President Church Council Continued on page 3 November Finance Report November 2017 Year-to-Date Total Income: $17, $214, Total Expense: $16, $198, Difference: +$1, $15, Average Worship Attendance for November 2017: 58 Stewardship: The Joy of Sharing God s Blessings Does Your Gift Represent You? God graciously gives to us, and he wants us to share our blessings with others out of love for him. We can love and give because he first loved us. Our giving is an outward expression of the depth of our love and faith. There is a story of a pastor who had made an appeal in church for a great and worthy cause. A certain woman, a member of the church, came to asking at the same time if her gift was satisfactory. The pastor immediately replied, If it represents you. After a moment of soul-searching, she asked to have the check returned to her. She left with it, and a day or two later she returned, handing the pastor a check for $500, again asking the same question: Is my gift satisfactory? The pastor gave the same answer as before: If it represents you. Continued on page 3 2

3 Voice of Hope volume 7 number 3 Voice of Hope volume 20, issue 1 Worship Schedule: Sunday Worship & Communion Service and Sunday School: 9:00 a.m. Adult Forum: 10:30 a.m. Stewardship, cont d. Considering all of her spiritual and physical blessings from God, she took back the check and left. Later in the week, she came again with a check. That time it was for $5,000. As she placed it in the pastor s hand she said, After earnest, prayerful thought, I have come to the conclusion that this gift does represent me, and it is a joy to give generously to the Lord to help my church. The Lord has blessed some of us with little wealth and others with much, but in either case our response needs to represent us. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more (Luke 12:48). joyfully put our faith into action. God s grace, through faith. God s grace, through faith, enables us to give as we have received. May we all find joy in sharing God s blessings with others. In Conclusion Through our faithful giving, we thanks to him, and renew our commitment to him. When we give, we joyfully put our faith into action. God s grace, through faith, enables us to give as we have received. May we all find joy in sharing God s blessings with others. We want to thank all who have prayerfully considered their commitment to the future of Hope Lutheran Church and have turned in their Faith Promise Cards. If you planned to make a commitment but have not yet turned in the Faith Promise card, it can be mailed to the church, dropped off at the church office, or placed in the offering plate on Sunday. Submitted by Susan Kitchens for the December newsletter Monday Thursday 9 a.m. 2 p.m. (Closed holidays) Christmas Greetings from the Kindschy s Jan. 15,

4 Voice of Hope volume 20, issue 1 News from Social Concerns Toys for Tots --Starting December 4th thru December 11th we will be collecting Toys for Tots. Larry will be giving the Toys to the Marines December 16th. Look for Santa's sleigh in the Narthex. Guest Chef Program--November 5th, 2016 we served about 115 people a delicious dinner of pulled pork, mac and cheese, a gourmet salad, bread, and cake for dessert. The food bank had really nice food donated. Our chefs were: Larry Dodson, Bill Brethauer, Johnnie Corina, Pat Schwartz and I. Thank you all. Big Springs School--Christmas is coming! Last year we bought the school board games and stockings for each student. This year we gave them art supplies of all different kinds, and stockings for each student. The teachers were very grateful for all the creative crafts they ll be able to make with the students using all the news supplies. Thanks to those who gave!. ELCA World Hunger-- In January I will start the World Hunger appeal. I will have barn banks and pig banks. Save your change! Submitted by Carol Haffter for the December newsletter. Saturday, January 6, 2018 News from the Treasurer As you are aware, the Treasurer s Report in the 2017 Annual Report was for eleven months vs. the normal 12 month period. Therefore, I indicated at the Congregational Meeting that we would make an addendum to the annual report after all the data was in for the whole year of That addendum is in the works and will be distributed to all in the next few days. This action will now place us back on the normal annual report of January through December for Thank you for your consideration and patience. You may want to look at the organ `how goes it chart in the narthex. It will tell you our progress in raising funds for the `music fund. As a reminder our anonymous donor said they will match donations up to $8, of your contributions to this fund through June Although looking like a slow start, everything has to start somewhere. And we have made a start. Therefore, please pray and consider whatever you may be able to add to this effort and I know that in the spirit of Hope Lutheran, we will meet the goal. In closing, please contact me for any comments or questions. We thank you for your monetary support. Larry Stumpf, Treasurer PH Thank You! The family of Helen Wright is deeply appreciative of all that was done for the memorial service and eats afterward. ~Frances Stachowicz 4

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6 SERVING THIS MONTH ALTAR GUILD January :00 a.m. The Ihrkes & The Lowells COMMUNION ASSISTANTS FLOWERS GREETERS LAY READERS REFRESHMENTS SOUND SYSTEM January 2018 (we need your help) Larry & Phyllis Stumpf Larry & Sandy Hall (we need your help) Fred & Shelly Palestis Jim Lane & Lori Lane (we need your help) (we need your help) Larry Stumpf Larry Stumpf Charlotte Wall Charlotte Wall Connie Fortier Abby Brunka Birthday Sunday Johnnie Corina USHERS January 2018 Marge Cole & Connie Fortier HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! Happy birthday to all those celebrating January birthdays! If we missed your birthday, please call the church office so we can add it to the list. LESSONS, Epiphany of our Lord* First Lesson: Isaiah 60:1-6 Second Lesson: Ephesians 3:1-12 Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12, Baptism of Our Lord* First Lesson: Genesis 1:1-5 Second Lesson: Acts 19:1-7 Gospel: Mark 1:4-11, 3 rd Sunday after Epiphany First Lesson: Jonah 3:1-5, 10 Second Lesson: I Cor. 7:29-31 Gospel: Mark 1:14-20, 4 th Sunday after Epiphany First Lesson: Deut. 18:15-20 Second Lesson: I Cor. 8:1-13 Gospel: Mark 1:21-28 *Hope Lutheran moved the Epiphany celebration to Sunday, Jan. 7, therefore altering the timing of these readings. 6

7 Hope Lutheran Church January 2018 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 1 New Year s Day (Church office closed) 2 3 8:30a Bible Group Location: Joanna s VanBuren/Washington 5:30p AA Meeting 4 6:00p Bell Practice 5 6 4p Guest Chef 7 Compassion Sunday 9a Worship 10:30a Adult Forum :30a Bible Group Location: Joanna s VanBuren/Washington 5:30p AA Meeting 11 2:00p Worship Committee 6:00p Bell Practice :30p Audrey Huseth Memorial Service 14 9a Worship 10:30a Adult Forum 15 Martin Luther King Holiday (Church Office Closed) 16 6p Church Council Meeting 17 8:30a Bible Group Location: Joanna s VanBuren/Washington 5:30p AA Meeting 18 6:00p Bell Practice Bring a Friend & Birthday Sunday 9a Worship 10:30a Adult Forum :30a Bible Group Location: : Joanna s VanBuren/Washington 5:30p AA Meeting 25 6:00p Bell Practice a Worship 10:30a Adult Forum

8 Hope Lutheran Church 2882 Arlington Ave. Riverside, CA January 6, 2017 New Promises, New Work Page 1 Voice of Hope volume 7 number 20, issue 3 1 By Heart: Conversations with Martin Luther s Small Catechism is the focus of our Sunday Adult Forum class. The series resumes Sunday, th. All are welcome! Breakfast Bible Study Wednesday Mornings at 8:30 a.m. Where: Joanna s, Van Buren Blvd., Woodcrest Join Pastor Kelly for breakfast, fellowship and a study of the upcoming Sunday s texts. 8