June / July 2009 DEVOTION

Transcription

1 Congregationalnewsletter June / July 2009 DEVOTION Dear Fellow Christians! on the photo you see a sculpture of the Swedish artist Carl Milles ( ). It is in Millesgården/Stockholm and bears the title, God s Hand. This figure impresses me very much. Overwhelmed by the might of heaven - that is its dramatic gesture. This person wanted to climb up high, the stance of his legs is that of climbing a mountain. But much stronger than his effort is the overwhelming experience, to be lifted up by the powerful hand of God. Before his gaze, heaven opens, and he is overwhelmed by this glory. His eyes show amazement and worship, and his arms are opened wide to let himself be filled with the brilliance which opens up above him. This sculpture makes the events of Pentecost clear to me and reminds me of Psalm 139. Pentecost the disciples have experienced something like this. Heaven opened up above them, the hand of God lifted them up; the Spirit of God seized their life anew and filled them. And in Psalm 139 we can read: "You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain it. 7 Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can 1 I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast." To discover God s Spirit anew. God s Spirit, who has created everything in this world and who lives within the entire cosmos, who fills it with power and beauty. To hold still for God s Spirit, to open myself, so that my life is filled with new strength and courage. That is Pentecost in the midst of my daily life. There is a word by Maria Kaißling that seems seems to describe this sculpture, Heaven is always in motion, enticing and pulling us and hurrying towards us and catching up with us. And Lynne Hybels says, "To believe means, to give oneself to this God, who is greater greater than my doubts and greater than my questions. Let us be encouraged by this again at this Feast of Pentecost giving ourselves to God, whose heaven opens up above us, whose Spirit wants to touch and fill us! With kind greetings and blessings, yours, Pastor Alexander Mielke

2 On Pentecost Sunday, May 31, 2009, Lukas Frantzke and Benedikt Mielke will celebrate their confirmation in the festive Joint Service at a.m. In September, young people can again join Confirmation Class at Martin Luther Church. Confirmation instruction takes place every two weeks on Friday evenings, and for the newbeginners, this then leads to Confirmation on Pentecost Sunday, June 12 th, Please bring this instruction to the attention of your family and circle of friends. You can contact Alexander Mielke concerning this matter: On June 7, we will be able to welcome the EKD-North-American Conference in our midst. Oberkirchenrat Paul Oppenheim of the EKD/Hannover and four other pastor colleagues from Miami, New York, Ottawa and Washington will attend our joint service at 11:00 a.m. Before that Sunday, this conference, organized by Pastor Mielke, will take place as of June 4 th, at the Retreat Centre of the Franciscan Sisters in Lewiston/State of New York, near Niagara Falls. Welcome to the next Movie Night in the Martin Luther Church. On Monday, June 15, 7:00 p.m., the movie "The Lives of the Others" will be presented, in German language with English subtitles. Same time: movie for children, followed by snacks and drinks. The Lives of Others (German: Das Leben der Anderen) is a 2006 German drama film, marking the feature film debut of writer and director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. The film involves the monitoring of the cultural scene of East Berlin by agents of the Stasi, the GDR's secret police. It stars Ulrich Mühe as Stasi Captain Gerd Wiesler, Ulrich Tukur as his chief Anton Grubitz, Sebastian Koch as the playwright Georg Dreyman, and Martina Gedeck as Dreyman's lover, a prominent actress named Christa-Maria Sieland. With The Lives of Others, Henckel von Donnersmarck won the 2007 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The film had earlier won seven Deutscher Filmpreis awards including best film, best director, best screenplay, best actor, and best supporting actor after having set a new record with 11 nominations. It was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 64th Golden Globe Awards. In the East Germany (GDR) of 1984, Stasi Hauptmann Gerd Wiesler is shown interrogating a prisoner suspected of helping an acquaintance defect to the West. The scene of the interrogation is intercut with Wiesler using the recording of the interrogation to instruct a class on methods of interrogation. He points out several ways the Stasi can tell a liar or an innocent person, such as their behaviour at being kept up late and answers to questions. Eventually the prisoner provides a name. 2

3 Wiesler's old classmate, now his superior, Lt. Colonel Grubitz, assigns him to spy on playwright Georg Dreyman, who is suspected of pro-western sympathies. Stasi agents secretly enter Dreyman's flat, install small microphones and then monitor activity from the attic space above. When he realizes that a neighbor had observed them, Wiesler threatens to have her daughter's place at the university revoked if she exposes the microphones' presence. Wiesler soon finds out that the real reason behind the surveillance is that a minister named Hempf desires Dreyman's girlfriend, actress Christa-Maria Sieland. Dreyman's arrest would rid Hempf of a rival. Wiesler, a true believer in the socialist regime, is disillusioned by a minister abusing his powers for personal interests. A.O. Scott, reviewing the film in The New York Times, wrote that Lives is well-plotted, and added, "The suspense comes not only from the structure and pacing of the scenes, but also, more deeply, from the sense that even in an oppressive society, individuals are burdened with free will. You never know, from one moment to the next, what course any of the characters will choose." This movie night is one in a series of events which helps us, now in the 20th year after the wall came down to learn more about German experiences between East and West. In the beginning of October (probably Oct 4, 2:00 p.m.) we will have a German reading event in our church. Anne C. Voorhoeve is going to read out of her novel "Lilly unter den Linden" (Lilly under the Lindens), which is suitable for older children too. Story: When thirteen-year-old Lily leaves Hamburg in secret after her mother s death to go and live with her aunt s family in Jena, she finds herself faced with such confusing slogans as this one in the streets, and with many other initially baffling situations in the daily life of the German Democratic Republic. In her novel for young people, Lilly unter den Linden, Anne Voorhoeve brilliantly succeeds in uniting such disparate subjects as Lilly s loss of her mother and her adventurous, illicit journey to the GDR with information, suitably presented for her readers age, about daily life and its problems in the Socialist part of Germany shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall. She tells the story from the point of view of its protagonist Lilly, now ten years older and, at the age of twenty-three, looking back at that critical period. Portrait: Anne C. Voorhoeve was born on 19 December She read Political Science, American Studies and Ancient History in Mainz and then worked for a year as an assistant to a Brecht researcher at the University of Maryland. Following an internship at the editorial office of a specialist medical journal, she worked as an editor in a publishing house and did PR work for a Protestant monastery. In 2000, she became a freelance editor in order to be able to devote herself to writing once again. Lilly unter den Linden was first written as a script and was filmed by MDR. In July 2004, the novel was published by Ravensburger Buchverlag. As well as working on her next book, the writer intends to continue to write scripts. 3

4 Congregational Picknick in Camp Edgewood We are looking forward to a fine day in Camp Edgewood. On June 28, we will start with a family service at 11:00 a.m., followed by potluck luncheon. And we will have a program suitable for young and old, suitable for all the family. End will be around 4:00 p.m. Please bring your lunch, plate, dishes, cup. Very welcome! If you need help with transportation, please contact Pastor Alexander Mielke ( ) Please mark down also July 5, On this Sunday, we expect to have the 30 member Brass Band from Ganderkesee near Bremen as guests in our congregation. First they will offer musical contributions during the joint service, and then, at 2:00 p.m., will give a Concert in the Martin Luther Church. We invite you to our annual summer camp at Camp Lutherlyn, Golden Lake, Ontario near Pembroke - from Sunday July 26 th to Friday July 31 st (5 nights). The cost is the same as last year: $225 person, plus the bus $50 single or $75 family. You can go to our website to download the Registration Form, the Bus Transportation Form and the Owl Rafting Waiver Form. All three forms need to be filled out for complete camp participation. Please submit forms and payment by July 3 rd, The day trip to Owl Rafting is an additional cost at $15-$20. While you are at our website, please read ahead of time the Supply Check List for what to bring and the Rules of Camp Lutherlyn. The camp is also open to families with young children and also to seniors; discounted rates apply. For many years the Martin Luther Lutheran Church has invited its youth for a one-week-camp to the Golden Lake. The Camp gives children and youth in the ages between 8 and 18 the opportunity to have a good time together and to enjoy the beautiful landscape around the lake, The counselors are experienced youth leaders of the church who take good care of the needs of the campers and provide an interesting program with creative games and sports. Part of the program are the bible-studies which combine biblical stories with outdoor activities. The campers sleep in cabins in groups of 10. Meals are cooked by the staff of the Camp Lutherlyn. For more information contact: Dan Sommerfeld: feld-of-dreams@sympatico.ca, or Pastor Alexander Mielke: alexander.mielke@rogers.com 4

5 Special Collection 2009 It s almost summer again and like in previous years; we would like to call upon you with our Special Collection which us very important and urgent for our Congregation during the summer months. The running costs alone are a heavy burden, as you may know. At the moment though, there are following additional expenses: The new showcase is going to be installed until the end of June, we have already had to pay $ 6,000 for this. And for urgent renovation works in the appartment of Superior 5 we will have to spend some $ 3,000. You will find enclosed a donation envelope in the newsletter which you can give during the Services or mail it to our Church office. Also, if you would like to have a visit from Pastor Alexander Mielke or any of Church Council members let us know and we would gladly come and visit you. Your input is greatly appreciated. With a heartfelt thank you and for all the support you give to our church. Kind regards, Ernst Wienecke, President and Hans-Joachim Arndt, Treasurer A warm welcome to come to this summer festical and meet our neighbours in Mimico! 12 TH ANNUAL MIMICO SUMMER FESTIVAL PARTY IN THE PARK June 23 rd 2009, 5:30 8:30, Mimico Memorial Park 5 GOING GREEN Promoting Community Safety, Strength and Spirit Event is sponsored by Mark Grimes, City Councillor and supported by Laurel Broten MPP and MP Michael Ignatieff. This huge festival is a great time for the whole family. Confirmed Sponsors/Participants so far include: Mimico Baptist church, Host, Holiday Club for children, displays, Seniors tent; Mimico Residents Association, host, display; Mimico Presbyterian Church - Kidz Zone Wesley Mimico United Church: Large stuffed animals and displays; St. Leo s Knights of Columbus; Hogle Funeral Homes hot dogs; Mark Grimes sponsor, greetings, display; Laurel Broten- greetings, display, Michael Ignatieff - greetings, display; The Rec Room children s activity, healthy eating; Amerispec eco energy program display; Display of hybrid automobiles from local auto dealers; Canadian Baptist Ministries Eco responses; Daily Bread Food Bank accepting food donations; City Water Truck ; Lake Shore Arts launch of UTHINK performances; Authors and Books display Sandy Eathorne organising; Mimico Train Station Committee, display; Parks & Rec, jumping castle; LEAF, displays, LAMP, displays; Mimico Public Library, display, story, mascot; Project Porchlight, lightbulb exchange; SEELC: South Etobicoke Environmental Liaison Committee; Face painting with community artists and professional face painter, Amazing Al Jumping castles and Giant Slide; Martin Luther Church Day Care games for kids; Mosaic, Mimico Moms, children s activity; Area Guides and Scouts; Ambulance display, old and new; Women s Habitat, booth Rexdale Women s Centre - display

6 A big thank you to all these hard-working men who spoiled us with delicious food on Mother's Day! We also thank Dimpflmeier Bakery and Lein Catering Service for their very generous donations of baked goods as well as sausages, potatoe salad, cole slaw, cold cuts and veggie trays. So we have been able to transfer $ 1, to our Lutheran Sister Congregation in Sao Paulo in order to support the children in Guarulhos (incl. Mothers Day Luncheon $ and donation from Ascension Service at St. George with all German speaking Luth. Churches, Toronto, $ ). It was an honour and a pleasure that, on Mother's Day, we could welcome the German Consul General Holger Raasch (centre), together with his wife Jacqueline and her uncle, Father Ghislain de Jaeger, in our festive service. 6

7 BAPTISM Nina Sophie Schwenteck Mai 10, 2009 Each of you has been blessed with one of God's many wonderful gifts to be used in the service of others. So use your gift well. 1 Petrus 4:10 FUNERAL Charlotte Dombrowe, née Wiener, in the age of 99 years May 6,2009 Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55:22 Martin Luther Evangelical Lutheran Church 2379 Lake Shore Blvd. West, Toronto, ON M8V 1B7 Telephone: , Fax: Pastor Alexander Mielke, Cell Phone: alexander.mielke@rogers.com Radio Devotion (in German) every Sunday 9:30 a.m. on AM 530 Editor of MLC Newsletter: Pastor Alexander Mielke; Translations: Kaethe Kleinau; Homepage and List Administrator: Mona Frantzke; Mailing List: Anita Ratz -Distribution List: Please add my name and my address to the MLC-distribution list: Name: -Adrdess: Please send to: Mona Frantzke, List Administrator, mona.frantzke@rogers.com, or: Martin Luther Church, 2379 Lakeshore Blvd West, Toronto, ON M8V 1B7 7