The Seeker NOVEMBER Seek and you shall find. Knock and the door will be opened to you. -Matthew 7:7

Transcription

1 Our Saviour Evangelical Lutheran Church 56 Cleveland Drive Croton-On-Hudson, NY (914) The Seeker NOVEMBER 2012 Rev. Anthony Stephens, Ph.D., Pastor Sunday Worship Schedule Sunday School: 9:30 am Confirmation Class: 9:15 am Coffee Hour: following worship Seek and you shall find. Knock and the door will be opened to you. -Matthew 7:7 Weekday Office Schedule Office hours: 9:00 am - 12:00 Office Phone: (914) Office mail@oursaviourcroton.org Website: Weekday Activities Choir Practice: 7:45 pm

2 Our Saviour Lutheran Church 56 Cleveland Drive, Croton-On-Hudson, New York NOVEMBER 2012 The Seeker WAR HORSE - Pastor Anthony Stephens During the summer I watched a movie called War Horse; a Steven Spielberg movie based upon the book of the same name by Michael Murpurgo. The movie features a horse, Joey, who runs from person to person, miraculously, touching but not ultimately being destroyed by the horrors of The Great War. The horse survives and finally finds a loving and tranquil home. This is in spite of man s inhumanity to man. This beginning of November we are just about to start a new church year. The end times Sundays start with All Saints. On All Saints we remember those who have joined the Church Triumphant. We permit ourselves to grieve those who have passed beyond the veil and are now hidden from our gaze, but we also, as we do every Sunday celebrate the promise of the Resurrection. Our souls do make their way, like the war horse, through the vicissitudes of life. We pray that such trials are less traumatic than those seen by Joey, but even if they are not the periodic awfulness of life will not ultimately separate our souls from their creator. Standing by to respond as a National Guard chaplain to Hurricane Sandy at the very dawn of the storm, I remember my days living in St. Maarten. Some years before, the Christmas Hurricane had caught everyone off guard and had many of the effects that one dreads in a hurricane. Nevertheless, by the time that I had come to St. Maarten the island had bounced back and it was one of the happier islands in the Caribbean. Some people are broken by a tragedy for reasons deep and various others are not. Broken or broken hearted never means ultimately separated from God, even if anger waxes fiercely against God for whatever reason. It is comforting to think, and our Christian wager, with our life, that our story too will have a happy ending. Jesus did not say in my Father s house are many stables, but he could have.

3 PRESIDENT S LETTER Peter Ling, Council President " O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home." What a fitting hymn with which to commence worship on Sunday. Hurricane Sandy has certainly affected everyone to one degree or another and I am sure that many of us found new relevance in this familiar verse. Times such as these test a community and it was heartwarming to experience the concern and positive spirit of our congregation during and after service. Hearing Pastor's experiences with the National Guard also reminded us that although Croton was whacked pretty comprehensively the suffering in some other communities is so much worse. As a loving community it seems as if we are involved in something aimed at alleviating the burden in these areas. Pastor's sermon also reminded me that there is nearly always some sign of God's enduring love if one looks closely enough. In this case, the story of the little girl offering cookies brought a tear to my eye - and after being a banker for 30 years I thought that was impossible! On behalf of the Congregation Council I wish everyone a speedy and smooth recovery from the storm damage and hope that whatever your charitable involvement of choice may be that it is successful. Kind regards, Peter Ling, lingp@optonline.net SEAFARERS AND INTERNATIONAL HOUSE CHRISTMAS MINISTRY Each year Seafarers and International House coordinates the giving of Christmas Gifts to mariners aboard ships visiting the ports of NJ/NY ports. Many of these seafarers come from desperately poor circumstances and are very touched at being remembered at this time away from their homes and very appreciative to have warm clothing as they stand watch on board on bitter cold nights. Each seafarer met by our port chaplains in the days and weeks before Christmas will receive a Christmas satchel containing these NEW items: A hooded or unhooded sweatshirt (size L-XL) Three pairs of socks thermal or white gym One casual pullover T-shirt (size M-L) One knit winter cap One can of nuts or large bar of chocolate If you would like to support this holiday ministry, please purchase any of these items. Contents can be left in Pastor s office and will be delivered to SIH in mid-december COUNCIL MEMBERS Our Congregational Council members would like to keep the conversations and ideas that will move our church in the right direction going. If you have any ideas that you feel Our Saviour can benefit from.. Please...Talk To Us!! Here is a list of Council Members and their respective Ministries: Circle School: Dianne Carroll Property: Steven Millar Christian Education: Dianne Carroll Social Ministry: Laura Keil Evangelism & Outreach: Susan Papertsian Stewardship: Greg Evans Finance: Peter Ling, President Worship & Music: Greg Evans Pastor / Parish Relations: Bryan Montgomery, Vice President Angie Nuwesra, Secretary Ex Officio: Eric Golberg, Treasurer Barbara Henninger, Financial Secretary

4 CHRISTMAS FAIR Bob Riekert Christmas Fair - Saturday, December 1st - 10AM to 3PM Everything is set for our ninth annual Christmas Fair! Frya will once again take the lead, and orchestrate the many activities: Handcrafted Gifts - Knitted and Crocheted items (Frya, sister, Erna, and others). SERVV jewelry and gifts from third world countries (Melanie, Dianne). White Elephant Tag Sale with donated treasures and gifts for young and old (Jennifer, Mikiko). Bake Sale (Sue Montgomery) and Cafe. Delicious Chili (Joe Esteves) and Chicken (Chuck Cooper) Dishes. Two tickets to the Westchester Broadway Theatre (thanks to Lee Ann McCarthy) Christmas Music (Peter Ling) and much Good Cheer. And Lots More... We are always blessed with many volunteers who take on the same tasks each year - as Nancy used to say, "the fair practically runs itself...". But it is a long day, and the more help we have, the easier it will be to cover all the tables and give the workers much needed breaks. Please bring your "well used" donations to the White Elephant to the church on or before Thursday, November 28th - (no clothing or large items). If the church is locked, place them on the deck outside the Parish Hall, and call me ( ). I will bring them into the church for safe keeping. The Christmas Fair is our most successful and profitable fund raiser - And more than that, it is always a festive, enjoyable time for our members to work together for the benefit of our church and community. Bob Riekert - BobRiekert@Gmail.com WHITE GIFTS -Frya Barnes When I first joined Our Saviour 48 years ago we had a wonderful practice at Christmas when the children brought 'White Gifts' (specific items of infant clothing wrapped in white tissue paper) that were placed under the Christmas tree in church. When the tree was taken down in early January the gifts were gathered together and assembled into layettes that were requested by Lutheran World Relief for distribution to places around the world where these things were and are desperately needed. I would love to see Our Saviour continue with this. I remember my boys each bringing such a gift to church every Christmas way into adulthood. I think it is a good way to have children focus on the needs of other children, in this case infants, at a time when we focus on the birth of the baby Jesus. Following is a list of items called for in one layette: (Target and Toys R Us carry these items) 4 Cloth Diapers, not prefolded 2 Receiving Blankets 2 Wash Cloths 1 large Bar of Mild Soap 1 Sweater 2 Onesies 1 Gown 1 Sleeper I would recommend that the gown, the sleeper, and the onesies not be smaller than 9 months in size. Most of the items mentioned will be available for purchase at our Christmas Fair on December 1st.

5 NOVEMBER SUNDAY SERVANTS November 4 Greeters&Ushers: Hospitality: Eric Golberg & Chuck Cooper Bob Riekert Ken Gabrielsen Jeanne Spacek Alexandra Stephens Leon Johnson MaryBeth Soucy & Frya Barnes November 11 Greeters&Ushers: Lily & Rosie Evans Greg Evans Jeanne Spacek John Magerlein Liam Montgomery Hospitality: Abbie Voss & Greg Evans November 18 Greeters&Ushers: Dianne & Meagan Carroll Frya Barnes Evelyn Garrett Shoshana Nuwesra Hosp: & Brigitte Anderson-Crumb November 25 Greeters&Ushers: Alexandra Stephens & Lily Evans Rosie Evans John Magerlein Bob Riekert Daniel Crumb Hospitality: Lee Ann McCarthy & Evelyn Garrett DECEMBER SUNDAY SERVANTS December 2 Greeters&Ushers: John & Tom Magerlein Matilda Weekes-Johnson Alexandra Stephens Karen Magerlein Ken Gabrielsen Zoe Staats Hospitality: Karen Polacek & MaryBeth Soucy December 9 Greeter&Usher: Anita & David Baumann Lily Evans Greg Evans Chuck Cooper Leon Johnson Hosp: Abbie Voss & Faith/Sue Papertsian December 16 Greeters&Ushers: MaryBeth Soucy & Eric Golberg Lee Ann McCarthy Amy Gardiner Karen Magerlein Frya Barnes Liam Montgomery Hospitality: Sue Gabrielsen & Angie/Lee Nuwesra December 23 Greeters&Ushers: Frya Barnes & Chuck Cooper Greg Evans LeeAnn McCarthy Alexandra Stephens Shoshana Nuwesra Hospitality: Christmas Cookie Hour All Members December 30 Greeters&Ushers: Evelyn Garrett & Alexandra Stephens Eric Golberg John Magerlein Daniel Crumb Hospitality: Sue Montgomery & Lisa Stephens January 6 Greeters&Ushers: Dianne & Meagan Carroll Rosie Evans Anita Baumann Karen Magerlein Evelyn Garrett Zoe Staats Hospitality: TBD

6 NOVEMBER 2012 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY KEY: HB Happy Birthday HA Happy Anniversary (white) Service 9:30am HB Lisa Stephens HB Greg Befanis 11 Twenty-Fourth Pentecost (green) Service 10:30am Council Meeting 12noon Adult Bible Study 7:30pm 14 HB Pam Schwartz Twenty-Fifth Pentecost (green) Service 10:30am HB Sue Montgomery HB Pastor David Adult Bible Study 7:30pm HB LeeAnn McCarthy HB Nick Schwartz 21 HB Tom Carroll HB Susie Gardiner 24 HB Cliff Gabrielsen Adult Bible Study 7:30pm (white) Service 10:30am