Affirmation of Baptism Confirmation

Transcription

1 The Messenger May 2017 St. Matthew Lutheran Ithaca, OH Affirmation of Baptism Confirmation On Sunday, May 7, four of our youth (our largest class since 1991) will be received into our confirmed membership by affirming their baptismal faith in the Rite of Confirmation, and become our newest, active, voting members. They have completed a confirmation program which began as a joint program with Gordon youth, meeting 3 times for full-day camps learning about all the things that are common between the churches. Then, at the beginning of the year, both churches split off so the youth from each church could focus on what it is to be a Lutheran or Methodist. Please congratulate them on this important step in their life, and pray that God will continue to bless and keep them as they continue to grow in their faith. Here s what the kids would like you to know about them: Kerigan I am a 7th grader at Northmont Middle School. I enjoy being a Girl Scout and taking Dance classes. I love hanging out with my friends and family. I am so happy we choose St. Matthew to be our church. Karr- I am an 8th grader at Arcanum middle school. My favorite subject is band, I love playing the french horn. I was in the middle school drama club's production of The Magic Lamp of Aladdin and plan to participate in the high school drama club as well. In high school I plan to be on the swim team and I have run for class president for my freshman year. When I grow up I plan to be a pilot and get a college degree. This year and in past years I have enjoyed volunteering at the GRCC food pantry. Josie I am currently an 8th grader at Arcanum Butler Middle School. I enjoy playing Volleyball and Softball. I am in Drama Club, Band, Spirit Club and I help with the physically challenged elementary class after school. During school my favorite class is Language arts because I enjoy reading and writing. When I m not in school I like to hang out with my friends. After High School I plan to attend college to major in animal rehabilitation. Alysson I am a 7th grader at Northmont Middle School. I was baptized by my Great Grandpa Hilbert at St. Matthews Lutheran Church when I was a baby and I m excited to be Confirmed with my church family. I play basketball, softball, and oboe. I am also on the school newspaper. I love music and am hoping to learn to play the guitar soon. I love spending time with my family and with my pets.

2 Congratulations, Graduates Class of 2017! We would like to publish a list of all graduates in the next Newsletter, whether it be high school, vocational school, technical school, college, or otherwise. Please contact Shannon at or skmccullough@earthlink.net with your name, graduation date, school you are graduating from and a hint of what you plan for your future! We would also like to include a picture, if you d like!! Entries are needed by May 22!! Work Day!! On Saturday, June 3, we invite you to put on your work gloves and meet us at the church for a work day. We will begin at 8 a.m. and work at activities to beautify the church grounds. St. Matthew is excited to support our youth at Lutheran Outdoor Ministry Camp! Online Registration is available NOW!! We are supporting our members with camp fees (up to $560 per child) Visit for more info!! Please let Jane Brown know if you are interested! We will once again have a fellowship event at a Dayton Dragons game this year!! July 19 Tickets are $12 per person and seating in in section 115. Tickets will be arriving soon, please let Pastor Chris know you are interested!! Outdoor Picnic Mark your calendar!! Our joint outdoor worship will be on June 11 this year! We will begin worship at 10 a.m. at Ivester Park in Arcanum. Bring a dish to share and a lawn chair to get comfortable on! Tommy Renfro will be our worship guest entertaining us with a mixture of Traditional and Contemporary music!! 2

3 From the Pastor Over the last few weeks, the church has been meeting, discussing, and considering the idea of opening our 2-church partnership up to another church, Grace UMC. I have found this conversation at times to be both refreshing and utterly mind boggling. Growing up in Darke County, I have always enjoyed the traditional family lifestyle and all that comes with it. I feel as though the family is the backbone of our country and our culture and that strong family values are vital for our sustainable future. You see, families love each other in spite of our mistakes, shortcomings, and failures, and there is always room at the table for Uncle Joe whether he decides to show up this year or not. I grew up knowing that no matter how much my brother messed up, or how much he got underneath my skin, he was always going to be my brother and I was always going to love him. When you can t depend on anybody else, you can always depend on family. Having said that, the current trends have seen an increase in the fracture of the family institution and sadly to say, it has been led by the American Church. The church today has allowed all of the sins that we stand against: selfishness, pride, greed, and complacency, to take control and cast a huge shadow over the way we treat our fellow believers or unbelievers for that matter. In church, we often refer to fellow Christians as brothers and sisters, because this is how Christ refers to us, but in actuality, we very rarely live it out. As I write this, I am not sure if the partnership with Grace has been voted for or against, but what I do know is that it is time for the American church to start acting like a family again, setting an example that will have resounding effects through our congregations, communities, and country. To do this, we must put down denominational lines, we must stop building secret cases and bringing hidden personal agendas into the life of the church, and we must truly allow Christ and nothing else to be the head of the church. As we continue to follow His lead, may we all be energized and filled with a passion that drives us to truly be the church God intends for us to be. Galatians 6:10 - Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Serving Christ, Pastor Travis 3

4 Our Monthly meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 10 at 7 p.m. at the home of Earlene Morris with Sherry Marten as host. Our bible study is titled Reclaiming the L word. If you need bible study material, please contact Jane Brown. During the months of April through June, we collect bath size bars of soap for Lutheran World Relief. Monetary donations can be given to: Sherry, Anita, Jane, Rhonda or Mary Lou. We will also begin our collection of monetary gifts for Wernle Home between Mother s Day and Father s Day. Please look for the Wernle house to make your donation. Men s Brotherhood meetings continue to be the 3rd Saturday of the month. We meet at Huston s Restaurant in Arcanum at 9 a.m. All men are welcome to join us. ONE Ministry Castine Food Bank item of the month: SUGAR Attention youth (6th through 12th grade)! Hey Church! It s been awesome to see the young men and women of this youth group grow. We have had a lot of fun getting to know each other and I have had a great time hanging out and growing with them. It s almost summertime and that means the youth group will be taking a break. We will start meeting regularly again in the fall. We are going to be doing some fun stuff for our last few weeks before summer break. I want to encourage you to come out and join us of you haven t had the chance. I hope to see you there. May 7 th youth 6:30-8:00 May 14 th youth 6:30-8:00 May 21 st (last meeting before summer break) youth 6:30-8:00 4

5 Full size copies of these flyers can be found on the bulletin board in the narthex. 5

6 May Birthdays 4th Janet Ehlers Joel Kress 9th Faye Harman 11th Liam Qualls 12th Carol Castello 30th Sue Mills May Anniversaries 5th Mike & Charlotte Delong 9th Jesse & Ashley Teal 15th Dave & Barb Shoemaker 31st Duane & Janet Ehlers In our Prayers Samie Swank Jacob Studebaker Linda Thacker Betty Baker Joann Welbaum Donna Miller Tommy Renfro Duane Fisher Gloria Scheiding Joel Kress Don Schneider Jane Brown Carrie Steele Anita Schneider Judy Molitor Erica Zimmer Ryan Burkett Aiden Snider Mike Bruner Sandy Thompson Anna Stump Ralph Stutz Judy Molitor The Kossler family Prayers of sympathy and healing for the families of: James Alltop Owen Wiley Scott Fleischauer Charles Fitzpatrick Barb Lawson Neff To reach us for the prayer chain, please call Rhonda Kress at or Thank you so much for the prayer blanket! There have been many prayers answered during my recovery. It s been way more than I dreamed, and am grateful for having the Lord by my side. God bless you all Erin Fout Thank you for the cards, s, and phone calls. Phyllis Fisher (and Leon) Copyright 2015 HarperCollins Christian Publishing. 6

7 May 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 7 pm Council Meeting 2 3 5:30 pm Confirmation Easter Communion Confirmation 6:30-8 Youth at GUMC Lector: Confirmands Acolyte: Hailey Pahl Bread: Confirmands 14 5 Easter 6:30-8 Youth at GUMC pm WELCA Meeting P A S T O R T R A V I S O N V A C A T I O N MONDAY MAY 8 T H R O U G H FRIDAY M A Y a.m. Men s Brotherhood at Huston s Lector: Anita Schneider Acolyte: Alysson Pahl 21 6 Easter 6:30-8 Youth at GUMC Lector: Rhonda Kress Acolyte: Carter Qualls 22 Newsletter entries due Easter Lector: Sherry Marten Acolyte: Anna Stump May Greeters: Duane & Janet Ehlers

8 Church Address 6825 St. Route 722 Ithaca, OH Pastor: Travis Qualls Phone: Office Address: 7820 State Route 722, Arcanum Office Phone/Fax: Director of Family Life: Jesse Teal Phone: Associate Pastor: Christopher Stump Phone: Wheelchair accessible + Elevator on premises + Holy Communion celebrated - 1st Sunday of every month- major church festivals We re on the web!! Facebook: St. Matthew Sunday Worship services: 9 am Traditional worship 10 am Coffee Break (food & fellowship) 10:30 am Sunday School for all ages St. Matthew Lutheran Church Ithaca 7820 State Route 722 Arcanum, Ohio Dated Material 8