November 2016 Monthly Newsletter

Transcription

1 November 2016 Monthly Newsletter From the Pastor s Desk Grace, mercy, and peace be with you all in the name of Jesus Christ! Another month come and gone. They seem to roll by ever so quickly. However, the other day I began to wonder: is time passing me by rapidly or am I rapidly passing my time? I had been considering this while in the car on my way to Grace one morning. And when I arrived and stepped out of my car, for a minute I just stopped. I looked off across the bean field and saw the trees in the distance starting to change color. I heard birds singing just loud enough to be heard over the hum of vehicles on the 61 bypass. I watched for a minute as the clouds made patterns on the ground as they move through the sky displacing some of the sun s light. A simple thought entered my head: amazing. It only took about sixty seconds but in those sixty seconds I was reminded of God s amazing creation and provision for it. The bean field was healthy, matured, and ready to be harvested. The birds were alive and well. The trees were full of leaves that were showing a brilliant array of color as they prepared for a winter s rest. The sun illumined the sight. And I was alive and able to witness the awe and wonder of all this. The only response I was capable of at that time was thank you, God. In reflecting on this experience, I am drawn to Psalm 104, which speaks to the glory of God in God s creation and recognizes that God provides for all of creation. 1 Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, you are very great. You are clothed with honor and majesty, 2 wrapped in light as with a garment. You stretch out the heavens like a tent, 3 you set the beams of your chambers on the waters, you make the clouds your chariot, you ride on the wings of the wind, 4 you make the winds your messengers, fire and flame your ministers. 5 You set the earth on its foundations, so that it shall never be shaken. 6 You cover it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. 7 At your rebuke they flee; at the sound of your thunder they take to flight. 8 They rose up to the mountains, ran down to the valleys to the place that you appointed for them. 9 You set a boundary that they may not pass, so that they might not again cover the earth. 10 You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills, 11 giving drink to every wild animal; the wild asses quench their thirst. 12 By the streams the birds of the air have their habitation; they sing among the branches. 13 From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work. 14 You cause the grass to grow for the cattle, and plants for people to use, to bring forth food from the earth, 15 and wine to gladden the human heart, oil to make the face shine, and bread to strengthen the human heart. 16 The trees of the LORD are watered abundantly, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. 17 In them the birds build their nests; the stork has its home in the fir trees. 18 The high mountains are for the wild goats; the rocks are a refuge for the coneys. 19 You have made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting. 1

2 20 You make darkness, and it is night, when all the animals of the forest come creeping out. 21 The young lions roar for their prey, seeking their food from God. 22 When the sun rises, they withdraw and lie down in their dens. 23 People go out to their work and to their labor until the evening. 24 O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. 25 Yonder is the sea, great and wide, creeping things innumerable are there, living things both small and great. 26 There go the ships, and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it. 27 These all look to you to give them their food in due season; 28 when you give to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. 29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. 30 When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground. 31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works 32 who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke. 33 I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. 34 May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the LORD. 35 Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless the LORD, O my soul. Praise the LORD! As we move into this coming month, when we celebrate Thanksgiving, we are reminded of the vastness of God s creation. God sends forth God s spirit and we, along with all creation, receive life and we are renewed. We are reminded that God provides what is sufficient for life. God provides for creation and God provides for us. God gives us life freely. God gives us tender care and compassion. God gives us a marvelous planet to call our home. God gives us color and bountiful harvest. And most of all God gives us God s self in Jesus Christ; never-failing, unending love for you and for all people. And so we pause, and we remember our amazing Creator. We pause, and we recognize our Provider. We pause, and we give thanks to God. We give thanks to God for creation. We give thanks to God for what God has provided for us. We give thanks to God for life. And together we say, Bless the Lord, O my soul! God s peace be with you all, Pastor Dan Home Bound Ministry by Karen Hessel We have started a new ministry here at Grace. We have church members who are not able to attend Church services. In order to let them know that they are still a part of our Grace family volunteers will begin to call on them on a regular basis. I encourage people to take a look at participating in this worthwhile ministry all you need is an hour a month. Currently we have enough volunteers to visit our members but if this is a ministry that you would be interested in participating in or want more information please contact Karen Hessel, Congregational Life News By Cindy Hermann Celebration Luncheon Sunday, November 20 th. Watch for more details in the P.S. Grace Notes. 2

3 Grace Women News by Mary Hovick & Karen Hessel Grace Women News by Mary Hovick & Karen Hessel Date CHANGE November 1, 2016 An Invitation All women of Grace are invited to join us on Tuesday November 1st at 9:30 a.m. We will meet at Church in the lounge and continue with our Bible study series. This month our lesson and discussion is titled Paul and the power of failure. The sessions focus is When God Chooses the unlikely. Please join us in this time of fellowship and sharing. People share as they are comfortable in doing so. You are invited to just come and listen or join in the discussion. All are welcome! This month will also focus on our Thank Offering. Thankoffer ings ar e gifts fr om individuals in gratitude for blessings both large and small. Some of you may remember your mother having a box that she kept and put money in for the year. This tradition started 200 years ago. Women formed societies to raise money for church projects. Boxes were given out to collect pennies. Today Lutherans raise over one million dollars a year to help support many Lutheran programs. We take this time to count our blessings! As you prepare for our meeting, think back over the year and your blessings. What blessings have come to you this year and what blessings can you pass on through your Thankoffering? NO BOARD MEETING THIS MONTH Grace Quilters Ministry The Grace Quilters are most appreciative of the generous donations given on Quilt Dedication Sunday to help cover expenses for batting, thread, shipping, and other items needed to continue this ministry for the coming year. Thank you so much for your support. Grace Quilters are Sue Bengtson, Mary Chalupa, Janet Duncan, Deb Holliday, Mary Hovick, and Beth Lemkau. Worship Leadership Volunteers Pastor Dan and the Worship and Music Board are still looking for volunteers to share their gifts with the congregation in our worship together. We are looking for people with musical talent who would be willing to serve on a Worship Team to help lead our song at the Abundant Life Service (8:15) and for people who would be willing to lead portions of the worship service, either sung or spoken, at the Amazing Grace Service (10:45) by serving in the role of Assisting Minister. If you are interested in sharing in this ministry, please contact Pastor Dan or Ramona Allenbaugh. If you know someone who has the gifts to serve in any of these capacities, we ask you to encourage them to share their gifts with the congregation. Thank you for the ways you already participate in worship and thank you for considering these opportunities! 3

4 GLC Ministry of Literacy by Karen Hessel Exciting things continue to happen in our Literacy program. We are up to 13 students and have started a waiting list. There was a need for assistance at our neighboring school St. Mary and St. Mathis. Currently we have four first and second grade students from there with the rest from McKinley. This month we are working on organizing thoughts and ideas with the students writing their own books. In spelling we are playing some new spelling games to help them practice their words. One first grade teacher reported that after Thursday s session her student s showed great improvement. In the reading center the students become fluent by reading their short book three times. This helps them understand and recognize the words. Another blessing for our program is receiving a $3,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Greater Muscatine. This money helps guarantee that along with our other money our program has funding for the coming year. We will need to continue to do fund raisers and seeking additional funding if we want to continue but we were very pleased that our program was recognized with this grant. The program has been blessed with many people willing to help. There is always a need for volunteers to help with the reading and treats. The signup sheet for treats is on the bulletin board across from the literacy office. The treats can be homemade or store bought and for one or both sessions in a week. A half gallon of drink, milk or juice is enough for one session and then treats for 13 students. Additional information for treats is on the signup sheet in the hallway, or contact Karen Hessel, If you would like to volunteer to help with the reading program please contact Debbie Holiday at Thank you. Loaves & Fishes Meal by Carlin & Vicki Lawhead On Saturday, October 22nd, GLC took it s turn in serving the Loaves and Fishes noon meal at the Muscatine Center For Strategic Action (MCSA). Around 65 hungry people were fed meatloaf, green beans, scalloped potatoes, bread, cookies, and milk. Volunteer workers included: Mike West, Ron Hage, Mary Hovick, Karen Hessel, Kim Thompson, Mike and Ramona Allenbaugh, Iris Hahn, and Joyce Sedlacek. Those who helped out with donations of cookies and bars included Deb Holliday, LeAnn Logel, Karen Hessel, and Beth Lemkau. Thanks so much to all who donated their time, made monetary contributions, and/or baked to help out. Carlin and Vicki Lawhead REMEMBER...turn your clocks back one hour this Sunday, November 6th, and enjoy that extra hour of sleep. 4

5 Grace Lutheran Church Council Actions and Highlights Council Meeting Due to the change of the Church Council Meetings to the 4 th Thursday of each month, the Council Actions and Highlights from the October 27th Council Meeting was not available for the November Grace Notes Newsletter. The GLC Council Actions and Highlights will be available the first Sunday, November 6th, in the document racks located in the Church Foyer and also on the Church Website. Thank you. November 2016 LSI Bulletin/Newsletter Article and Story National Adoption Month November is National Adoption Month, and LSI is a proud partner of Iowa KidsNet, the statewide collaboration of agencies that helps Iowans become foster or adoptive parents for children in Iowa s foster care system. Nationally, there are over 101,000 youth waiting to be adopted from foster care, and thousands of teens age out of foster care every year without a permanent family. We know there are no unwanted children, only unfound families! To learn how you or someone you know can make a difference, visit Our Mission: Lutheran Services in Iowa responds to the love of Jesus Christ through compassionate service. LSI is an affiliated social ministry partner of the Iowa congregations of the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) and a member of LSA (Lutheran Services in America). We proudly serve people of all ages, abilities, religions, sexes, gender identities, national origins, ethnicities, races, and sexual orientations. Learn more at and Taking Baby Steps When his little sister was born, things started to change for Jaimee. His mom, Jaymee, noticed he began to act out more, and she was afraid he felt neglected while everyone focused on the new baby. He struggled to stay focused in school, he never wanted to get out of bed in the morning, and he often became frustrated. But after working with LSI s Behavioral Health Intervention Services, six-year-old Jaimee is creating a stronger, loving bond with his siblings and his mom. Jaimee began meeting with his BHIS worker, Jose. When the duo first met, Jaimee was quiet and reserved, and he would get frustrated with the new games Jose brought to play with him. Jaimee, his mom, and Jose now play games every week as a way to teach Jaimee to stay focused for longer periods of time. But Jaimee is learning how to use more than games to make each day better. Jose is teaching Jaimee new songs to help him stay calm in stressful situations. When it s time to get up every morning, he sings a song to help him wake up and start the day. Now he has songs he can use to get him through the day, Jose says. He s a charming boy to work with. He s a hard worker, and he s come a long way. When he s not spending time watching his favorite movies, Jaimee has started playing more sports at home with his cousins. He especially loves to wrestle any time he can. It s all about the baby steps, Jose says. What might be a really small thing for him can be a really huge change. Thanks to our generous donors, LSI can continue to keep Jaimee moving forward. 5

6 HOPES Christmas Party by Karen Hessel Does it seem early to have a Christmas tree up in the church? Well we are getting ready for a very special party! Grace is helping to host the annual Christmas party for Lutheran Services in Iowa and their HOPES program. We will be working with Zion Lutheran to provide a meal and a toy to the participants in the program. The party is on December 5 th. You can help. The HOPES tree will be out starting Sunday November 6th. Take a name tag from the Christmas tree and buy an age appropriate, developmental toy in the $10-15 dollar range. Right now is a good time to buy as all of the stores have a good selection. I know that many of you want to be generous and spend more on a gift. The problem is, some families have several children in the program, when one receives a more expensive gift and one has a gift in the price range it can cause hurt feelings. Because of the discrepancy in gifts LSI no longer has Santa give the gifts to the children to unwrap during the party. If you want to spend more it would be nice to pick an extra name. LSI is suggesting board games and books as a way to include parent and child in an activity together. Return the unwrapped present with the name tag attached to the Church by November 26th. The presents need to be to Lutheran Social Services by November 29th. A cash donation can also be made. Put the money in the envelope provided and put it the basket on Sunday or in the church office during business hours. We appreciate all the help you can give us in this most rewarding outreach. Any questions contact Karen Hessel, GLY Group Who: Middle School and High School aged youth Where: Grace Lutheran Church, in the YOT When: Every Sunday afternoon from 3:30-5:00 What: We will gather together to have some fun, friendship, and time to explore our faith together! Join Pastor Dan and Traci Lippelgoes for some games, fun activities, and good conversation! It is our hope that GLY Group will provide a safe space for us to develop relationships with one another, to practice what it means to be in Christian community with one another, to ask questions about our faith, and to support one another in our faith journeys. We want you to have the opportunity to shape your experience, so we welcome your feedback and input on what we could do together as a group. Also, you are welcome to invite friends to come along. We don t expect you to come all the time or for the full time each week, but we encourage you to come whenever you can as long as you can. We invite you to come check it out and hope to see you soon! 6

7 Reflect, Pray, Continue in Love I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God what is good and acceptable and perfect. ~ Romans Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Romans, exhorts his fellow followers of Christ to offer themselves to God and to not conform to culture or society, but to live life out of the love that God has shown us in Jesus Christ.. Being transformed, being forgiven, chosen, and made new, we are to be faithful stewards, caretakers, of our whole lives by loving God and all people. We can do this by the mercies of God. Together we give thanks to God for what God has done and what God is doing in our lives and in the world. God has blessed all of us in many and various ways: with time, talents, skills and abilities, our bodies, intellect, and compassion; with family, friends, and other social support; with health, finances, and freedom. Since we do not receive all these gifts in equal proportions, we need each other so that the stewardship of ourselves, our time, our gifts, and our love of others can be more complete. During the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, we will spend time together discerning how we are to steward our lives. Our stewardship includes all of these blessings and gifts. God already has been at work in our lives and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit we have already been stewarding the many blessings that God has given us. Starting on November 6 th, we will begin to reflect on the love of God and the ways that we are already faithful stewards. We will then be invited to use our reflections as a basis for prayer. Our prayer, just as our reflection, is centered in love. In our prayer we can give thanks to God for the love and gifts that God has shared with us. We can pray with thankfulness for the ways God has guided our work as stewards. We also pray for God s guidance in how we can be better caretakers of what God has given us. Through our reflection and prayer, we will then discern how we can continue to live out the love of God in our lives, in new ways and through current practice. At this time of new beginnings in our life together as a congregation, it is important for us to remember God s work, give thanks to God, ask for God s guidance as we journey forward. As a way to acknowledge our time of discernment, we will come together on Sunday, November 20 th and have a celebration luncheon. Be on the lookout for more information about our time to reflect, pray, and continue in love together. God s blessings be with you! 7

8 Walking Together As a way to accompany congregations that are in the midst of transition, particularly in situations where congregations have recently called a new pastor, the Southeastern Iowa Synod partners with those congregations in a process called Walking Together. The purpose of this process is to provide both the pastor and the congregation support amidst all the transitions that come with the start of a new call. This process is meant to be a framework for the congregation and the newly called pastor to develop healthy relationships and communication as well as providing continued support from the synod to the congregation after the call process has ended. Walking Together begins by forming a committee consisting of the pastor congregation s president, the chair of the call committee, and a couple other members from the congregation at large. For the first 18 months of a new call, the synod will send a representative to meet with the Walking Together Committee at the 3 month, 6 month, 12 month, and 18 month marks at the start of a new call. The purpose of the meetings is to develop open and honest conversation about how things are going: what does the congregation expect, what does the pastor expect, how are things now, are there concerns from the congregation or pastor whether personal or professional, ect. These intentional times of conversation allow for mutual accountability and mutual support between the pastor and the congregation. Since October marked the 3rd month of Pastor Dan s call here at Grace, the Walking Together Committee was formed. Serving on the committee are Sue Bengtson, Don Ager, Brenda Erber, John Simmons, and Pastor Dan. The committee met for the first time on October 6 with Pastor Erika Uthe, Assistant to the Bishop for the Southeastern Iowa Synod. The conversation was all-around positive and there was time for all people to share their thoughts. There was a lot of ground covered. As you can imagine, there are a lot of transitions for both the congregation and for Pastor Dan at the current time: learning names and context, getting used to how Pastor functions, trying to balance work with rest and family, a new leadership style in worship and meetings, and all while Pastor Dan continues to learn how to live into this new identity as a pastor and works through the series of transitions that have occurred in his life recently (graduation from seminary, his ordination, his wife s ordination, buy a house, moving, and starting a new call all in three months time). The meeting went well and was a benefit to all those who were present. At the meeting it was decided for there to be an article in the newsletter from time to time to communicate to the rest of the congregation about the process and how things are going. The committee also felt it important for the congregation to know that this committee will can serve as a way to strengthen the relationship between Pastor Dan and the congregation as a whole. The committee will be meeting on a semi-regular basis, including some times that are not at the month markers listed above. There is also the possibility for this committee to continue to function after the 18 month mark, which is encouraged. So look for updates from the Walking Together committee from time to time. In the meantime, your prayers for this committee and its important ministry are appreciated. 8

9 Anniversaries and Birthdays Please save the next page to use for your prayer list. Pray for each person on their birthday and anniversary. By the end of the year, you would have prayed for everyone in the congregation. If we have missed a birthday or anniversary or if corrections need to be made, please call the church office at Thank you. November Anniversaries Rich & Cindy Alexander Don & Lynn Kelly Wade & Varinia Bruns Randy & Cindy Hermann November Birthdays Ann Clemens Jodi Maxson Grace Zorich Judy Schaapveld Kara Paul Jennifer Figg Milo Paulsen Margaret Stych Dennis Lange Anna Gaunt Cindy Manriquez Clayton Goddard Paris White Carol Steinmetz Mark Krieger Ashley Hogenson Susan McConnaha REMINDER Please remember to provide the office with any name, address, changes, or other pertinent information, so that we have correct information in our Shepherds Staff member file system and system. Call the office at or us at with changes. Thank you. 9