September 2015 GOOD NEWS FROM LUTHER MEMORIAL

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1 September 2015 PASTOR S CORNER Last spring, a small group of concerned community members invited leaders of the community to come together to talk about the issue of poverty that is prevalent in the Delavan area. I joined this conversation. We quickly decided that we didn t just want to talk about it but to really try to do something about it. Thus, the Delavan-Darien Community Alliance was born. We have worked on a strategy plan through the summer. Below you will find the mission, vision, and guiding principles of the work so far. I will share and talk more about this as this begins rolling out to the community. Mission: Confronting poverty to improve lives in the Delavan-Darien Community through education, advocacy, empowerment and action. Vision: Delavan-Darien will be a community where every person has the opportunity to achieve his/her fullest potential and participate in and contribute to all aspects of life. Guiding Principles Education Raise awareness about the reality of poverty in our community. Identify and educate the community about available resources and service providers. Advocacy Change the stigma and the face of poverty in our community so that all individuals are treated with dignity and respect. Encourage change in policies and practices that effect people in poverty. Empowerment Provide people with the tools necessary to advocate for themselves and achieve economic self reliance. Connect individuals with opportunities to engage in volunteerism, stewardship, and service. Action Exact changes in policies and practices that create barriers for individuals and families moving toward economic self reliance. Identify gaps in existing resources and services and build collaboration among community partners to address challenges. This Fall at Luther Memorial... September 6th - Who s In Your Network? September 13th - Who s Seeking Whom? September 20th - Who Got Served? September 27th - Who s Walking In Through the Out Door? Starting Sunday, October 4th we begin a new worship series called Making Sense of Scripture. These eight weeks are based on the book by the same title by David Lose, who holds the Marbury E. Anderson Chair in Biblical Preaching at Luther Seminary in Saint Paul. How we read the Bible is extremely important, and this is not new news. For many centuries, Lutherans have read the Scriptures through a particular lens, and we ll discover that together as we worship over the coming weeks. We all know we should read the Bible, and maybe even have tried, but somehow we don t find ourselves pulled into its pages the way we have been by other books. We hope this sermon series and accompanying small group materials will change that. During the next eight weeks we re going to invite you to purchase the book and read it, and then get together in a small group to discuss it. The book is available as a paperback and on Kindle. It will be available for purchase through the church for $ Online sign-up with dates and times of group choices will be available by the end of this week, or sign-up on the bulletin board.

2 Page 2 Our new year begins with Rally Day on September 20th. All children age 3 through 6th grades are welcome and encouraged to come. See the flyer in bulletins for registration and volunteer openings. Any questions please see Jane Olinger or Carol Mueller. See you there! The Team Needs You! Our Team needs a few good people to join us in hosting the Coffee Fellowships after each church service. Please prayerfully consider becoming a part of this wonderful service for Luther Memorial. Also.... The Team will be meeting on Sunday, September 13 th after The Journey service in the conference room. We ll be signing up for Sundays during the months of September through January. If you can t make the meeting, please call or Kathie with dates that you have available to serve and/or specific Sundays during those months that you d prefer. We ll only sign you up for two of them at the most. Bring your calendars! See you the 13 th! Thursday morning bible study is open to all who are interested, and will begin on September 24 at 10 AM in the church conference room. Starting in October we will be reading and discussing Making Sense of Scripture by David Lose. In Making Sense of Scripture, David Lose invites the reader to engage in a conversation, one that he imagines discussing around his kitchen table, about seven major questions of the Bible. More than a standard biblical reference book, Making Sense of Scripture is a dialogue that encourages readers to bring their questions or doubts to the table when reading Scripture. During this conversation, there are different opportunities for the reader to interact with the Bible, ultimately leaving room for personal transformation of the heart and mind. The book is available as a paperback and on Kindle. It will be available for purchase through the church for $ Please contact Chris Groth at or caba@charter.net if you would like to join us! Luther Memorial Choir starts on Wednesday, September 9 at 6:45 PM. Everyone who loves to sing is welcome in the choir! No previous experience is necessary. We will sing music from a variety of time periods, countries and styles from chant to gospel. We ll pray together, sing, have fun, and sing some more. We practice Wednesdays during the school year and sing mostly at the 8:30 AM service one to two times a month. If you are only able to commit to a couple months or a season, that s okay we really want you to join us! Please contact Chris Groth at or caba@charter.net to let me know you re joining us or if you have any questions. Aram Public Library - Delavan sends a special thank you to all who volunteered the day of the book sale August 8th. They are grateful to have had volunteers from Luther Memorial to help bring boxes of books up from and back to the basement before and after the sale. It was a great success!!

3 Page 3 On Sunday, Sept. 13th Luther Memorial will be participating from 1-4pm and working together with Sugar Creek Lutheran Church at the following locations: Vintage on the Ponds, Lutherdale Bible Camp, Twin Oaks, Open Arms Clinic, and Blessing of the Backpacks Fundraiser at 11 am (see details below) Please sign-up on the bulletin board to help serve at one of these locations Luther Memorial is joining other local congregations to offer an important program for our school families at Turtle Creek Elementary. This program is called, Blessings in a Backpack. Blessing in a Backpack is basically a small bag of non-perishable food that is discreetly distributed each Friday afternoon to elementary school children whose families qualify for the Federal Free and Reduced Price Meal program so that they and their families have some food for the weekend. Better test scores, improved reading skills, positive behavior, improved health and increased attendance have all been attributed to the success of programs similar to what we are offering. Local churches are working together to offer a Blessings in a Backpack program for students at Turtle Creek Elementary School Blessings in a Backpack will be focusing initial efforts on approximately 80 students in preschool through grade 2. (Additional students in upper elementary grades will be added if additional funding is secured.) To help raise funds, the volunteering churches are holding a car wash and bratwurst, hot dog, and bake sale at Luther Memorial Church from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 13. All proceeds will go to the Blessings in a Backpack program and benefit the Turtle Creek Elementary students. Confirmation There will be a confirmation information/ organizational meeting on Wed., Sept. 16th at 6:30 p.m. This is for parents and students returning as well as new students and parents coming into the program. If there is anyone interested in their student participating who is in middle school or early high school, please contact Pastor Elisa and plan to come to the meeting. September Confirmation Schedule 16 Organizational Meeting 23 Learning Event 30 Learning Event

4 Page 4 Celebrating A Birthday This Month! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO: 9/02 Robert Radford 9/03 Bob VanderZee 9/04 Carla Dearth 9/06 Emily Wheeler 9/07 Jessica Rogers 9/08 Misty Rogers 9/09 Rylie Emmerich 9/11 Mary McWherter 9/12 Carol Ancevic 9/12 Rebecca Lepkowski 9/12 Kayla Brown 9/12 Stephanie Anderson 9/15 Joyce Deichsel 9/17 Diane Sherin 9/18 Tim Mumm 9/18 Chad Hetzel 9/18 Jameson Davis 9/19 Lacey Carlson 9/21 Virginia Hammerl 9/21 Sue Davis 9/21 Ted Rupnik 9/22 Lukas Janaky 9/23 Margaret Peterson 9/23 Dennis Albrecht 9/23 Kathleen Finch 9/23 Susan Bergstrom 9/23 Lori Hintz 9/23 Michelle Hetzel 9/23 Cheri Trussler 9/25 Eric Lom 9/26 Alexis Yambor 9/28 Cindy Schenk 9/28 Steve Anderson 9/29 Brian Wheeler 9/30 Lisa Schmelz 9/30 Makayla Graham 9/30 Isabella Tranter HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO: 9/04 Scott & Lorri Emmerich 9/07 Paul & Sandra Moyer 9/07 Steve & Sheryl Anderson 9/08 Bill & Cathleen Borskie 9/09 Sarah & Kevin Finch 9/15 Andy & Chris Groth 9/20 Scott & Mona Miller 9/26 Eric & Samantha Lom 9/29 Gene & Jenean Shreves PLEASE REMEMBER IN YOUR PRAYERS: Our members: Paul & Sandy Moyer, Bill & Evelyn Klein, Suzanne Stoneburner, Jamie Finch, Dorothy Radford, Dennis Bergstrom, Ruth Rosenquist, Dorothy Fladten Others in our prayers: Suella Edler, Bob Gunderson, Juliet Larson, Ruth Gronke, Susan Laird, All our Military, Sandy Gold, Jan Sonnentag, Dorothy Kozeluh, Kristin Welsh, Ben Rupnik (father of Ted Rupnik), George (Tim Mumm s father), Aliyah Edler (niece of Jeff & Callie Davis), Robin Helms, Deb Bernstorff (sister of Cindy Schenk), Gail Groth, Nelsine Christensen (Chris Groth s mom), Cindy Rapp, McCarthy Family, Mai & Bob Horn (Carol Mueller s parents), Kevin Finch, Ray Fleming, Ashley, Betty Plapp (mother of Larry Plapp), Jason Stone, Misty Mitchell, Paul Lockwood, MaryAnn Trussler, Maureen Foley (Dee Fisher s neice), Kelly Armstrong, Vicki, Barb, Irene Goodman, Shelby, Stephanie Spencer, Steve Spencer (Kathy Vierck s son-in-law), Sam M., Bonnie Rice, Mary Spangler, Wasik Family, Tim Dobbins, Sonny, The Cain Family, Latif Hadzabulic, Xander Romanelli, Tom Mabry (Carrie Reeve s father)

5 Page 5 July & August 2015 Gerry Petersen for being our Supply Pastor and Pastor Inglett and Pastor Otto for being Emergency On-Call Pastors. Dave Mueller for assisting Jeff Horne during his transition to Treasurer Ross Fisher, Ginny Andersen, and Marilyn Carlson for their willingness to serve on Council Mike Moyer for the yardwork he completed Chris Groth for attending the Worship Jubilee of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America: Biennial Conference of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians Alonzo Ortiz for being the church accompanist and playing for the congregation before the service Jane Olinger who designed and decorated our 4 th of July float, and for all who organized, helped, and participated in the parade Back Row who put on the concert in Phoenix park Dee Fisher, Chris Groth, and Lorri Emmerich for helping put together Blessing of the Animals service Irina Ertl, Carrie Reeves for organizing Vacation Bible School. Jane Olinger and Dave Mueller for setting up the church for VBS all who helped with VBS, or made a donation to the program, and all of the great children who participated all of the musicians who worked hard to make the blended service and bring us a song from Detroit, Rise Up Together Inreach committee who put together a glorious picnic Donn Fisher for donating the corn and Russell Grover (Delores s son) who donated the beef Dave Mueller and Jeff Horne in all of their work making the position of Treasurer transition smoothly Mindi and Irina in leading the Life on Purpose Cross Training Bible Study Jim Davis for the extra work he has been doing on the house, especially the dry walling, and for donating materials the youth who shared their experiences from the National Youth Gathering with the congregation Carrie Reeves and Pastor Elisa for chaperoning during the National Youth Gathering 8 reasons to bring your child to Sunday School Sunday Sept. 20th! While sleeping late can be nice, have you considered the benefits of Sunday School attendance for your child. Here are 8 reasons to make it a priority in your family. 1. Age Targeted Teaching: Where else can your kids get Biblical instruction that's focused toward their developmental abilities? 2. Friends: In Sunday School, your child will build positive friendships with their peers by discovering God's Word together. 3. It s Fun: Sunday School is not Disney Land, but our teachers do work hard to teach the Bible in ways that are relevant and fun for kids. 4. Spiritual Mentors: A dedicated teacher can be a Christian role model who supports you and helps inspire the faith of your child. 5. Systematic Bible Learning: Our curriculum is designed to give a broad foundation, so children will understand how all the parts of Scripture point to Christ. 6. Praying Teachers: Our teachers consistently pray for your child's faith to grow. Coming to Sunday School gives another occasion for God to answer those requests. 7. Big Reward For a Small Investment: If you're already coming to church, just come a little earlier. That one change will equal over 225 hours of additional Christian teaching before your child graduates. 8. Send the Right Message: Making Sunday School a priority shows your kids that God's Word really does matter more than pillow-time.

6 Page 6 Worship Helpers for the Month of September September 6 8:30 am 10:30 am Opener Lector/Journey Guide Bob Dahl Krista Schwent Sandy Vander Zee Communion Steve and Marilyn Carlson Hank and Lisa Schmelz Greeter Craig and Teresa Davis Jane Olinger and Isabelle Garreau Closer Usher Dave and Wallie Leitzke Matt Huebner Nursery Julie Lodahl/Jennifer Arizola Acolyte/Tech Bruce Knutson Altar Guild Diane Sherin September 13 8:30 am 10:30 am Opener Lector/Journey Guide Sandy Vander Zee Donn Fisher Sarah Yakes Communion Linda Cook Ginny Andersen and David Reinhart Greeter Emmerich Family Seitz Family Closer Usher Larry and Kathie Plapp Hank Schmelz Nursery Julie Lodahl/Jennifer Arizola Acolyte/Tech Rylie Emmerich Dee Fisher Altar Guild Dee Fisher September 20 8:30 am 10:30 am Opener Lector/Journey Guide Marilyn Carlson Mindi Huebner Marilyn Carlson Communion Milt and Carol Ancevic Bruce Knutson and Denise Robinette Greeter Paul and Sandi Moyer George and Sandi Ballman Closer Usher Bill and Cindy Schenk Ross Fisher Nursery Julie Lodahl/Jennifer Arizola Acolyte/Tech Larry Plapp Altar Guild September 27 8:30 am 10:30 am Opener Lector/Journey Guide Linda Cook David Reinhart Scott Emmerich Communion Millie Veto Dave and Carol Mueller Greeter Horne Family Reeves Family Closer Usher Bob and Deedee Murray Matt Huebner Nursery Julie Lodahl/Jennifer Arizola Acolyte/Tech Dee Fisher Altar Guild Diane Sherin