Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

Transcription

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. (Revelation 21:1) The first recorded Watch Night service, which is just another name for a church service on New Year s Eve, was held by Moravians in Germany in From there, the practice spread and grew. But the practice is nowhere more beloved than among African Americans, who remember the long, long wait for New Year s Eve They were longing for the new year harder than anyone had ever longed for it before, hoping for confirmation that on January 1, 1863, the promised enactment of the Emancipation Proclamation had taken place. [If] you d heard that you were going to be set free. If you had gotten word that whatever it is that holds you in chains addiction, fear, your past, a bad relationship, poverty was about to be abolished forever, what would you do differently? Would you go to church instead of partying? Would you go to church and party? Would you skip that event you didn t want to go to anyway, call someone you really love, and spend a quiet evening together? Would you pray? Whatever changes happen for you... [this year] aren t going to be as momentous as the abolition of slavery. But why not act like they will be? (from All I Really Want, Quinn G. Caldwell) Whatever happens to us this year as individuals and as a congregation, we know that God will be with us. Each Sunday, we will continue to worship, to celebrate, and to pray for liberation and salvation. And through the week we will continue to work, with the help of God, for a new heaven and a new earth. Amen. Peace, Pastor Tom

2 January Worship January 6: EPIPHANY OF OUR LORD Epiphany means "manifestation." On this day we celebrate the revelation of Christ to the Gentiles that is, to all nations. The word and sacraments are for us the great epiphany of God's grace and mercy. We go forth to witness to the light that shines brightly in our midst. January 14: BAPTISM OF OUR LORD It is the Spirit's movement that distinguishes Jesus' baptism from John's. The Spirit has come upon us as upon Jesus and the Ephesians, calling us God's beloved children and setting us on Jesus' mission to re-create the world in the image of God's vision of justice and peace. January 21: THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY Jesus begins proclaiming the good news and calling people to repentance right after John the Baptist is arrested for preaching in a similar way. Knowing that John was later executed, we see at the very outset the cost of discipleship. Still, the two sets of fisherman brothers leave everything they have known and worked for all their lives to follow Jesus and fish for people. January 28: FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY In Deuteronomy God promises to raise up a prophet like Moses, who will speak for God; in Psalm 111 God shows the people the power of God's works. For the church these are ways of pointing to the unique authority people sensed in Jesus' actions and words. We encounter that authority in God's word, around which we gather, the word that trumps any lesser spirit that would claim power over us, freeing us to follow Jesus. Annual Congregational Meeting January 28, 2018 at 12:15pm in the Parish Hall A light lunch will be provided before the business portion of the meeting begins with a short devotion. Agenda Items: Reports of 2017 from the leadership & staff; 2017 year-end financial report; Presentation of 2018 Ministry Plan and vote to accept the plan. In addition, this year we will be voting to accept changes to our constitution. These are for the most part required provisions from the Model Constitution for ELCA Congregations, amended at the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Please view these changes BEFORE the meeting. They can be found at our website, under the pulldown menus, Who We Are / Leadership / Church Council. Click on the link, MLC Constitution with ELCA required changes for 1/28/18 Cong. Meeting. All members are encouraged to attend this meeting. Important information is shared and discussed.

3 Many Thanks, Jeff! As we turn our calendars to January and the New Year, Jeff Reinders completes his term as President of the congregation. It s important that we take this opportunity to thank Jeff for his clear and steady leadership. MLC has benefited in significant ways from Jeff s efforts and he has earned our gratitude. To illustrate the point, let s briefly consider three critical areas where MLC has moved forward in just the last couple of years. In 2016, Jeff was instrumental in establishing the Sustainability Task Force. This group of able, industrious members carried out a careful and thorough analysis of numerous aspects of this organization we call MLC. One key result was that MLC had done its homework and was equipped to respond to Pastor Kathryn s departure when she left for the Synod Office. Then as we turned our calendars to 2017, a fundamental part of this response was to ask Pastor Tom to serve MLC as our sole pastor. With Jeff s direction, the congregation then approved compensation for Pastor Tom that brought him in line with the Synod Guidelines, something that hadn t happened at MLC for a long time. Also in 2017, with Jeff s leadership, the congregation approved a set of four goal statements that will provide a roadmap for our work at MLC over the next five years and beyond. Allow me to share a personal perspective. As I succeed Jeff, the Council, Pastor Tom and I all have a much greater sense of direction than we would have had without the progress in the above areas. In other words, my job at MLC will be much more directed and easier than it would have otherwise been. It s now time to roll up our sleeves and get to work on this agenda that Jeff has helped develop for MLC. But know that Jeff s not going anywhere. When you see him in the near future, I invite you to share your own thoughts and your appreciation with Jeff. As for you Jeff, enjoy your Monday nights, when Council is hard at work. God s Peace, Ross Johnson With Gratitude Thank You. I am overwhelmed and so grateful to all of you for the generous gift this Christmas. It is a wonderful help this time of the year. These past 12 months have been a wonderful and challenging time I think for all of us. I have been so pleased with so many of you stepping up in so many areas of our ministry. Thank you. I look forward to all the joys and challenges of our shared ministry in Peace, Pastor Tom

4 Adult Education This month, on the second Sunday (The 14 th ), we begin a new series entitled, Faithful Citizen: Living Responsibly in a Global Society. This series is a multi-media resource that will assist us in moving beyond individual concerns and act responsibly for the common good. Faithful Citizen addresses the interlocking global challenges of economics, ecology, security, and health. We will discuss these challenges using three concepts from the Christian tradition covenant, community, and the common good. Faithful Citizens will help us balance excessive individualism with ideas about how to think and act responsibly in our national society, and also in our global society. Upcoming Sunday Morning Adult Education Schedule: Date Topic Leader/Location 1/7 NO CLASS 1/14 1/21 1/28 Faithful Citizen: #1A: From Individualist to Faithful Citizen Faithful Citizen: #1B: From Individualist to Faithful Citizen Faithful Citizen: #2A: Covenant for a New Economy 2/4 NO CLASS 2/11 2/18 2/25 Faithful Citizen: #2B: Covenant for a New Economy Faithful Citizen: #2C: Covenant for a New Economy Faithful Citizen: #3A: Civic Engagement for the Earth Pastor Tom / Sanctuary Pastor Tom / Sanctuary Pastor Tom / Sanctuary Pastor Tom / Sanctuary Pastor Tom / Sanctuary Pastor Tom / Sanctuary Men s Bible Study On the fourth Saturday of January the 27 th we will gather from 9 am to 10:30 am. I m not sure what we will study this month. Stay tuned to the bulletin and s for updates. If you have suggestions, please contact me. These gatherings are wonderful times of sharing our lives, our questions, and our insights with one another. Please Plan on coming, and invite your friends/neighbors too Saturday, January 27 th from 9 am to 10:30 am.

5 Confirmation Ministry Our Confirmation Ministry continues this month on Sunday, January 21 st at 5pm with our beginning of the year Potluck Meal and Discussion. This is an important time for both students and their parents. Everyone is invited this session will last from 5pm to 6pm. Please let the office know who will be attending. Thank you to everyone who was able to help with serving dinner to the women of the REST (Rotating Emergency Shelter Team) program! MLC High School Youth Group We have at least 3 youth and two adults from MLC and two youth and one adult going from St. Mark s in San Francisco to the National Youth Gathering. This is a total group, at this point, of 5 youth and three adults. Stay tuned for plans to get together and start preparing for and planning our trip. If you are interested in joining up, let me us know, there is still time to register. Christmas Pageant & St. Nicholas Dinner On the evening of December 10 th the parish hall was filled with folks of all ages there to see the Children s Christmas Pageant, From Heaven Above and for the St. Nicholas Dinner. The cast (pictured) of the pageant included, Elsa, Greta, Samantha, Henry, Gunnar & Robert. We thank these kids for sharing a simple, sweet story of Christmas with us. Samantha & Henry participated in VBS over the summer and joined us again for the pageant. We enjoyed our traditional pasta Christmas dinner with family and friends, sang Christmas carols and were excited when St. Nicholas came for a visit! Following St. Nicholas example, we collected warm accessories for the San Fran Night Ministry including 1 winter headband, 4 scarves, 6 pairs of gloves, 16 knitted caps, and 47 pairs of socks! Thanks to everyone who participated to make this night a success beginning with the children and their families; Michele Jacobs & Jim Kamphoefner worked with the kids; Rob Zlatunich, Barbara Bischoff, & Bev Kamphoefner for pageant props; Lorri Reinders, Anke Pahmeyer, Carol Zlatunich & Tamara Stocker prepared the dinner; St. Nicholas (aka Rich Myhre) and to everyone who brought a warm gift for the San Francisco Night Ministry! It was a fun filled evening.

6 Movie Night Saturday, January 20 th at 6:00pm in the sanctuary Selma [PG-13] The Stewardship Ministry Team is hosting the viewing of the movie, Selma. The movie depicts the struggle, in Washington and in the streets of Selma Alabama, for voting rights in Our stewardship theme for 2018 is Live Courageously (the fourth year of our Live series, following Live Free, Live Simply, Live Generously). The movie depicts the courage of civil rights leaders and a few politicians in fighting for voting rights for blacks. It was directed by Ava DuVernay, and stars David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King, Jr. Enjoy your dinner before coming to the movie. We will serve snacks & dessert as part of the movie experience, so don t fill up too much with dinner. Jim Kamphoefner Leadership Events Leadership/Staff Epiphany Party Saturday, January 6 th at 5:30pm Hosted by Susan Morrow 107 Bret Harte Road, San Rafael Potluck Dinner - All council members, committee/team chairs, staff and their spouses (or +1) are invited to come. Please reply to the which is circulating in regards to the potluck dinner. Calendar Fest 2018 Saturday, January 20 th, 9-11am For all Ministry Team Chairs, Council Members and Interested Leaders: It is time again for that fun-filled morning of coffee, bagels, postit notes and planning! Last year this gathering proved to be extremely helpful in coordinating events for the year. Our goal is to develop the outline of a Master Calendar for ministry for this next year, with both committed and tentative events. There are many opportunities for cooperative efforts and "cross fertilization" of ideas when we communicate across teams. And, of course, we want to avoid conflicts. So, we are asking that each Team plan events for this year that can be added to the calendar. Council members and other leaders, please look at any events, retreats, workshops, etc. that are coming up in 2018 so we can add those to the Master Calendar. Everyone: please identify any community or synodical events you may know of so we don't schedule a major event at MLC that could conflict. We are seeking to maximize effectiveness and attendance at all our events. Thank you so much, The Outreach Team

7 JANUARY Celebrations Birthdays 1 Daniel Houts 3 Eun-Shil Kim Eric Bergman 5 Maggie Harrington 8 Marie Conrad 16 Tricia Cummings 20 Nancy Hansen Lorraine Loo Michael Clark 26 Marilyn Davis Esther Johnson 27 Cathie Schinski 31 Jean Wallman Anniversaries 11 Rich & Carolyn Myhre Marin Lutheran Church Women (WELCA) Bible Study: Thursday, January 11 th at 10:00am, meet in the conference room Notice the change in date as we will be undecorating the sanctuary following our study. January April Study: Multiple meanings: Learning from other interpretations by Mark Allan Powell Session one: Washing hands with distant hearts (Mark 7:1-12) When we read or listen to Scripture, we identify with different characters in the Biblical story to discern what the story means to us. In this session, we explore this phenomenon, as well as Mark 7:1-12, which some people interpret from the perspective of the disciples, some from the perspective of the Pharisees and others from the perspective of Jesus. Looking Ahead: Pastor Thomas will be our leader for session two, Prepare the Way of the Lord (Luke 3:3-17) which is found in the combined Jan. Feb. Gather. We will meet on Thursday, February 1 st. Serve and Share: January 15 th, We resume our quilting ministry. We are thankful for all the donations of fabric, sheets, thread, batting and support. THANK YOU. All are welcome. Jane McKenzie Church Council Highlights December 11, 2017 Council members thanked Jeff Reinders and Cathy Bedilion for their service. Jeff s term as President and Cathy s term as Council Member at Large expire at the end of MLC s Constitution: Council approved required and suggested provisions from the Model Constitution for ELCA Congregations, amended at the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in At our Annual Congregational Meeting in January, proposed changes to our constitution will be presented to the congregation for approval. Council reviewed and discussed the draft 2018 Ministry Plan (budget) we received from the Finance Committee. At our meeting in January, Council will approve a final draft, which will then be presented to the congregation for approval at the Annual Meeting. We are continuing our work on Congregational Goal #4: Upgrade our MLC facilities for ministry. Members of the Council will prepare and serve dinner for the R.E.S.T. (Rotating Emergency Shelter Team) program on Thursday, January 11, The MLC Annual Congregational Meeting will be on Sunday, January 28, Barbara Allen, Secretary

8 We have not had a meeting yet but I ve had many private conversations with Outreach committee members and we have been discussing different ways to energize the Marin Lutheran Congregation. Please share with us your ideas for Outreach. We will study them at our first meeting January 9 th, This year s committee consists of Barb Bischoff, John Bischoff, Karen Peters, Lorri Reinders, Rich Myhre, Pastor Tom Gable and Carol Sherley. We will be in touch, Carol Sherley Helping our Neighbors Thank you to everyone who participated so generously to our numerous Social Action service projects this holiday season. Our church family did a remarkable job in sharing God's love with our community. Not only did we adopt and fulfill a wish list for a Ritter Center family but we supported North Bay fire victims, the Night Ministry, the Marin Community Clinic drive that the Meisel s are involved with and at the last minute supported a Marin City family who was desperate for assistance. On behalf of MLC, the Social Action Committee sent holiday financial benevolences to International Partners in Mission, Southern California Fire Victims, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services and SF Night Ministry. Thank you all for your generous hearts and Christian kindness. Sandy Seeger Elsa & Greta with donations for Marin Community Clinic Toy Drive. Christmas Toy & Book Booth at the Marin Community Clinic Health Hub. A note from Lauren Meisel: A huge thanks to everyone for your donations for the Marin Community Clinic Toy Drive! We gave out over 300 toys and tons of books. There were lots of smiles and happy kids!

9 MLC NOTEBOOK RIDES TO CHURCH Some members of our church rely on getting a ride in order to come to worship. We d like to send our thanks to those who are available to bring these individuals so they can join us for worship and other activities. Ann Marymor picks Gisela Niedzwezki up for the late service on most Sundays. When she has not been here, Gisela has also gotten rides from Janet Foster, Lorraine Loo and Paul & Betsy. Rose Alexander has been brought to church by Sandy Seeger, Line Shanks and Carol Cunliffe, and has enjoyed being able to join worship, and sing with the choir again. There may be others that have provided rides for folks. We THANK all the folks named above and anyone else who has made it possible for someone to get to church. NEW ADDRESS Tom and Susan Schmidt have moved from Larkspur to a new home in San Rafael. Their address is: 201 Center Street San Rafael, CA They are settled in and like their new home, but Tom admits that on occasion, his car has just driven him to the old house. Hmm! OUR CONDOLENCES We extend our sympathy to Rich Myhre, Carolyn & James and their extended family following the death of Rich s father, Jim, in Wisconsin on December18 th. Rich had flown back to the mid-west on the 16 th after his dad was taken to the ICU following an incident that precipitated a fall. Rich, his mother and sister were able to spend precious time with Jim before he passed away. LAY EUCHARISTIC MINISTRY We d like to extend our thanks to Sandy Seeger in her role as Lay Eucharistic Minister. She provides a great support to Pastor Tom as they now share the visits to homebound members, bringing them news from their church family, visiting with them and bringing them communion. Sandy s nursing profession, knowledge with and familiarity of the medical community has also been helpful to some of our families. Thank you, Sandy for your involvement in this ministry! If there is anyone else interested in this ministry, please let Pastor Tom know. It is a ministry that grows from the heart and has many rewards. CONGRATULATIONS! Kudos to Bill Schmidt on completing a Masters of Arts in Teaching at Concordia University in Portland, OR. He recently graduated and word is that he would like to teach the 3 rd grade! BAPTISM During our Advent 4 service on Christmas Eve morning, we celebrated the baptism of Elliott Charles Helgeson. Elliott is the grandson of Charles and Pat Morse. Jennie, Chris & Elliot live in the northwest. We wish God s blessing on Elliott and his whole family. FLOWERS FOR 2018 The flower chart of 2018 is posted on the bulletin board in the narthex. Please take a look at it, find a Sunday or Sundays that are meaningful to you and sign up to provide the flowers for the church that day. Include the dedication on the flower chart and this will be noted in the bulletin. There are many openings we do need to fill January & February quickly.

10 Community Partner Updates: MIC and MOC are two of our community partners. Everyone is invited and encouraged to come to the following events: Marin Interfaith Council (MIC) is a respectful collaborative that celebrates faith traditions, advocates justice and builds community. MIC cultivates a community diverse in belief, opinion, and culture. For over thirty years, MIC has enabled congregations, nonprofits and individuals to make Marin a more vibrant and equitable community. Monthly Interfaith Meditation every Second Wednesday of the month, a leader from a different spiritual community will offer a meditation or spiritual practice and explain how it flows from the basic tenets of his/her faith tradition. Each gathering will include time for questions and insights that emerge from our shared time of intentional spiritual practice. They are held at First Presbyterian Church San Rafael 1510 Fifth Avenue San Rafael, CA Wednesday, January 10, :30 6:30 pm. This evening will be led This evening will be led by Rev. Kay Collette. She has trained as a Spiritual Director, served as Adjunct Faculty in the Spiritual Direction training program at San Francisco Theological Seminary and as a teacher of spiritual formation at First Presbyterian Church of San Rafael. Offering and receiving Spiritual Direction feeds her soul. She enjoys life in San Rafael with her husband, three children and spouses, four grandchildren, and one shaggy brown dog. Marin Organizing Committee (MOC) is a broad-based, non-partisan and nonprofit organization of churches, synagogues and non-profits located throughout Marin County. MOC s core mission is the building of a power organization through the identification, development and mentorship of leaders from member institutions. The leaders identify, research and respond to the economic, social and political pressures facing their families, neighborhoods, communities and institutions in Marin County. This response takes the form of collective public action. Upcoming: We are excited about what we have accomplished in 2017 and look forward to the New Year. As we continue to work hard to push for a good transition from REST toward housing-ready shelter, advocate for increased renter protections, and work on issues of affordability and livability throughout the County, we also have some work to do to strengthen MOC as an organization. We will be holding a Delegate s Assembly on Sunday, January 28 th from 3pm to 5pm at Kol Shofar in Tiburon. This is an assembly of folks from all the member organizations across Marin. During our time together, we will be discussing the budget, leadership structure, and issue focus for the coming year. We would like every MOC institution to be well represented at the Assembly on January 28 th as we continue to build this effort together for the common good. Please make every effort to come.

11 READINGS GREETERS JANUARY 2018 WORSHIP ASSISTANTS January 7 th January 14 th January 21 st January 28 th Isaiah 60:1-6 Psalm 72:1-7, Ephesians 3:1-12 Matthew 2:1-12 Epiphany Genesis 1:1-5 Psalm 29 Acts 19:1-7 Mark 1:4-11 Jonah 3:1-5, 10 Psalm 62:5-2 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 Mark 1:14-20 Deuteronomy 18:15-20 Psalm Corinthians 8:1-13 Mark 1: :00 AM Jane McKenzie Barbara Bischoff Judy R & Emily R Cheri Houts 11:00 AM Erna Randig Jane McKenzie Erna Randig Barbara Bischoff USHER 9:00 AM Rich Myhre Jon Rolien Lorri Reinders Michael Houts 11:00 AM Will Peck Jenna Garcia Paul Davis Rick West ACOLYTE 9:00 AM Ellery & Giorgia S Jacob Shunk/Joshua CH TBD Mia Lacy/Ellery Stocker 11:00 AM LECTOR 9:00 AM Sophie Stankus Rebecca Shunk Dan Watrous Tamara Stocker 11:00 AM Katharine Peck Tricia Cummings Kerry Hansen Betsy McCormick ALM 9:00 AM TBD Susan Morrow Yvonne Weidmann Isai Garcia 11:00 AM Paul Davis TBD Betsy McCormick Paul Davis COMM ASSIST 9:00 AM Cheri Houts 11:00 AM Erna Randig Tricia Cummings Erna Randig Betsy M / Barbara B SOUND TECH 9:00 AM Dan Watrous John Bischoff Jeff Reinders Bart Saling 11:00 AM Kerry Hansen Alex Smith Kerry Hansen John Bischoff COUNTERS 9:00 AM Roy Davis 11:00 AM Kamphoefner Kamphoefner Kamphoefner Kamphoefner COFFEE HOUR 9:00 AM Jane McKenzie Rebecca Shunk Judy Rossbach & Sandy Seeger 11:00 AM Maggie Harrington Lorraine Loo Mary Creigh Houts Jane McKenzie ALTAR GUILD Blanche Sprague Blanche Sprague Blanche Sprague Blanche Sprague FLOWERS Kamphoefners CHLD CHURCH Lauren Meisel Rich Myhre Travis Theobald Michele Jacobs

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