Faith Lutheran Church Messenger

Transcription

1 Faith Lutheran Church Messenger 1000 Tates Creek Road, Lexington, KY (859) or (859) website: - A MESSAGE FROM PASTOR MARK - December 2016 I love the season of Advent as a me for slowing down, wai ng, watching and praying with its interplay of darkness and light. In the midst of our o en busy and hec c lives, Advent invites us to just be present to each and every given moment. What will be your inten- on for this Advent season? How will you take care of your heart s prepara on for the coming of the Christ child? Will you have an Advent wreath or log in your home? When I was growing up my mother insisted that we have a family Advent devo on me together each of the four Sunday evenings during Advent replete with songs, Scripture reading, ligh ng of the Advent wreath candles, and prayers. I recall being somewhat resistant at mes, especially if it happened right in the middle of a good television show, yet as an adult I cherished that memory, and endeavored to pass it on to my own children. On the first three Thursdays of Advent this year, December 1, 8, & 15, we will have a me of worship at 7:30 in the evening. The mood of these worships will be contempla ve to assist those a ending to enter into the wai ng, watching and praying mood of the season. However you endeavor to enter into the rhythm of this Advent season, may it create more space within you for Christ s presence to dwell as a wellspring of joy and peace. In, Faith, Love, and Hope Pastor Mark Advent/Christmas Worship Schedule Regular worship Sundays at 8:30 & 11:00 am, and 6:00 pm Thursdays in Advent (7:30 pm, December 1, 8 and 15) Contempla ve Communion A brief service of Holy Communion designed for taking me out in the busyness of the season. 6:00 pm, Sunday, December 11 (see page 5) Bach Cantata, Wachet auf! Ru uns die S mme (Wake up! The voice calls us) concluding with a service of The Great O An phons. A dis nct Advent worship event. The Parish Choir; with Sue Ann Lau, Craig Price, and Carl Wagoner, soloists; and the Chamber Orchestra of Faith. *at 9:45 am this day, Linda Wi e Henke will give a presenta on on her exhibi on, The Great O An phons, on display un l December 18 as part of the Harstad Fine Arts Series. The Na vity of Our Lord Christmas Eve 6:00 pm Family Candlelight Communion 9:00 pm Fes val Candlelight Eucharist Christmas Day 10:00 am Fes val Eucharist The First Sunday a er Christmas (New Year s Day) 10:00 am Worship (no 6:00 pm worship services on Christmas Day or New Year s Day) Mission Statement: As followers of Jesus Christ, we embrace, reflect and proclaim God s unconditional love.

2 The Messenger of Faith Lutheran Church December 2016 page 2 Wednesday Table Talk An informal me of discussion takes place coinciding with the JOY choir rehearsal, 6:15 7 PM. We will watch one of Rob Bell s Nooma videos or some other short video clip to jumpstart a me of discussion. This will be an opportunity to share insights and to give and receive support from one another as we endeavor to live by faith each day. Hope Center Dinner - Help Needed Members of Faith will prepare and serve dinner at Hope Center during the Twelve Days of Christmas, on Tuesday, Jan. 3. You can help in several ways. 1. Contact Carolyn Carden (859) to help prepare and serve the meal. 2. Donate fresh fruit and/or cookies. Items should be taken to church by noon on Monday, Jan. 2. Faith, Sexism, Jus ce - The 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly authorized the crea on of a Social Statement on jus ce for women in faith and society. A study guide for conversa ons to assist in the development of this statement has been developed en tled Faith, Sexism, Jus ce, and we plan to use the seven session modules as an Adult Sunday School offering in January and February of 2017 mee ng in Faith House. From the study guide introduc on: As Chris ans we all are living into the promises of God and are being called to do jus ce, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8). We know that Jesus Christ came that we may have life abundantly (John 10:10), but in the world around us, it is clear that countless people are suffering under the weight of injus ce. They cannot live the abundant lives God intends. Many individuals and their families struggle emo onally, physically and economically because of the effects of sexism and patriarchy. These forces are personal, religious, social and economic. As members of the body of Christ that is the church, we are called to help all people live abundant lives that are just and sufficient lives in which every individual and community is commi ed to the mutual values of respect, dignity, interdependence and equity. As Jesus said, in Ma hew 25:45,...whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. This is a good way to start the New Year!

3 The Messenger of Faith Lutheran Church December 2016 page 3 FLY DECEMBER EVENTS 12/4: 12:30-1:15 - Planning lunch at Puccini's a er 11:00 service. Please bring $5 toward your meal and ideas for FLY events for early /18: 9:45 - Simpsons Sunday School 12/18: 6:30-8:00 - Christmas party. Light snacks provided (no meal). Christmas games and entertainment. Bring a wrapped "white elephant" gi for a fun gi exchange. Something fun and / or unwanted - no more than $10 value. Former Faith Lutheran Youth classes are invited to a reunion in the youth room on Tuesday, December 20th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. including pizza, games, and conversa on. RSVP to Kevin at lentz.kevin@gmail.com or (859) The Community Ministries Team and The Global Missions Team would like to thank everyone for their dona ons for the family we will be co-sponsoring with Kentucky Refugee Ministries and Gethsemane Lutheran Church. When you make your weekly grocery trip, please consider picking up an Item or two and place it in the green bin in the Narthex at church. If you would rather make a monetary contribu on you can do so by placing it in the offering plate on Sundays with KRM wri en in the memo line. We will s ll need volunteers in January for apartment set up, errands, and general assistances with the family once they arrive. We will know more of what is needed when KRM assigns a family to Faith and Gethsemane. As you know we have been collec ng items for the kitchen and dining rooms. We have received some great items but are s ll in need of some things. Below is a list of items s ll needed. Plas c wrap, Aluminum foil Ziploc storage bags in all sizes Ziploc type storage containers Dish towels Teapot Kitchen scissors Colander Cu ng board(s) Wooden mixing spoons Mixing bowls Manual can opener Trash can We also need some cleaning supplies such as laundry detergent, mop, bucket, broom, dust pan, sponges and rags and non-bleach cleansers. If you have any ques ons please contact Leah Hower via at: lghky221@gmail.com OR Amy Hadden via at amyhadden007@gmail.com Global Missions Global Missions would like to remind Faith members who want to make a year end contribu on that the needs are great for our orphanage and scholarship fund in Hai-. Visit and click on MAKE A DONATION or place a check with Grace Missions in the memo line in the offering plate at church. Grace Missions is a 501(c) 3 non-profit Chris an charitable organiza on. The Global Barnyard banks for World Hunger will also be collected on Sunday, December 4 th. We ll update you on the amount contributed in the January Messenger. For the gi that keeps on giving the Good Gi s website is h ps://community.elca.org/elcagoodgi s.

4 The Messenger of Faith Lutheran Church December 2016 page 4 RESEARCH TO ACTION/CALL TO ACTION Bell Ringers Needed for the Red Kettle Campaign Nothing warms the heart as much as watching a small child, listening to their parent say they are helping other children have a nice Christmas, as the child puts money in the Red Kettle!! Join us this year as we ring the bell for the Salvation Army s holiday campaign on Saturday, December 3, from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Euclid Avenue Kroger. (NOTE THE CHANGE IN LOCATION THIS YEAR!) Ringers are asked to sign up for one-hour time slots. Check the Ringer Signup Sheet in the Narthex or contact Cindy Heine: or Cynthia.Heine@gmail.com This is a me of excitement and promise for the Jus ce Ministry Team and all Jus- ce Ministry Network Members (JMN's). We have listened and then voted. We will be star ng the research to ac on process now that our Research Kickoff has happened. If you missed it, that's not a problem. We have two ac ve research commi ees, one dealing with the mental health issues in Lexington, and the other dealing with the issue of violent crime in our communi es. Both of these commi ees will be researching the problems and researching best prac ces for dealing with the problems. This is the third year for the crime issue, and we expect con nued push-back from the Police Department. It is especially important that we remain vigilant in addressing this issue as we have seen the number of homicides in Lexington rise to 20 this year (as of November 20). We've met with good working coopera on from Bluegrass.org and others in the Mental Health Community. We hope to expand our accomplishments in this area, and con nue exploring new programs in other communi es that might be adopted in Lexington to offer be er MH services. The MH commi ee will be looking closely at the informa on we received through house mee ngs about mental health/mental health service problems. The third issue, Payday Lending, has been put on a back burner for now. We will con nue to maintain contact with the Kentucky Coali on for Responsible Lending (KCRL), but we are in the process of re-examining our efforts in view of the changes that occurred in Frankfort a er the last elec on. We will keep you updated as to what form this will take, and let you know how you can be a part of this ac on. This is an exci ng me. The Jus ce Ministry Team invites you to be a part of it! Gail Swanson

5 The Messenger of Faith Lutheran Church December 2016 page 5 WACHET AUF, RUFT UNS DIE STIMME (Wake up, the voice calls us) Johann Sebastian Bach Cantata 140 6:00 pm, Sunday, December 11, 2016 The Third Sunday of Advent A musical offering by Faith Lutheran Church Sue Anne Lau, soprano Carl Wagoner, tenor Craig Price, bass-baritone The Parish Choir Faith Lutheran Bach Orchestra Thomas J. White, conductor Presented in a liturgical se ing, concluding with The Great O Antiphons of Advent. The Rev. Mark E. Sloss, presiding faithlutheranchurch.com F L C 1000 T C R L, KY On Sunday, December 11 Faith Lutheran will perform J S Bach s celebrated sacred cantata, Wachet auf! Ru uns die S mme (Wake up! The voice calls us.) The genesis of this is manifold: Faith Lutheran, the flagship Lutheran congrega- on in Lexington and regionally ought to be doing Bach cantatas within the expression of the Lutheran liturgy. This aligns with our mission to embrace our liturgical heritage and publically proclaim this to the world outside our doors. Secondly, this will showcase primarily the musical talents that are already within Faith Lutheran soloists, orchestra, choir with some added professionals to reinforce and compliment what we are so fortunate to already possess. The service is scheduled for 6:00 pm to provide an opportunity for the community to a end. Please plan to a end and bring a guest. Cantor Tom

6 The Messenger of Faith Lutheran Church December 2016 page 6 The following is the list of persons who have said they would like to be listed. Please keep them in your prayers. In the future, when pu ng people on the prayer list, please inform the church office if you would like their names and concerns to be shared in this way. Steve Carter, undergoing dialysis and on kidney transplant list. Sydney and Adeline Taber, daughters of Leslie Taber, con nued growth as premature infants. Randy Will, son of Eileen Will, spinal cord injury. Henning Egner, dealing with Alzheimer's. Bill Eggers, dealing with Parkinson s disease All those in harm s way for whatever reason. Bring us peace in our me, Lord, and let it begin with each of us. FAITH LUTHERAN CHURCH Financial Secretary's Report October 1-31, 2016 INCOME TOWARD BUDGET Offering Envelopes $44, Loose Offering Use of Building , , RESTRICTED MONEY Reimbursements CC Reimb - Workman's Comp CC Reimb - Custodial Parish Life Comm.-Fellowship Global Missions , Special Funds Pastor s Discretionary Fund Sunday School Offering 4.00 Book Sales Oktoberfest Proceeds Grace Orphanage Harstad Fine Arts Series 1, National Youth Gathering , Pass Thru Monies God s Pantry Mission Endowment Fund LWR-Fair Trade Sales , Total Restricted Money 5, OFFERING BOXES The 2017 offering boxes are ready for pickup in the narthex. Your number for 2017 is the same as it was for 2016, and they are arranged in numerical order. Please pick up your box so the church doesn t have to pay $3.00 per box to have it mailed to you. Thank you. TOTAL OCTOBER RECEIPTS 50, Comparison to Budget October Year-to-Date Contributions 44, , Budget 35, , Percent of Budget % % Mary S. Hemken, Financial Secretary, , mshem326@gmail.com

7 The Messenger of Faith Lutheran Church DECEMBER BIRTHDAYS 2 Joyce Rector Barbara Vann 5 Bob Lewis 8 Nate Reed 10 Urton Anderson 13 Madeline Farrar Cindy Heine Corrine Jones 14 Paul Sorenson Ma Terry 17 Carolyn Walker 18 Roland Born 19 Marcus Atkerson Stuart Larson Owens Nelson Janet Walker 20 Jim Buchanan 21 Gayle McGrath Laura Zink 22 Terry Bryan 23 Barbara Christensen Jim McCormick 24 Dan Kazee James Matson 26 John Bower 29 Luise Wendroth DECEMBER ANNIVERSARIES 12 Helmut & Ruth Schumacher 13 Bob & Barb Fullerton 16 Jim & Carol Larson 18 Nate & Bryna Reed 20 Sco & Stephanie Meier Darryl & Diann Terry 26 Norman & Beverly Drake 27 David & Sharon Fegley 29 Berne & Kate Hanford Dear Members of Faith December...I have had the pleasure and the honor of working for Faith Lutheran for 16 1/2 years and have enjoyed taking care of Faith s children. Janel Watkins Bap sm: Sophie Grace and Beauman Sa erley Miller were bap zed on November 13 th. Sophie and Beau are the daughter and son of Guy and Megan Miller, grandchildren of Kara Bosse, and greatgrandchildren of Jane Pe bone. Wedding: Kim Heersche and David Templar were married October 29th. New Members received on October 30 th : Libby Haas Barbie Moore Kery, Jade & Kylie Paumi Jim Pene Mike, Jessica, & Christa Pierson Megan Robertson Jeannie Schands Carol Smith Adam, Healther, Isaac & Owen Wi Has there been a me of joy or sorrow in your life? Please let Pastor Mark or the church office know of life events that have occurred O.W.L.s (Older, Wiser, Lutherans) OWLs will not meet in December. Watch for details in the January Messenger or ....i have had the joy of taking care of many of the children at this church...i ve enjoyed ge ng to know their family as well...thank you for entrus ng me with our most precious members of Faith Lutheran through the years. Stephanie Meier I ve loved taking care of and watching many of Faith s kids grow up through the years...i couldn't have asked for a be er job to have over the years. Lori Watkins Saturday, February 11, 2017 Sea ng 5 7 $25/Person MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW A endance Worship October November November November NEWSLETTER ARTICLES ARE DUE THE 20TH OF EACH MONTH.ARTICLES MAY BE EDITED AS TO SIZE, CONTENT AND TIMELINESS. Marian Lundborg, Messenger Editor, mclundborg@gmail.com

8 The Messenger of Faith Lutheran Church December 2016 Page 8 Service Schedule Sunday Worship 8:30 AM, 11:00 AM, 6:00 PM (Nursery provided during the 8:30 and 11:00 AM services) Sunday School (Sept. through May) 9:45 AM Staff Mark Sloss, Pastor pastormark@faithlutheranchurch.com (office hours by appointment) Tom White, Cantor (Director of Music Ministries) cantortom@faithlutheranchurch.com (office hours by appointment) Ruth Lundborg, Parish Administrator office@faithlutheranchurch.com Monday Thursday 8:00 4:00, Friday 8:00 1:00 Charla Heersche, Child Care Director childcare@faithlutheranchurch.com Kevin Lentz, Coordinator of Youth Ministries lentz.kevin@gmail.com Brian Lundborg, Sexton H. Gene Templar, Pastor Emeritus Marian Lundborg, Messenger Editor mclundborg@gmail.com Faith Lutheran Church Council 2016 Tim Sorenson, President David Templar, Vice President Debbie Rosenberg, Treasurer Sandra Palmer, Secretary Ned Brown Shane Hadden Charlie Hamilton Jim McGrath Diane Nicely (859) or (859) office@faithlutheranchurch.com website: h p:// h 0 in ti af 001 xel