Voice of Hope. Hope Lutheran Church 2882 Arlington Avenue Riverside, CA A Publication of Hope Lutheran Church. May/June 2016 Volume 18 Issue 6

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1 Voice of Hope A Publication of Hope Lutheran Church May/June 2016 Volume 18 Issue 6 A Congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Hope Lutheran Church 2882 Arlington Avenue Riverside, CA Pastor: The Rev. Tim Edmondson Office Manager: Kris Sawyer Office: (951) Office Hours: Monday Friday 9 a.m. 1 p.m. Web Address: Pastor: tmedmondson@sbcglobal.net Office: hoperiverside@att.net Worship Schedule: Sunday Worship Service: 9:00 a.m. Education Schedule: Sunday School: 10:15 a.m. Adult Forum: 10:30 a.m. Mission Statement: At Hope Lutheran Church, Riverside, Jesus Christ leads us To welcome and respect all people, To grow in our whole being as gospel ministers, To equip children for life in the Christian heritage, To serve basic human needs in our community, And to worship God in word, in song, and in life. Dear Partners in Ministry Thank you so very much for the warm welcome you ve extended to me. I have been so grateful for your hospitality; as well as the helpful support from Kris, your Office Manager, Carl, your Council President, and several others who are working diligently to familiarize me with things here at Hope. I ve been most impressed with how finely tuned the details of ministry seem to be here. I know Pastor Jacob receives much of the credit for that and I am fortunate to inherit a tightly run ship. (Please forgive the Navy jargon. I searched all over for the Air Force equivalent but to no avail.) You are a people who have been faithfully doing church for a long time and you do it well. I hope you sense God s smile on you for all that you are and do as a congregation! Loosely speaking, I am your Interim Pastor. I say loosely because we have entered into a relationship that is largely open-ended. You were in a position of needing a pastor, and I was in a position of needing a church; therefore, the Bishop, and God also, I believe, have brought us together for this mutual back-scratching. And while it is my job to be your intentional interim pastor, doing the necessary work with you that needs to be accomplished during this transitional time of ministry at Hope, neither I nor your Church Council have precluded a potential longer-term relationship. In the next few months, we will seek more clarity on the exact nature of our relationship, but at this time our slightly ambiguous arrangement seems to fit comfortably between your leadership and myself. I understand that it was only three to four years ago that you completed the intensive work done during an interim period, including all the surveys and studies required to complete a congregational profile. Rather than reinvent the wheel so to speak, I will be recommending a modified approach where together we discover the big questions that need to be asked as you face your future. May God s Spirit guide us as with our (Continued on next page)

2 (continued from front page) imaginations, we seek the vision that God holds for the future of Hope. In the meantime, we embrace a transition, that with God s help, will lead to a future full of promise and hope for Hope. As for the nature of transition, I offer you these words from The Way of Transition by William Bridges: In its most basic form, transition helps you come to terms with change. It reorients you so that you can mobilize your energy to deal successfully with your new situation whether it is a good one or a bad one doesn t matter instead of being hampered by attitudes and behaviors that were developed for and more appropriate to your old situation. In short, it asks the question, Who is God calling us to become in order to be ready to receive the future God would like to give us? Deep Peace, Pastor Tim For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah) Mid-Week Lectionary Breakfast Group Come, have breakfast and take a look at the Scripture readings for the following Sunday. We gather at Coco s (VanBuren/Trautwein) on Wednesday mornings at 8:30 a.m. with Pastor Tim who will get us started talking about the lessons. This is a great time of preparation as we anticipate the reading, hearing, teaching, and preaching of the Word for Sunday mornings. See Bill Brethauer for more information. Retirement Party for Larry Kleven The Social Concerns committee is throwing a retirement party for Larry Kleven on Sunday, June 12. Larry has served on the Social Concerns committee for over 25 years. Among the many tasks Larry tackled, he faithfully went to Second Harvest Food Bank every month to purchase food to feed the homeless. He also takes food and clothing to Genesis Shelter and Larry will continue doing that as long as he is able. These duties have been a labor of love for Larry. Come and say thank you to him on June 12 following worship services.

3 News from the Social Concerns Guest Chef On April 2, we served 110 people. The numbers were down this month. We served an enchilada casserole, zucchini, salad, and ice cream. Our April chefs were Larry Dodson, Pr. Jacob, Johnnie Corina, Barbara Morris, Pat Schwartz, Sara Mills, and Carol Haffter. Pr. Jacob served his last dinner in the shelter in April. Jacob helped almost every month. On May 7, we served 80 people. Our numbers continue to go down due to the warmer weather. In addition, some veterans have been housed elsewhere, contributing to the lower numbers. We served a turkey and dressing casserole, rice, and ice cream. It was quite a challenge to cut up all the turkey. Our May chefs were Larry Dodson, Pat Schwartz, Johnnie Corina, Barbara Morris, Carol Haffter and Shawn Lowell. Thank you! News about Marian Bill Brethauer, Mickey Ouellet and I visited Marian Armstrong. She was in good spirits and ate a good lunch. She has a nice large room to herself. We sat in a nicely decorated sitting room and talked with her after lunch. If you would like to send her a card, her address is: Marian Armstrong c/o Sunrise at Yorba Linda, 4792 Lakeview Avenue, Room 13, Yorba Linda, CA If possible, try to include your picture to help her remember you. Respectfully submitted by, Carol Haffter New Bishop Elected at Synod Assembly in May A new Bishop was elected at the Pacifica Synod Assembly in Costa Mesa on May 6 to replace outgoing Bishop Murray Finck who served the Synod for three terms, a total of 18 years. Bishop Finck has served our synod with profound faithfulness, deep compassion and with amazing humility and grace for which we are forever grateful. The Bishop-elect is Reverend Andrew Taylor of San Diego. Please check the next newsletter for a full recap of the Synod Assembly from our delegates, Larry & Martha Dodson. March 2016 Year-to-Date Total Income: $15, $45, Total Expense: $14, $44, Difference: +$1, $1, Average Worship Attendance for March 2016: 55 April 2016 Year-to-Date Total Income: $13, $59, Total Expense: $14, $58, Difference: -$ $ Average Worship Attendance for April 2016: 45

4 News from Congregational Life Everyone is invited to attend the Riverside Community Players production of The Murder Room by Jack Sharkey on Sunday, May 22 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $15. We usually go to lunch after church and then on to the play. Please sign up in the narthex. See Carol Haffter for more info. Synopsis: Murder has never been so funny! A spoof of all crime thrillers with good clean mirth leading the way through the secret chambers and panels of Bynewood Cottage. An inspector comes to the cottage in response to a missing person's report filed by the very new bride of the prominent Edgar Hollister. When Edgar's daughter arrives with her new fiancee, the investigation expands and so does the zaniness. Everyone gathers to tie together the thread of the plot and even more unraveling ensues. Day of Pentecost Sunday, May 15 at 9:00 a.m. Wear Red to Church! All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit Acts 2:4a Pizza & Bingo Night Big Springs School Fundraiser Tuesday, June 14 at 5:30 p.m. at Hope in the breezeway. Bake Sale too! Guidelines for Interpreting Scripture Ever wonder why different people end up with different understandings of the Bible and how your understanding of Scripture is based on several things about how you see yourself, others and the world? So if we all see through our own lens of understanding, how is it we can arrive at an accurate interpretation of what the Bible really says? Join others on this biblical quest as we explore several guidelines (basic ideas about the Bible) that will become a helpful tool as we grow in faith as we study God s Word. Join Pastor Tim in The Gathering Place on Sunday mornings at 10:30 a.m. The class will continue through June.

5 (Very) Brief History Of Stewardship The word stewardship first appeared in the late 19 th century and was coined by leaders of Protestant churches in North America. Because of the separation of church and state, churches in America were not funded by the state. So American churches had to find ways to raise money for congregations and missions. The history of stewardship can be divided into three eras. The first of these eras ( ) linked stewardship with law and connected it with the tithe. Other ways of fundraising included renting or selling pew space. The use of envelopes began around the early 1900 s and offered privacy to the giver. By the 1920 s, many churches had lost enthusiasm for mission and began erecting new church buildings rather than giving money to benevolences or missions. Stewardship News The second era ( ) connected stewardship with the Gospel and began to see money only as part of a broader understanding of stewardship. After World War II America saw not only an economic boom, but also a religious boom. Church membership (as percentage of total population) grew from 49% in 1940 to 63% by The concept of stewardship as Time, Talent and Treasure began to take hold. The last era (1980 present) uses a broader definition of stewardship which include the concepts of working for the environment, justice, peace, and the integrity of creation. In the words of Douglas John Hall (1990), Now the church can assume its proper place as a servant to the world, rather than trying to maintain its own power and position within society. It has an opportunity to act as a steward (servant) and can now take stewardship seriously. Submitted by Susan Kitchens From ELCA website article which summarized A History of Stewardship by Dr. William O. Avery of Gettysburg Seminary, published by the Lutheran Laity Ministries for Stewardship Memorial Day emerged from the grim shadows of the American Civil War. Before the close of the war, women began decorating the graves of soldiers who had died in that war. The practice quickly spread, and a few years later May 30, 1868, was designated as Decoration Day a day for placing flowers on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers throughout the United States. In 1882, Decoration Day became known as Memorial Day, and soldiers who died in other wars were also honored. Over the years, it has become a day when all loved ones who have died in war and otherwise are remembered. In 1971, the United States Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday to be observed annually on the last Monday in May. On this Memorial Day, remember those who gave their lives for our country. But also pray for those who continue serving to keep America free, especially those who are in harm s way.

6 Hope Lutheran Church 2882 Arlington Avenue Riverside, CA Mother s Day Brunch Sunday, May 8 10:30 a.m. In The Gathering Place I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother and your mother and now lives in you. -2 Timothy 1:5 Father s Day Brunch Sunday, June 19 10:30 a.m. In The Gathering Place He will turn the hearts of parents to their children and the hearts of children to their parents. -Malachi 4:6a