The Seeker MAY / JUNE 2017

Transcription

1 Our Saviour Evangelical Lutheran Church 56 Cleveland Drive Croton-On-Hudson, NY (914) The Seeker MAY / JUNE 2017 Sunday Worship Schedule Sunday School: 9:30 am Worship: 10:00 am Coffee Hour: following worship Weekday Office Schedule Office hours: 9:00 am - 12:00 Office Phone: (914) Office mail@oursaviourcroton.org Website: MISSION AND VISION STATEMENTS Mission Statement: Our mission is to offer spiritual grounding and growth by connecting with God and one another. Vision Statement: Our vision is to provide meaningful, well-attended, active, and growing worship, education, fellowship and service opportunities. Weekday Activities Choir Practice: 7:45 pm Important Websites (Fantastic new website! ) (Read LivingLutheran online!) (Sign up for the e-letter!)

2 Our Saviour Lutheran Church 56 Cleveland Drive, Croton, New York MAY/JUNE 2017 The Seeker Pastor s Message I am certain of this, that the one who began a wondrous work in you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus Philippians 1:6 (my translation) My first newsletter article to you last year was invoked by this one verse which is one of the most profound in the bible because it speaks to us most clearly through times of transitions. That no matter what happens as we move through life, there is one so faithful, one so convinced of his love for us, one who believes in us when no one else does, and one who knows that our destiny is assured our risen Lord, Jesus Christ. In September, when I began my ministry among you, you had said farewell to a beloved pastor who had served this congregation for 15 years, and were stepping forward into uncertain times. Eight months later, and you remain somewhat unsure about what the future will hold, but if I may have accomplished one thing during my time at Our Saviour, I hope you know that God has a holy purpose for you, and loves you, and rejoices in a future that you cannot yet see. For my part, Ann Marie and I have enjoyed our time in Croton, getting to know the beautiful people of God in this community. We prepare to move on, but that it not easy since bonds have formed, even in this shortest of times together. We will take a little piece of each of you with us as we move on to another Our Saviour in Jamaica Queens, starting May 9. The eight months we ve been together have gone by so very quickly, but they have been spent richly with a fair number of noteworthy events to reflect upon. Among those were: The baptisms of five children now claimed forever as children of God. The celebration of eleven children now fully participating in the Lord s invitation to Holy Communion. The preparation of four young people to affirm their baptisms, three of which have completed their instruction and will be received into membership on June 4. New opportunities to study and discuss the Word of God in the Soul Café, at the church and out in the community. The formation of a call committee to discern the wisdom of the Holy Spirit to guide the future of this community. You have the foundation of a wonderful ministry here, and I hope you see your own potential, since that is an important aspect of finding the right pastor to serve this ministry for years to come. I pray you remain faithful during that process to the one who will never lose faith in you, and the one who we are certain will complete this wondrous work he has begun in you until that day of Christ Jesus! Farewell and Godspeed, Vicar John Heidgerd, Coverage Minister

3 PRESIDENT S MESSAGE -John Keil As we move beyond the solemnity and celebration of Holy Week and look forward to Pentecost, Confirmation, and the summer, our congregation has is still in transition but has made much progress. We thank Vicar John Heidgerd for leading us in worship for the past eight months, and congratulate him on his coming ordination on Sunday, May 21 at the Lutheran Church of Gustavus Adolphus in New York City; we also extend our thanks to Ann Marie for her energy, enthusiasm, and many contributions to life at Our Saviour, including leading a class preparing ten children for First Communion, and her other contributions to our children s program. We wish them both well as they move on to Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Jamaica, New York. Thanks to contributions from many quarters, we have raised most of the funds we need to ready the parsonage for its next occupants, and those improvements are well underway thanks to the diligence and expertise of our Property Committee. The Call Committee has been hard at work gathering information and reflecting on our needs as we recruit our next full-time pastor. The council and I have been overseeing the continuing operational needs of the church, including preparations for our Special Meeting on June 11 to approve our annual budget; please join us after worship on June 11 to assist in those deliberations. We thank Annie Andrews for sharing her many talents, including singing in the choir and serving as our Treasurer, and wish her well as she relocates to Florida. With Annie s departure, we must recruit a new treasurer. If you know of any candidates for this role, or are interested in serving yourself (whether or not you think you might benefit from training), I encourage you to approach me or a member of the Finance Committee. As always, please be mindful of the congregation s obligations to meet fixed expenses as well as emergent needs, and consider increasing your regular contributions or automating them through enrollment in Simply Giving. If you have any questions or thoughts about how you might contribute to our church community, please do not hesitate to contact me by at johnkeil@gmail.com, or by personally approaching me or any member of the Council. REFORMATION ANNIVERSARY This year marks the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. As Lutherans we celebrate a special connection. During the year we would like to highlight our Lutheran heritage and we are looking for ways to do this. We would also like to take this opportunity to let the community know who we are and what we are doing. If you have any ideas and would like to help, please contact Sarah Doherty at Sarah.Allegra.Doherty@gmail.com 2017 COUNCIL MEMBERS Our Congregational Council members would like to keep the conversations and ideas that will move our church in the right direction going. If you have any ideas that you feel Our Saviour can benefit from, please...talk To Us!! President: John Keil Secretary: Sarah Doherty OFFICERS: Vice President: Matthew Papertsian Treasurer: Open COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS: Christian Education: John Keil Property: Evangelism & Outreach: Sarah Doherty Social Ministry: Frya Barnes Stewardship & Financial Seretary: John Magerlein Finance: Eric Golberg Pastor / Parish Relations: Matthew Papertsian Worship & Music: Circle School: OPEN: Estomih Mtui

4 LWR KITS & QUILTS Eleanor Soderlund On Sunday April 30th, at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Croton on Hudson the Vicar John Heidgerd,MDiv/ELCA gives a blessing to various items before they are sent out. The collection shown here contains 23 bags of school supplies, 25 health item kits, 12 baby care kits and 16 quilts. All the kits contain very specific needed items. The photo shows Vicar John Heidgerd, Acolyte Andrew Stephens, Frya Barnes and at far left Lois Leonard. Each year for many years, under the leadership of Frya Barnes, members of the congregation assemble these units and forward them to Lutheran World Relief. This organization distributes them to as many as 16 countries. Some of them are Angola, Honduras, Mali, Peru, and Tanzania to name a few. Under the direction of Lois Leonard, the Tuesday Christian Crafters sewed and put 16 quilts together. These quilts will also go to Lutheran World Relief for distribution. This represents a part of Our Saviour Lutheran Church's outreach program. Photo shows quilts draped on pews for the congregation to view. CHRISTIAN CRAFTERS - Lois Leonard Thank you to everyone in the congregation for your support to help Sandy Brelh, Evelyn Garrett, Marilyn Dreyer, Karen Kuchnicki, Lois Leonard, Karen Magerlein and Karen Polacek create 16 quilts. Sincere thanks to these ladies for their efforts to start this new project. We learned as we went along as we had never made quilts before. Along with the Health Kits, and School Kits assembled by Frya Barnes they have been delivered to collection at Grace Lutheran, Yorktown Heights and then off to Maryland for distribution around the world. If all goes well, tracking numbers, we will find out where in the world they are sent. We are now beginning to focus on projects for December's Christmas Fair. Got any ideas? Join us Tuesday mornings at 10:00. If there is interest, we may again start the evening group this fall.

5 PARSONAGE & PROPERTY Thanks to all who have contributed their time, talents, and monies towards the property work on the church and parsonage. We encourage you to see the improvements in the church: new windows, blinds, and valences in the pastor s office, repairs to the parish hall steps, and renovations downstairs below the parish hall. In the parsonage, we have numerous improvements: fresh paint on the entire upstairs, a new kitchen floor, new and repaired doors, a new dishwasher, a new radiator strip, new exhaust fans, new lighting, new faucets, a new motion sensor light, a new furnace, cleaning out of the basement, a new sump pump and discharge pipe, new windows in the basement, insulation in the attic and garage, new drywall, new hardware and locks, repaired window screens, and repairs and updating to the plumbing and electrical systems. We have currently arranged with contractors for two additional jobs. In June, we will sand and seal all the wood floors in the parsonage. In May, we will address water issues in the parsonage basement by excavating the back of the building, rebuilding a bowed and cracked basement wall, installing a new waterproofing membrane and foundation drain, and regrading the lawn behind the parsonage. This job will likely create quite a mess of the parsonage lawn, but the disruption will be temporary and is necessary to solve the water problems. Additional thanks to those who are relocating and saving plants and flowers that are in the way of the upcoming work. For those willing to lend a hand, some jobs still remain such as painting, electrical repairs, and work on the parsonage deck. Also please keep your eyes open for two upcoming group work days during which we will paint the parish hall ramp and railing and paint the basement of the parsonage. Anyone interested in helping is encouraged to speak to Steven Millar. PROPERTY & SOCIAL MINISTRY PARISH HALL WORK DAY On Saturday April 29, 10 of our members came out for our Parish Hall Work Day. We cleaned all the cabinets in the Fellowship Hall, buffed up the surfaces and vacuumed out the dust on top. After years of accumulations, the Hospitality Closet was cleaned out and straightened up. All the windows were washed and the refrigerator was cleaned out. Many thanks to all those members who donated time for this Spring Cleaning Event. OPEN HOUSE COFFEE HOUR AT THE PARSONAGE On Sunday April 30, we moved our Coffee Hour to the Parsonage. This special Coffee Hour was in appreciation for all the donations of time and money that our members and friends gave to refurbish the parsonage. Everyone was invited to walk around and see all the repairs and upgrades that were done to make a comfortable home for our next pastor. Everyone was very well pleased at the progress made during our renovations. Again many thanks for everyone s generous donation of time and money. PROPERTY Many thanks to the unending energy of Frya Barnes. The hill behind the parsonage looks wonderful. Frya spends many hours of weeding, planting and clearing the grounds. Thanks to Eric Golberg who brought his electric saw to cut up an old tree. Our Easter Day was enhanced by the beautiful flowers donated and planted by Frank Orts in the front of our church. Many thanks and blessings to these wonderful stewards of our church property. EASTER BREAKFAST Many thanks to John Magerlein and the men of Our Saviour who started cooking our annual French toast breakfast for our church and community at 7am on Easter morning before and in between both Easter services. Many hands make light the work...and it has been quite evident in all the work accomplished around our church in these last couple of months. Thank You to All!!

6 2017 Vacation Bible School Maker Fun Factory Created by God & Built for a Purpose will be held at Asbury United Methodist Church Old Post Rd., South, Croton Dates are August 14 to 18 from 9am to noon. $30 for 1 child $40 for 2 children $45 max per family As soon as the registration forms come in, we will have them available on the Link Table or you can call Lindsay Gilbert at (806) CROTON SUMMERFEST 2017 is June is the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. In recognition of this milestone, Our Saviour would like our members to join us as we go out into the Croton Community and share this joyous message. We are planning to join the Croton Summerfest parade on Sunday June 4th at 12noon. We would love to have a good representation of our congregation be present to march with us, so please reserve that day. We would like to distribute fresh baked cookies and items with our church information to the community. We ask all who can to show the Lutheran hospitality we are known for by baking chocolate cookies for distribution at this event. Please let Frya or Eleanor know how you can help out on that day.

7 The rite of Affirmation of Baptism will be celebrated on Sunday, June 4, the Day of Pentecost. Received into membership that day will be Mark Esteves, Andrew Stephens and Philip Stephens. Former Our Saviour Pastor, The Rev. Anthony Stephens, will lead our worship that morning. Confirmands complete a two year curriculum featuring a study of the Old and New Testaments, viewed through the lens of Lutheran theology, they learn, if they have not already done so the Lord s Prayer, The Ten Commandments and the Apostles Creed. Confirmands also attend a week of confirmation camp where they mingle with youths from other churches and share perspectives on faith by doing, and living the Christian story. Confirmation is not a complete end, as it best starts with children attending Sunday School, and where parents show engagement and commitment to their faith and the life of the church, and it best continues with adolescents progressively taking responsibility for their own faith development, and their parents continue to journey in their lifespan faith commitment and development. Please join us on Sunday June 4, as we celebrate this special Christian Rite of Passage for Mark, Andrew and Philip. We rejoice with Vicar John and Ann Marie Heidgerd at his coming ordination into pastoral ministry. The ordination service will be celebrated on Sunday, May 21, starting at 3PM at Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Church, 155 East 22 nd St. (between Lexington and 3 rd Aves) in NYC. All are invited to attend the service, and the repast which will follow. Bishop Robert Rimbo will preside at the service. MAY SUPPLY PASTOR The Rev. Dolores Mc Kay, recently retired Chaplain of the Wartburg Adult Care Community will be our guest Pastor for May 14, 21 and 28. Pastor Dolores McKay is married to Harry, a retired NYCFD Captain and presently has 4 children and 7 grandchildren. One son, a Fire Lieutenant, passed away from cancer as a result of working at the World Trade Center Towers on 911. She returned to school in 2003 and graduated from Empire State College with a Bachelor of Science Degree in July of She then enrolled the following September at General Theological Seminary and graduated in May of 2008 with a Masters of Divinity Degree. She was Ordained on December 12,2009 into the Evangelical Lutheran Church by Bishop Robert Rimbo. She served as Associate Pastor at United Lutheran Church which is on the grounds of Wartburg Adult Care Facility in Mt. Vernon. She also served as Chaplain to Residents, Staff and Family members at the Wartburg facility for 8 years. She is currently serving as a Supply Pastor in Metropolitan New York Synod. Pastor Mc Kay visited with us on April 23, and was warmly welcomed. Come and here her share the Good News with us!

8 MAY SUNDAY SERVANTS May 7 Greeters&Ushers: Eric Golberg & Barbara Henninger Amy Gardiner John Magerlein Frya Barnes Philip Stephens Frya Barnes & Linda Grauer May 14 Greeters&Ushers: Marilyn Dreyer & MaryBeth Soucy Jessica Phillips Karen Magerlein Bob Riekert Andrew Stephens & Karen Polacek May 21 Greeters&Ushers: John Magerlein & Lois Leonard Lori Esteves Eric Golberg Sue Orts Ken Gabrielsen Faith Papertsian M. Dreyer, K. Abbatiello & J. Schmidt May 28 Greeter&Usher: Dianne Carroll & Laura Keil Amy Gardiner Marilyn Dreyer Lori Esteves Mark Esteves Lois Leonard LECTIONARY READINGS 5/14 Acts 7: Peter 2:2-10 5/21 Acts 17: Peter 3: /28 Acts 1: Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11 6/04 Acts 2: Corinthians 12:3b-13 6/11 Genesis 1:1-2:4a 2 Corinthians 13: /18 Exodus 19:2-8a Romans 5:1-8 6/25 Jeremiah 20:7-13 Romans 6:1b-11 7/2 Jeremiah 28:5-9 Romans 6: /9 Zechariah 9:9-12 Romans 7:15-25a 7/16 Isaiah 55:10-13 Romans 8:1-11 7/23 Isaiah 44:6-8 Romans 8:12-25 JUNE SUNDAY SERVANTS June 4 Greeter&Usher: Karen Kuchnicki & Eric Golberg MaryBeth Soucy Chuck Cooper Faith Papertsian Evelyn Garrett & Hilda DeSousa June 11 Greeters&Ushers: Barbara Henninger & Marilyn Dreyer Lori Esteves Kirsten Berger Sue Orts John Magerlein Dr. Mtui June 18 Greeters&Ushers: MaryBeth Soucy & John Magerlein Amy Gardiner Ken Gabrielsen Karen Magerlein Frya Barnes OPEN June 25 Greeter&Usher: Lois Leonard & Dianne Carroll Eric Golberg Lori Esteves Bob Riekert OPEN July 2 Greeter&Usher: Laura Keil & Karen Kuchnicki Lori Esteves John Magerlein Ken Gabrielsen OPEN July 9 GreetersUsher: Barbara Henninger & MaryBeth Soucy Amy Gardiner Marilyn Dreyer OPEN July 16 Greeter&Usher: John Magerlein & Lois Leonard Jessica Phillips Chuck Cooper OPEN

9 MAY 2017 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY KEY: HB Happy Birthday HA Happy Anniversary 1 2 Christian Crafters 10am SPRING FLING Fourth Easter HB Sue Orts Fifth Easter HB Julie Kelly HB Ken Gabrielsen Sixth Easter 28 Seventh Easter HB Sarah Doherty HA Lisa & Pastor Stephens HB Dionne Johnson

10 JUNE 2017 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY KEY: HB Happy Birthday HA Happy Anniversary HB Eric Golberg 4 Day O Pentecost HB Frank Orts HB Zack Kuchnicki 9 10 CROTON SUMMERFEST 11 Holy Trinity HB Jack McCarthy HB Peter Gabrielsen 18 Second Pentecost Third Pentecost