STAFF CALL COMMITTEE UPDATE: Pastor John

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1 Jan/Feb 2011 Volume 44,, Issues 1&2 The Leaf a monthly publication of GLC Gethsemane Lutheran Church The Leaf 35 East E Stanton Avenue Columbus OH Interim Pastor Pastor John Stroup pastorjohn@gethsemane.org Interim Minister of Music Michael Snyder mikesnyder01@att.net Learning & Family Ministries Terri Siebert tsiebert@gethsemane.org Swahili Ministry Carl Bjork cbjork@trinitylutheranseminsary.edu Child Care Center Brenda Weilbacher bweilbacher@gethsemane.org Parish Secretary Diane Gutgesell glcoffice@gethsemane.org Custodians Mike and Kate Bumster In this Issue Interim Pastor P. 2 Swahili Service P. 3 Adult Education P. 4 Lent Soup Suppers P. 5 Souper Bowl P. 6 Senior High Youth P.7 to benefit Jacob s Porch Campus Ministry at Ohio State Sunday, February 13 11:45 am 1:00 pm in the Great Hall Gethsemane Lutheran Church 35 E. Stanton Ave. Donations will go to the OSU campus ministry of Jacob s Porch. Dinner sponsored by the Senior High Youth of Gethsemane Lutheran Church. For more information on Jacob s Porch, visit their website at

2 STAFF you say and do throughout this year. As each of you is a bearer of the Light, then Gethsemane Lutheran Church will continue to be a beacon of that Light revealing peace, hope, joy and God s love to others. What better way to begin this New Year, this New Decade, than to pray that will become a reality for all of you. May God bless you as you respond to His Light by revealing that Light to others. In Him was life and the life was the Light of the world. The Light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it. (John 1:4f (NRSV) Dear Friends in Christ, Greetings to you in the Name of Jesus Christ at the beginning of the year of our Lord, ! No it can t be that year already! A new decade! Didn t we just get over the Y2K scare? But, sure enough, time does pass by rather quickly and, yes, here we are at the beginning of the second decade of the 21 st Century. None of us has a crystal ball into which we can look to predict what 2011 will bring (although we do know that it will bring you a new full time pastor.) Yet, we can be assured that whatever 2011 brings, God will be with us to walk through both the joyful times and the difficult and sad times with us. As I sit here at my computer composing this article in the evening of the 5 th Day of Christmas, amidst all the yet to be cleaned up Christmas wrappings, I am aware of how soon the Epiphany Season will be upon us. Epiphany brings the Wise Men to worship the Christ Child and symbolizes for us the manifestation of Christ to the entire world. That little song that we all learned in Sunday School, This Little Light of Mine, says it best. This Little Light of Mine; I m gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. We bear the Light of Christ to the world. As God has shown Love to us in His Christ, so now we are called upon to let the Light of that Love so shine in and through our lives, that the Light may be passed on to others. My prayer for you is that you may be bearers of the Light of God s love in all that God Bless All of You in this New Year, Pastor John CALL COMMITTEE UPDATE: The seven committee members are now actively engaged in studying the written profiles of five candidates. In the first two weeks of January we have been able to interview in person four of the five. It is our plan to complete the interviews in early February. The next step will be for us to visit the candidates current churches for a worship experience. We continue to ask for God to guide us in this very important process. We appreciate your prayers as well. The Committee: Judy Kulikowski, Becky Lickfelt, Harry Lyatuu, Dick Lyndes, Rachel Murphy, Paula Sauer, Mike Siddall The staff at Gethsemane Lutheran wishes to extend to you good wishes for a truly blessed New Year! We are grateful to you one and all. Thank you for the wonderful gifts you have given us over the holidays. May God s grace on you always shine. the Gethsemane Staff 2

3 WORSHIP Swahili Eucharist Service for the Columbus Community Sunday, February 7, 2011, 3:30pm Gethsemane Lutheran Church (a joint ministry of Gethsemane and Ascension Lutheran Churches) Haleluya! Yesu amefufuka! Hallelujah! Jesus is risen! Please join us on Sunday, February 7, 2011, for a Eucharist Service in Swahili. The service begins at 3:30pm with African music. Holy Communion will be served and all baptized and believing Christians are invited to the Lord s Table to share in this meal. There will be a food and fellowship time after the service. Gethsemane Lutheran Church is located at 35 E. Stanton Ave., ¼ mile off North High Street behind Tim Horton s. If you have any questions or would like more information, please call the church at or at mchungaji@gethsemane.org. 3

4 LEARN about living as a Christian today and tomorrow and is needed throughout the lifetime of a Christian. Why not make a commitment to continuing YOUR Christian growth each Sunday? Adult Education Opportunities Adult Bible Study 8:15 AM This study returns to "Jacob becoming Israel" and Joseph's Story" following the outlines in the Lutheran Study Bible. We welcome new attendees at any time. Each week stands on its own so you will not miss anything. Grab some coffee and join our "family". We'd enjoy having your thoughts added to our discussions. Or if you prefer, just sit back and listen. The class meets in the Library on the upper level each Sunday. For more information contact Dick Lyndes at rhlyndes@wowway.com or Lifetime Learning 10:45 AM Jan. 9 through Mar. 6 From Here to Community Education does not end just because one has graduated from high school or college. One continues to learn throughout life in order to keep growing and to be ready for whatever comes along. The same is true for Christian education. Christian Education is about life, for life, and for a lifetime. That is why the Adult Education Ministry Team has chosen a new name for the 10:45 class at Gethsemane: Lifetime Learning - to emphasize that what is learned during that hour is Begin the New Year and Lifetime Learning on Sunday Jan. 9 th with a Biblical look at the Early Church during the time of the Apostle Paul as described in Philemon. The story is recounted as a mini-drama in the chapter Who are we? Where do we find identity? from From Here to Community: Enhancing Christian Community in Today s Society by Gethsemane members Dick and Judy Reuning. Take a fresh look at this story from the vantage point of members of the house church. After looking specifically at the Christian community, we move on in later sessions to discuss how essential the Christian community is to living a Christian life in such topics: Why Community? Good news in difficult situations ; Expect to be different ; Using our gifts ; Forgiveness -- a story of a small group; and Working for the Common Good. Is Gethsemane a safe place to share our cares, our fears, our joys with loving Christian friends or are we a gathering of strangers? From Here to Community taught by the authors is designed to move our congregation from being a gathering of individuals to being a community working together towards God s vision of peace and justice for humanity. This Lifetime Learning course will be a great way to build community during this transition year. Grab your coffee quickly and come on down to the Multi-purpose Room. Class starts promptly at 10:45. 4

5 LEARN Connections: Faith at Work Connections: Faith at Work meets on the first Friday of the month, 7:00-8:00am, at Bob Evans on Olentangy just south of King. The topics discussed are the connections between our faith and the many dimensions of work at a job, at church, at home or work as a volunteer. The Connections ministry provides a confidential opportunity to discuss with fellow Christians the dilemmas that test one s faith. Saturday Morning Men s Breakfast Study On the second Saturday of each month this group meets for fellowship, spiritual growth and breakfast at 8:00am at TeeJayes, Morse and High. The men explore a variety of topics and occasional guest speakers. For information, contact Bob Davis at or rjdjr@wowway.com Try Connections sometime. You ll like it. Topics for the year are: Work as therapy Is volunteering all it s cracked up to be? Globalization equalizing opportunity and fairness If I were running the place, Living with what you can t control Contact person is Judy Reuning, jreuning@lifecrossings.com Bible Study First Reflections Anyone who would like to study the gospel lesson for the upcoming Sunday is welcome. Bring your Bible and yourself to La Chatelaine in Worthington at 627 High Street, Monday mornings at 7:30am. You can order a breakfast, just a beverage or nothing at all. If you are off to work from there, you be the judge of when you need to leave. Most Mondays we end around 8:45, sometimes 9:00. You can find us in the back room at the big table. For information, contact Paula Sauer at or paulagsauer@yahoo.com. Join Us! Add your voice to the study! Coming on Lent Wednesdays Soup supper at 6:00pm Study at 6:30 Guest teacher will be Dr. Lisa Dahill, Trinity Lutheran Seminary. Dr. Dahill was with us several years ago, leading us in ways to connect with God through meditation and prayer. This year's study will focus on ways we can connect with God through creation, using spiritual practices. Ash Wednesday is March 9. Dr. Dahill's study begins March 16. 5

6 CONNECT The money collected will be sent directly to Lutheran Social Services of Central Ohio for use at their food pantries in Columbus, Lancaster and Caldwell, Ohio as well as their mobile food pantry. For more information on how you can become involved, contact Barbara Packer, LSS Director of Food Pantry Services at (614) or go to their website at Remember - feeding myself is a material question, feeding my neighbor is a spiritual one. As we enjoy the satisfaction of food and drink while watching the Super Bowl, we can still help to create a better world by serving people in need. February 6, 2011 SOUPER BOWL SUNDAY is an opportunity for you to participate in a program that benefits the food pantries of Lutheran Social Services of Central Ohio (LSS). Please consider being a part of this important event, which helps to feed our hungry neighbors! In 1990, a small church in South Carolina decided to use the famous football event as a way to raise money to help people in need. The SOUPER BOWL project has grown into a national event and now raises more than $10,000,000 each year, with all funds being used by local community programs. LSS food pantries have been providing food to families in need since 1927, and today LSS is one of the largest single direct providers in central Ohio. Last year their pantries served nearly 1.9 million meals. More than 40 percent of the people they serve are children. LSS has a reputation in the community for providing nutritious food served in an atmosphere of kindness, dignity and respect. At worship on Feb. 6, please place your contribution in the soup pot or your food items in the grocery cart. Care Packages to be Sent to College/ Military Personnel February 13 We will send Care Packages to all college students and anyone in the military on Sunday, February 13. This is Gethsemane s way of letting those who are away from home know that we are still thinking of them. WE NEED ADDRESSES: If you have someone in your family that should receive one of these packages, please contact the church office at or glcoffice@gethsemane.org with their address. WE NEED GOODIES: Please bring homemade cookies, candy, snack crackers, or other goodies to the upper level kitchen by Sunday, February 13. WE NEED BOXES: We can use small, sturdy (shoebox size) boxes, bubble wrap, and styrofoam peanuts. WE NEED HELPING HANDS: The goodies will be packed in boxes following the Education hour. If you are available, please come to the upper level kitchen on February 13 at 11:45am. 6

7 CONNECT Small Group Ministries First Reflections Monday Bible Study Paula Sauer Saturday Bible Study Connections: Faith at Work Judy Reuning Senior High Youth Busy with Activities SOSLYO YOUTH GATHERING: The High School Ministry Team is coming into a busy time of year. Ten of us will be attending the SOSLYO Youth Gathering on January The Gathering is held at Camp Kern near Cincinnati. The event is run by Pastor Jay Gamlin and Jacob s Porch. It is always a great event. it is having a significant impact on their ability to serve as the OSU Campus Ministry for the ELCA. In an attempt to help, the High School Ministry Team is hosting a spaghetti dinner from 11:45 until 1:00 on Sunday the 13 th. There is no cost to attend, however, there will be a free-will offering that will go to help support Jacob s Porch. We will also be spreading the word though the other NW Cluster congregations as well as an announcement in the neighborhood newspapers. We are looking forward to a great day of praise and fellowship. Please plan to join us. Men s Breakfast Bob Davis rjdjr@wowway.com Habitat for Humanity Bill Darlage Darlage_bill@hotmail.com Mom s Group Doris Ing dor_ing@yahoo.com LWR Quilts Ruth Fortis ruthfortis@sbcglobal.net Prayer Shawls glcoffice@gethsemane.org OR Call the Church Office ANNUAL SUB SALE: The annual sub sale will be starting on Sunday, January 16 th and run through Sunday, January 30 th. Keep an eye out for the order forms. We will be having a lock-in on Saturday, February 5 th to assemble the subs. Don t worry, we ll get that done before we stay up all night. The subs will then be distributed on Sunday the 6 th. JACOB S PORCH WORSHIP & BENEFIT DINNER: On Sunday, February 13 th, Pastor Jay and Jacob s Porch will be leading our worship service. The high school youth will be participating in the service as ushers, readers, Eucharistic Ministers and members of the Praise Team. If you have not heard, Jacob s Porch has recently lost much of their funding and Sunday, February 6 Watch for the order forms to purchase your subs. $4.50/sub 7

8 PEOPLE NEWS January Birthdays 2 David Keller 3 Dick Reuning 4 Marie Needham 5 Bob Davis Wendy Luedke 8 Mary Bardach 10 Steve Gutgesell 11 Nate Tansky 13 Jennie Meyers 14 Andrew Kulikowski 16 Teresa Perin 18 Christy Feldman 23 Andrew Carringer 28 Jon Ankrom February Birthdays 2 Donna Baer 5 Salome Mashambo 6 Daniel Frashier 7 Sarah Reilly 8 Adam Langknecht 9 Carrie Large 10 Andrea Lutze 11 Jim Hiller 13 Bob Brugler Rob Needham 14 Cindy Baer Andrew Keller 17 Alice Gerken Phyllis Wei 19 Eric Gaines Carol Savolaine 20 Richard Van Hull 21 Jan Davis 22 Elizabeth Ankrom Irene Ralls 24 Wayne Gardner Patty Gerken 26 Dorian Norstrom 27 Marie Cooper 28 Jennifer Coppola Our Prayers and Concern Are With... Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. Ephesians 6:18 Members: Donna Baer (Whetstone Care Center) Marilyn Bosen (Arlington Court) Peg Croswell Jean Fritchen Ken Gerken... Elaine Haines Arlene Hendrickson (Kindle, Granville) Mary Manship (Wesley Glen) Eleanor Nagy Rob Needham Phyllis Nelson Rebecca Oldaker Sarah Reilly Reva Woodruff. Family and friends: Elmer Ahlberg (father of Terri Siebert) Joan Anderson (mother of Char Jessie) Donald Carringer (father of Paul Carringer) Barry Hagerdorn (son of Bob and Emilie Hagerdorn) Jim Hursey, Dee Lowery, and Kim Valentino (friends of Anita Gardner) Cathy Kaiser (cousin of Janice Dunham) Rachel Kaufman (granddaughter of Bob and Jan Davis) Ed Langner (father of Rick Langner) Willey Lyatuu (father of Harry, imam and Hilda Lyatuu) Tanner, Logan, and Riley McPherson (triplet great-grandchildren of Barbara Nelson) Robert Mullins (father of Patsy Carringer) Jeff Portzline (son of Ralph Portzline) Ruth Vollrath (cousin of Jane Sieberth) Pastor Betsy Williams (former Gethsemane deaconess) Jonnie Wilson and family (friends of Char Jessie). Our love and compassion to the family of Arnold Woods (father of John Woods) who passed away. Family and friends serving overseas: Chaplain Jess Abbott (friend of Jen Tatz) Grady Driver (nephew of Jim Driver) Mark Fields (friend of Anita Gardner) Theresa Kulikowski (niece of Dave Kulikowski) T.J. Smith (friend of Morgan Melton) Colin Steffa (son of Meredith Dobyns). Would you like to add your prayers? For Sunday Prayers: Contact church secretary, Diane, at or glcoffice@gethsemane.org before 12:00 noon on Thursday. After that time, you will have the opportunity in worship to name those silently or aloud during the prayers. For prayers during the week: Call Beryl Cumberland ( ) or Barbara Nelson ( ). 8

9 COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS Congregation Council The following were installed on Jan. 9, OFFICERS: President Carol Prigan Vice-President Mark Hagerdorn Secretary Heidi Hiller Treasurer Rick Langner MEMBERS: Janice Dunham Harry Lyatuu Morgan Melton Dave Norman Joe Reilly Highlights of Council Meeting Dec. 9, 2011 A copy of the Council and Committee minutes and Financial Report is posted in Atrium Way. PLEASE READ BUT LEAVE POSTED. Take home copies (minus attachments) are available in the Welcome Center. FINANCIAL REPORTS Jeff Luedke GLC We are completing the first 6 month period of the June 30 th fiscal year and finances are stable. Financial results for November were favorable. This follows the general trend of spending less than budgeted, primarily in payroll costs. For the month of November, GLC has a net surplus of $4,670. The cumulative shortfall is $3,913. At the end of November, working cash totaled $75,179. Quarterly benevolence payments will be made at the end of December. It was noted that favorable results mask a potential problem: contributions through November are behind by $23,000. If GLC were paying for permanent rather than interim staff, financial results would not be favorable. Play & Learn Reports for November are not yet available. They will be completed shortly and delivered electronically. MINISTRY TEAM UPDATES Year end reports from ministry teams were made available to Council electronically. They will be made available to the congregation at the welcome center, and placed on the GLC website. OLD BUSINESS Motion: (J Siebert, D Seidelmann) Approval of Council s response to the Audit Committee report for Carried. Director of Music Ministries-Barbara Ford has set an interview schedule with three local candidates and the interview team for this position. It is anticipated that auditions will run into January-February. To maintain continuity, a recommendation was made by the DMM Search Committee for an extension for Michael Snyder s services. MOTION: (J Siebert, P Feldman) Approve recommendation to extend Michael Snyder s contract through February. Carried. MOTION: (P Feldman, H Lyatuu) Adopt by-laws as amended (new section C , with proposed subsection c removed) to provide procedure and guidelines for removal from church membership. Carried. NEW BUSINESS Swahili Ministry MOTION: (H Lyatuu, J Dunham) Allow a Swahili Worship Service on December 25 3:30pm. Carried. MOTION: (J Luedke, H Lyatuu) Extend Carl Bjork s contract as coordinator of the Swahili Worship Service from Jan1-April Carried. continued 9

10 COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS continued from previous page From July 1, 2010 to date we have spent $752 in pay and expenses on this position. Carl s pay has averaged $235/month which is well below the limit of $320/month that originally was authorized by Council. MOTION: (J Siebert, P Feldman) Approve the following appointed officer positions and administrative committee positions: Arlene Hendrickson-Assistant Financial Secretary Jim Sauer-Assistant Properties Manager Day Care Committee-reappoint Diane Langner, Chair and Paula Sauer, Vice Chair Brian Lutz-Nominating Committee (1 term) Personnel Committee-Wendy Luedke (second term-2 year appointment), Byron Ford (3 year term). Carried. MOTION: (D Seidelmann, J Siebert) Appoint Carol Prigan, Rick Langner and Janice Dunham as a one-time negotiating committee for the new Pastor. Pastor Jay from Jacob s Porch (OSU Campus Ministry) sent a letter regarding significant financial concern since Southern Ohio Synod s contribution to their grant will not be funded this year. Without additional funding by the end of January 2011, the ministry is in jeopardy. Earlier in the year, GLC increased their contribution to this ministry (to 0.5% of GLC s budgeted spending) when the three contributing Synods indicated they would be reducing contributions. Pastor Jay is seeking further support from the 40 congregations in this conference. Council is seeking more specific details to be able to make an informed decision on this matter no later than the next meeting. Pastor Stroup will contact Pastor Jay. The HS youth at GLC decided to host a fundraising spaghetti dinner (Feb13 th ), and have all proceeds from their sub sale go to Jacob s Porch as well. MOTION: (P Feldman, D Seidelmann) Direct GLC receipts for 2010 from the Thrivent Choice Dollars to the Capital Improvement Fund. Carried. MOTION: (J Luedke, J Siebert) Submit Violet Meek for nomination of At Large Clergy (1year position) in the Sothern Ohio Synod. Carried. Nominations are also being accepted for Trinity Seminary Board of Directors (4 year term) until February 2 nd. Don Dell will distribute a letter in mailboxes inviting members to contribute toward the annual staff gift. Words of appreciation were expressed to Don Dell for his remarkable leadership, attention to detail and organizational skills during the past year. He graciously accepted Council s thanks, and expressed his gratitude for the work of the 2010 Council, and pleasure in the composition of the incoming Council. ANNOUNCEMENTS -Christmas caroling December 19 6:30 pm. Meet at GLC. Cookies are a part of this festive event. -There will be a Christmas Swahili Worship Service on Sunday, December 25 th at 3:30pm. -The next regular Swahili Worship Service is scheduled for January 2 3:30pm. -Installation of new Council Members is scheduled for the worship service on January 9 th. Heidi Hiller, Secretary 10