Gracelines. From our Pastor. Page 1 of 10. Persevere in Prayer GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH & SCHOOL INSIDE GRACELINES. Rev.

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1 Page 1 of 10 GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH & SCHOOL June, 2017 Volume 16, Issue 6 Gracelines INSIDE GRACELINES From Our Pastor 1 From Our Pastor 2 Offering & Attendance School News 3 Thank you Blessing to Graduates Welcome Mr. Ingwersen Thank you Church News 4 Congrats to All Graduates College Graduates 5 Stewardship VBS 6 Voter s Meeting Thank you Volunteers Needed Abundance Sunday Coming Events Church Information 7 Persevere in Prayer From our Pastor Rev. Michael Mueller You may be facing some obstacles to asking. Do you feel like you have to be polite with God? Do you ever make the decision NOT to ask God about matters in your life because you feel that you just shouldn t bother Him. How can I ever ask God about this? you might think. The Bible says in James 4:2, You do not have, because you do not ask God. Another reason you may not ask God about your needs and issues and desires in life is that you are used to doing life yourself. You may be going your own way and it isn t God s way. Maybe there are times you don t ask because you get discouraged and tired. You re weary. Things look hopeless. And you say to yourself, Why even pray? I ve tried it before. Why try again? Now, listen to me carefully. It s no secret; God knows that you need Him! You re not His peer or equal partner. He is here to help you. Maybe you get discouraged when nothing was happening. Who better can you go to when you re lonely, when you need a focus in life, when you are experiencing strife in your family, when you encounter tough issues and temptations, when you need help in friendships, when you deal with money or car or material troubles; who better can you go to than God Himself? You need Him. You need to ASK! Those issues that I just mentioned were a summary of the Ten Commandments. God gave those commands to His people in Exodus 20 because He cared about them. He cared about their day to day living. That s the kind of God He is. He cares about your daily life, too. Jesus lived a real life, died on the cross and rose from the dead to impact your life. He cares! He came to save you from having nobody and no hope. He came to let you know that God is not a distant celebrity. He is Continues on page 2 Gracelines Calendar and Gracelines are monthly publications of Grace Lutheran Church & School 856 W. Newgrove Street, Lancaster, CA Telephone Fax

2 Gracelines Page 2 of 7 My mind belongs to Jesus. He redeemed it with His blood. When evil thoughts torment me, I choose to think on good. Persevere in Prayer (continued from page1) your Father. He forgives you and gives you a new kind of life. And since believing in Him, trusting in Jesus as your Savior you are God s own, you can talk to Him about anything, any time, anywhere! Every basic need is in God s care. Nothing is too small. I want to give you three challenges for the asking part of your prayer life. First, start a prayer reflex. Jesus said in Matthew 7:7, Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Philippians 4:6 says, Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God. James 5:13 says, Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. A prayer reflex is developing the habit to pray first, to talk to God about everything you do, to make Him your first thought not your last. Second, develop prayer persistence. In Luke 18 we hear, Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. It is the story of the persistent widow. Jesus wants you to keep the lines of communication open with Him. Sometimes you see immediate answers to your prayers. Sometimes you wait. Jesus says, Keep praying and don t give up. Third, pray now. Pray while you can. I Peter 4:7 says, The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self controlled so that you can pray. Prayer takes a clear mind and self control. If you don t pray now, you may not be able to pray when the pressure is on. Learn to pray now so you can rest in the care of the Lord during those tough times. Offering Attendance Collected the Month of April 2017 $33,315 Year -to- Date $133,344 Building Fund (BTBC) Collected 852,756 Available funds 291,082 Apr 23 Sun 120 May 10 Wed 3 Apr 26 Wed 0 May 14 Sun 138 Apr 30 Sun 106 May 17 Wed 2 May 3 Wed 0 May 17 Sun 6 May 7 Sun 144 Average Attendance April

3 Page 3 of 7 Gracelines School News Dear Grace Lutheran, I was overwhelmed and humbled by the celebration of ministry. Praise goes to God for His grace and mercy. Jeremiah 29:11 says, For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Over the past 49 years Jerry and I have served where God has led. For family, friends, colleagues and students from far and near. I am so thankful to all of you for all of your caring. What a joyful time together! We share in God s mission. I will miss the kids, families, and colleagues - I will miss the daily smiles, hugs, and support. I leave you with the words of Paul, I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:3-6 Joy in Serving, Karen Markin CONGRATULATIONS AND GOD S BLESSINGS TO OUR GLS GRADUATES: Ari Cole, Kaden Cole, Micah Hinckley, Stephen Marvin, Angela Rodriguez (Valedictorian), Margie Rodriguez, Andrew Stuart, Harm van de Pol (Salutatorian), Lars van Polanen GLS WELCOMES MR. INGWERESEN THIS JULY Mr. Ingwersen holds an Associates Degree from St. Paul's College, Concordia, MO; a Bachelors of Arts Degree from Concordia College, St. Paul, MN and a Masters of Science Degree from Concordia University, Mequon, WI. He has served in Lutheran schools for over 40 years in Denver, CO, Red Bud, IL, Mequon, WI, Lapeer, MI, Crystal Lake, IL, Palatine, IL, and Lombard, IL. He and his

4 Gracelines Page 4 of 7 wife, Kim, are blessed with four children and eleven grandchildren. Mr. I has a passion for supporting and enabling teachers to use their God-given talents so that students can thrive in their classrooms. He is a fan of the Green Bay Packers and the St. Louis Cardinals. In his spare time, he enjoys reading books on historical narratives and leadership as well as hiking and biking. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! This year 9 families were grateful for scholarships that helped them attend Grace Lutheran School. We have 10 families that have requested scholarship assistance for the school year. With an increase in tuition, more funding is needed. Continued evidence of the Spirit working in the lives of our students is heard on the playground: In a discussion with students about being kind to our friends, a 2nd grader spoke up and said, We are all part of Jesus family and He loves us and wants us to be nice. God is using GLS to spread the Gospel right here - thanks be to God and all the teachers that are a blessing to the school. Church News Congratulation! To All Our Graduates! We rejoice with all youth, young adults, adults who achieved special educational degrees and promotions. Congratulations on your accomplishments and God s blessings on all of your future endeavors! Here are a few names of those that have graduated or will be graduating. Middle School Graduates: Micah Hinckley will graduate from Grace Lutheran and attend Quartz Hill in the fall Ava Cox will graduate from Joe Walker and attend Quartz Hill in the fall. She also made the cheer squad for the school year. Emma Weatherwax will graduate from Desert Christian and attend Paraclete in the fall. Kaden Cole, will graduate from Grace Lutheran and attend Paraclete in the fall High School Graduates: Katie Arnold- She will graduate from Quartz Hill High School and attend Antelope Valley College in the fall. She will also be playing soccer for the Marauders. Brady Barnett, grandson of John & Barbara Foltin, he will graduate from Desert Christian High School

5 Page 5 of 7 Gracelines College Graduates: Ashley Young, graduated from the Antelope Valley College with a Liberal Arts Degree and an AA and certificate in Commercial Photography Matthew Thibault, grandson of Leo & Joann Thibault, he will graduate from UCLA with a Bachelor s Degree in Physics Kalen Baertlein will graduate from Concrrdia University Irvine with a Master of Arts in Education. She currently is finishing her 3rd year of teaching math at Crean Lutheran High School in Irvine. Nathan Ludicke graduated from San Francisco State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Cinema From Stewardship One of the best known and beloved psalms is Psalm 23, the Shepherd Psalm. There we learn that the Lord is our shepherd. And since He is our shepherd, we will not want. We will not suffer want because the Lord, our shepherd, will lead us to green pastures and beside still waters. In other words, the Lord, our shepherd, will provide for all that we need in both body and soul. Yet, we live as though this is not the case. We live as though we actually suffer from want, that the Lord, our shepherd, will not provide for all that we need. And thus, we live as though the Lord is not our shepherd. And that means that we live as though we are not the Lord's sheep. How do we do this? We do it when we put anything else before Him and His provision for us. When we think that going to work is more important than receiving the gifts that He won for us on the cross, a violation of the First and Third Commandments. We do it when we fail to give generously of the first fruits of what the Lord has provided for us because we think we don't know what the future will bring, even though He has promised that He will lead us to green pastures and still waters. We do it when we think that the Lord is only in the business of helping those who will help themselves, we do this because we have a mind set on earthly, temporal things and not on heavenly, eternal things. We do this because we have stopped hearing the call of our shepherd, which comes through His Word. The Word of God is how our shepherd calls us to himself. Through that Word, the Holy Spirit gathers and enlightens us with His gifts. Through that Word, we are kept holy and nourished in the one true faith, the faith that follows our Shepherd wherever He leads us. He promises to lead you to your true home, to the land flowing with milk and honey, to a better country, not of this world, but a heavenly one. And so, here's the good news: The Lord is your shepherd still, even, and especially, for wayward sheep. For Jesus seeks and saves those who are lost. He finds the lost sheep and carries them back to the fold. He is the shepherd that lays down his life for His sheep. The Lord is your shepherd. Let us live then as His sheep. In His Service, Lee T. Jackson Stewardship

6 Gracelines Page 6 of 7 Vacation Bible School will be June from 9:30am-11:30am. At Mighty Fortress, children learn about Jesus, our Savior King, who conquers our fears and is our sure defense. So raise your banner!! Raise it High. Please see the purple registration form located on the information center in the Narthex. Call the church office or Mark Welsh for further questions or if you would like to help. Regular Voters Meeting ~ Sunday ~ June 25 Following Worship Service Agenda to include: Election of Vice President, Secretary Revised Budget for July thru Dec New voters accepted at end of meeting. A huge shout out to all who helped in making Karen's retirement party so memorable! A special thanks to Sandy and the food crew, Mary for MC'ing, our secretaries, Chris and Teri, Jim, Craig, Heidi and all of our teachers and Pastor. Also to our neighbor Jesse for hours on the slide/video show. Please pray with us for God's guidance. We thank God for your partnership in the Gospel, from the first day even until now! Jerry and Karen Volunteers Needed! Please see the sign-up sheets on the table in the Narthex or call Teri in the church office if you are interested in altar guild, reading or greeting here at the church. June and July Abundance Sunday Collection for Grace Resource Center is shampoo, hand lotion, chap stick, sunscreen and deodorant. Bring them to the narthex any time during the month of June. June 1 June 2 June 6 June 18 June June 25 8 th Grade Graduation GLS Last Day of School Blood Drive at AVOIC Father s Day Vacation Bible School Voters Meeting Please watch for more information in the coming weeks/months on each of these events.

7 GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH & SCHOOL 856 W. Newgrove Street Lancaster, CA NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION PAID LANCASTER, CA PERMIT No. 200 We re on the Web! See us at: CHURCH STAFF CHURCH BOARD OF DIRECTORS Pastor Rev. Michael Mueller President Craig Boyer Church Secretary Teri Morgan Vice President Brad Norris Treasurer Bob Petersen SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION Recording Secretary Sandy Garland Principal Karen Markin Member at Large Owen McCallister School Secretary Christine Calvert Council of Elders Donald Crane Pastor Mueller Church Office