June 12, :00pm

Transcription

1 The Epistle St. Paul s Lutheran Church June 2016 June 12, :00pm Gathered to Go...to study God's Word, Worship together; and to walk with Christ by loving, serving and nurturing all God's people where ever they are and whatever their circumstances. 1

2 Thank you to all at St. Paul s for your generosity toward the CROP Walk. We had 5 walkers who raised over $1000. A big thank you goes to our walkers, Barb Pinneo, Les Wood, Terry and Sallie Jensen. With the generosity and support from St. Paul s we have made a difference in the lives less fortunate, here in our community, and all around the world. Thank you so much. Amy Stewart A huge thank you to the entire Jenkins family and Katya McBride for all the time and effort put into making very delicious breakfasts this past year. This is a gift we all enjoyed receiving. Thank you to Stan & Elaine Stefanik for taking care of the gardens and maintenance issues in the church. Spring Concert with the Penn Yan Community Chorus, directed by Jennifer Kraemer, on Sunday, June 5, 2 PM at the First Baptist Church in Penn Yan. The theme for the concert is Hearth and Soul, featuring folk songs and spirituals. Lucinda Loomis and Linda Payne will accompany the chorus on piano. There is no admission charge for this concert. A free-will offering is collected to support the chorus' financial needs. 2

3 You are invited to the installation of The Reverend Lexa Liepe as pastor of St. Paul s. Sunday, June 12, 2016 at 3:00p.m. Come celebrate with our new pastor and her family. A pot-luck supper will follow the service. Please sign up to bring a dish to pass. (The signup sheet is on the bulletin board. Any questions call Wanda Wood at ) ATTENTION CHURCH COUNCIL Remember!! The June meeting will be Monday June 13 th at 7:00pm. 3

4 Cole Robert Kirch (Ann Kirch s grandson) PYA Tyler Brooks (Clem Nielsen s nephew) - college Welcome New Member We welcome Janet Hayton back to St. Paul s. As most everyone knows she grew up here at St. Paul s and works at Longs Stiles Rd. Penn Yan Jillian Foster will be joining us during worship on Sunday June 19 and telling us about her trip to Haiti which we helped support with items that were needed there. SUMMER WORSHIP SCHEDULE Begins Sunday June 5th. Two services, one at 8:00am and one at 10:00am 4

5 From Pastor Lexa Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, What a crazy time of year! On Christmas Eve we had weather fine enough for a BBQ outside - and on Pentecost afternoon we had flurries mixed in with the rain. What a strange and new thing! God also promises to do a new thing in our lives. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? God says in Isaiah 43:19. Often we love new things: we love the return of green and Spring after a dark and bare Winter. We are happy to welcome back our snow birds and our college kids. And we celebrate with Justina Jenkins as she is our newest adult (confirmed) member of our congregation. But there are more strange and new things in the air: Our transition time is over. We have a new pastor. Who is not so new after all. So what does this mean for our future together? Some may wonder what will come next. Some may be excited. While others are on the fence. And yet others, quite frankly, may feel unhappy because this is not what they had hoped, worked, or wished for. Jesus says: By this everyone will know that you are Christians - that you have love for one another. This is true for us as much as everyone else. But what does this mean? What does this mean, to love one another? Love comes and shows itself in a lot of different ways. But for us here, as the people of St. Paul s, it probably means to be honest with each other. If there is a question, a comment, some complaint, let us speak to the person or persons involved. That is hard. No one likes to do that. But everything else would not be true 5

6 to the one who loves us. Love means to be honest - in good times and in difficult times. It probably also means to let go of all those mind games. Who are the ones who agree with us? Who does not agree? What do they even want? Questions like these get us nowhere. Or at least nowhere good. Instead of wondering and bearing grudges, God invites us to love. And that is wonderful news. We don t have to always like each other. We don t have to always agree with each other. But we can always love each other. We can respect the other person. We can stop seeing them and us. We can let go of the things that hurt us, confuse us, or drive us crazy. Instead we can love. Because God loves all of us. No matter who we are. No matter how different our opinions are - we are all loved the same way by the same God. Because it doesn t really matter who we are but only whose we are! In the end, love is not about us, about what we receive, and about what is owed to us. Instead love is about the way we live with each other. Love is about forgiveness, about new beginnings, and about sharing what we have received from God s bounty. God comes to us to give us a new life. A life in which we can begin anew if things have gone awry. A life in which we can love each other. A life in which we can forgive one another. A life in which we can turn away from hurtful things. A life in which we can speak openly about what is going on - in our lives, in this congregation, and in this community. A life in which we can feed the hungry, shelter the poor, and protect the marginalized. A life in which we follow Jesus and his way - because we have no other safe way to walk. God gives us a new life, so that instead of worrying, we can simply go out and proclaim the Gospel in words and deeds. I am excited about this. I am excited to continue our journey in following Jesus together in this community, here in Penn Yan - with you - the people of St. Paul s. 6

7 For where I failed, for where I made mistakes, and for where I left expectations unmet as your Transitional Pastor - I ask your forgiveness. For where there is need to talk - I invite you to come to me. And for where there are new ideas - let us share them with all. We can do this together for we really are the community loved by God, invited by God to love others, and send by God to share this wonderful news of love and new life with all we encounter. God promises: I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. As your new pastor, I am looking very much forward to figure out with you what God has in store for us. All I know is that it will be greater and better than anything we could imagine! Peace, Pastor Lexa Lutheran World Relief: QUILTS Thanks to the ladies who have helped to tie our quilts together. We still could use more volunteers for the third Wednesday of the month from 9:30 to 11:30am. It s fun to chat while working; no expertise needed as Sheila says, just thread a needle and tie a knot. We delivered 18 quilts to St. Paul s in Hilton, NY on April 26. It was a fun trip and we got to see the church. Our quilts became part of many more being picked up to go to the Maryland warehouse! Karen Malte 7

8 From our Council President Brothers and Sisters, Parts of the following are from an ELCA daily devotional that I found online. It speaks to me about letting go of the selfish, shortsighted and uncompromising ways in which we are all guilty of acting at some point or another. Life should have been exceptional for the young man. *He had recently graduated from college and received a degree in business administration. *Then he had landed a position in a prestigious international company. Everything seemed to be going well, except for the fact he was feeling more alone every day. This was unusual since there were many people who worked next to him in the same department. The problem was this: even though this young man was doing his job well, he was taking advantage of others. He used unfair practices and fostered rivalries for the sole purpose of looking good to his supervisor. His attitude and lack of humility were the reasons why he was being isolated. Thank God one day a person approached him and casually shared with him their faith story. This was a turning point for the young man and did much to help him reflect on his relationship with God. By the Holy Spirit's power, this young man soon came to know and believe in the Savior. His newfound faith showed him a God whose love and humility was a wonderful example to follow. More than that, he was given a Savior who forgave His sins and gave him a peace that permeated everything he did. This faith caused a dramatic change in the young man. Soon he was able to live with a sense of humility, compassion and was able to show the joy of the Spirit to everyone he encountered. Each day was marked by an appreciation of his relationship with God and with his colleagues. Soon they began to see him as a member of the team. His skills and theirs allowed their team to be respected and honored. In short, the young man realized that if he continued to be motivated by envy, selfishness and a lack of humility, his life here would never be what he d hoped for. With the Spirit of the living God flowing through him, the young man knew he was destined to do good 8

9 things in the world; and be part of something bigger than himself. Only when we open our ears and hearts to hear the true good news of the Triune God are we able to live free of the chains of our human ways. Only then are we able to work together toward that glorious end-goal of being united in our baptismal promise and living each day with gratitude. Then we may all act justly, love mercy and walk humbly, side-by-side, with our God. In His Peace, Whitney From Our Social Ministry Deacon Many thanks for filling our veterans boxes and sponsoring the Crop Walk. You are wonderful! Your generosity is greatly appreciated! A special note to keep you posted I have contacted two mission groups who will travel to an orphanage in Haiti and a small village in Honduras. Both groups have agreed to take our pillowcase dresses and shorts to the children in those areas and distribute them. This will happen at the end of June. All people interested in sewing during the summer, please contact me so we can continue our good work. A local group from the Methodist Church plans to go to Haiti in September. Respectfully submitted, Cindy Covert Social Ministry Deacon 9

10 From our Worship Deacon God's Blessings to each of you~ On May 15th, Justina Jenkins was confirmed in a sea of red clothing; red candles; red paraments; and lots of red balloons! What a wonderful celebration of Pentecost and the faithful at St. Paul's. Thank you to everyone who helped make this a special day for everyone, especially Justina! I would like to take this time to congratulate the Reverend Russell Scheel on the 50 th Anniversary of his Ordination. What a wonderful milestone that is and how richly God has blessed so many with Russ' love and service to God and the congregations he has served. The month of June brings worship times to 8:00 and 10:00 AM. There is no Sunday school during the summer months. This is the Time after Pentecost where we use the green paraments each week and we return to using the Apostle's Creed. During the month of June our Gospel readings will come from the Gospel of Luke where we hear stories of healing and reconciling power for all people. Sunday June 5th, our service will follow that theme and will include a healing service. On June 12th, we hope everyone will join us in celebrating the Installation of Pastor Lexa Liepe as Pastor of St. Paul's. The service will begin at 3:00PM. This is a joyous occasion for all at St. Paul's. Dean Frank Hanrahan will be with us that day as well as many other clergy from around the community and the Synod. The installation will be followed by a pot luck luncheon and fellowship. Come celebrate with us! We give thanks for Choir Director Jason Riley and the choir for their anthems each week and their dedication to their music. We know they are small in number but their sound is lovely and the anthems enhance our worship. We also give thanks for our 10

11 pianist/organist Deborah Bacon and the lovely music she prepares for us each week from preludes to hymns and postludes. We at St. Paul's are blessed to have all of these musicians in our midst. If you have any concerns about worship, please contact the Worship and Music Committee. We welcome your input. Blessings, Elaine Gleason, Worship Deacon Talking about new things The last few weeks, and even in this epistle, we talk and write a lot about new things coming up, about new things happening in nature, around us, and in the world at large. To keep with the theme, we have a few more new things to add to our church calendar and to your own: Vesper Services On council nights (usually first Monday of the month - but sometimes that shifts a little bit) we offer a new Vesper (Evening) Service. It s a short service (about 20 minutes), no preaching. We will focus on readings, and prayers, and the Light promised to us (as seen in the candles we light during the service). We meet at 6.30 p.m. in the sanctuary. Come and join us! If you are interested in having an evening service more often than once a month please talk to Elaine Gleason, or Pastor about your interest. We would love to offer this regularly if there is an interest! Faith Formation As the official statement of the ELCA says: A vital and vibrant congregation comes together to study the Bible, talk about their faith, and find new ways to interact with each other. So, let s get together and study, learn, engage, laugh, and share. There will be several ways to do so. 11

12 Saturday Classes During the course of the year we will get together in regular intervals on Saturdays to learn more about God, about our faith, and about each other. Our first unit will start in the Fall. We will meet for three sessions - and our first topic will be Jesus. (I promise it will be much more interesting than it may sound right now!) We will meet from 10 to 2 with a lunch break in-between. These Saturday classes will count towards needed Continuing Education Credits for our Deacons. Check the Epistle and announcements in late summer for dates and times! Fun Fests A new slogan is going around Lutheran (and other) Churches right now: Kill Sunday School before it kills the church! While this statement may be a bit out there, the idea, I believe, is rather valid. Rick Melheim and other Christian Education professionals argue that our age segregated Sunday Schools are actually harming our congregations. They insist that we need to come together as one congregation to share our knowledge and our experience. Where else can young and old learn, live, and laugh together? This, says Melheim, is the gift a congregation can give its members: coming together as the people we are and enjoy the gifts and challenges we bring. The more intergenerational events a congregation offers, says Melheim, the more the people of the congregation grow together in faith and fellowship. I was happy when I read this because intergenerational work has and is something that is very dear to me. But Intergenerational Congregational Learning Events sounds just awful! (It may sound good in an academic paper but in real life?!? Oh my!) And so we came up with a better name: Fun Fest! From October to May we will meet every third Sunday between our two services to learn, play, engage, laugh, and share together. Everyone is invited. No one is too old or too young. Every Fun Fest will have a theme. In October we will celebrate the Reformation, in November Thanksgiving, in December Advent, and so forth. This is a great time to bring friends and neighbors. And it is also a wonderful time to get to know each other much 12

13 better. So come and join the fun. I heard good old Martin Luther has promised to join us for our first Sunday in October! And I am sure you don t want to miss that Bible Study Yes, we will have a weekly Bible study again. We will meet for the first time in September, and will decide together what we want to study. I have some ideas. But please bring your own as well. We are still trying to figure out the best time for us to meet. So if you haven t done so already, take one of those Worship and Christian Education surveys and let us know what times would work best for you! Looking forward to hearing from you, and seeing you at Bible Study in September! Come spend a few quiet minutes away from your busy schedule. Join us for Vespers on Monday June 13 th at 6:30pm. 13

14 Beware of Friendly Fire Taken from Chapter 10 (Your Relationships) of Fervent with a little bit of Becky Vaughan added. The church is the bride of Christ. God desires that God s church be One Body with its many parts all of us little candles joining together to be a great beacon of light calling All to God. Others will want to join u when they see our loving, enriching relationships among ourselves. Today there are many outside forces attacking God s church. We must strive to stand together (helping each other stand) to invitingly shine outside, drawing all to God. Satan is pleased when he can attack the church from within, causing our beacon to dim. We aid these enemy attacks with friendly fire which can cause heart-wrenching division between us. My heart can be broken by a fellow believer who seems to be fighting against me (not with me). This can begin to create a dividing wall (wall of hostility Eph. 2:14) between us. This wall grows when factions develop Divisions might be over the pastor s preaching, use of time, leadership style, bedside manner, how loud music is played, use of finances, who sits where, gossiping, doctrinal stances, etc. Our team doesn t want to play like one. This is friendly fire. Even the normal wear and tear of life can cause us to grate against (rub on) ne another not only in the church, but in families and within ourselves. We grow weary of performing our duties, our commitments endlessly. We nurse hurt feelings, harbor unforgiveness, belabor gossip, long to quit (divorce, leave friends or the church). These are enemy attacks. If we don t have peace within, we can t easily share peace. James 3:14-16 tells us the tools of division and disunity that the enemy uses: bitter jealousy, selfish ambition (desire to look good ), arrogance (I m more right than another). Holes in our peace and unity grow into intolerances. Prayer is the grease between friction. It lubricates around the grit and flecks of irritability that work their way into unity. Prayer keeps us from rubbing against others and against God. 14

15 Romans 5:1 tells us we have peace With God because of what Jesus Christ did. Through prayers we keep our peace With God. Peace With God then gives us the peace Of God (another gift John 14:27) which keeps us strong and stable even when all seems against peacefulness (John 16:33). God wants peace to rule in our hearts and in our body with thanksgiving (Col. 3:15). Prayer keeps us focused on God s goals and concerns not on our petty irritations. Just as God wants God s kingdom of heaven to be a pearl of great worth to us (Matt. 13:45-46), the church (as well as our marriages, families and friendships) can be a pearl of great worth to God when we pray for each other, forgive each other, help each other, are loyal to each other. The church can be a magnet that draws people out of their darkness (loneliness, pain, despair, hopelessness). The power of this magnet is Seen when Christians Live at peace with God, themselves and all of the church body. This magnet s power is Not heard in evangelism presentations if peace is not Seen in individual candles or our church beacon of light. The peace of God, preserved by the prayers of God s people, is meant to forge us together in friendship, unite us in mission. Memorials In memory of Jane Jensen Lillian Owen Peg Patterson In memory of Harold Christiansen & June Braman Peg Patterson 15

16 Christian Education and Worship Service Survey (If you have not filled out this survey, you can pick up a copy at church or answer these questions on another sheet of paper and return it to church. We d like to hear from everyone.) As we begin our journey together there are a lot of things to learn and ask. Some of those questions about Adult Education and our worship services you will find here. Thank you so much for your time in answering them. 1. Right now we offer one class of Christian Education for Adults. This class meets Sundays between the services. If we would offer an additional class when would be a good time to offer it? (circle all that apply) Sundays between the Services Tuesday: morning afternoon night Wednesday: morning afternoon night Thursday: morning afternoon night 2. In what kind of Christian Education for Adults would you be interested? (circle all that apply) Bible Study Book Study Study of one specific topic (for example something like Lutheransim 101 or Discipleship today ) Creative ways to explore faith, spirituality, and the bible (painting, dancing, crafting ) Intergenerational (topic based for all age groups) 3. Would you be able to come to any kind of Adult Christian Education if we offered childcare? 4. To which Sunday worship service do you usually go? 5. Why? 6. What do you like about the worship service? 7. What would you like to change? Thank you so much for your help. Peace, Pastor Lexa 16

17 Treasurer s Report Jan 1 Apr 30, 2016 Operating Account Total Income $ 62,444 Selected Items: General Donations 42,088 Facility Rental 1,170 Building Fund 11,467 Local Hunger 861 World Hunger 3,007 Special donations 1,110 Memorials 1,165 Youth monies 360 Total Outlays $ 48,767 Selected Items: Employee Compensation 13,832 Property (insurance, utilities, etc) 5,355 Mission Commitment (Upstate NY) 6,056 Mortgage payments 10,000 Outreach Programs 2,619 Office expenses 2,076 Church programs 1,373 Supply Pastors 3,279 Net $ 13,677 17

18 Building Fund Mortgage with Lyons National Bank Total Income ,470 Contributions 11,467 Interest 3 Total Outlays ,000 Loan Interest 2,129 Principal Payments 7,871 Loan Balance (at May 30, 2016) = $107,445 Savings Acnt Bal at Lyons NB = $10,800 With the Call of Pastor Liepe in April, our monthly expenses will return to a regular pattern. Expenses for Supply Pastors will stop, and monthly expense for Employee Compensation will reflect the payments to the Pastor for salary and housing allowance. The compensation package offered to Pastor Lexa extends through December 2017, so we will not be concerned with budget raises for her at the September 2016 Annual Meeting. Thanks for steadfast stewardship among our members as we lived through the call period. 18

19 COUNCIL MEMBERS NEEDED Are you interested in filling one of these council/noncouncil positions? President; Youth Rep; Social Ministry; Worship/Music; Property: Financial Secretary; Memorial Committee; Audit Committee. Let the nominating committee know: Barb Pinneo; Whitney Booth; Wanda Wood; Clem Nielsen; Dorothy Oswald; Russ Scheel JUNE BIRTHDAYS 3-Lisa Jenkins 5-Phyllis Felter 6-Greg Foster, Don Christensen 10-Russ Scheel 12- Katie Rodgers 13-Teresa Kennedy 14-Jennifer Jensen, Todd Orr 15-Guy Christiansen 19-Carol McFetridge 23-Kelly Owen 24-Bob Barto 26-Amy Covert, Rodney Christensen 27-Clem Nielsen, Dave Nielsen, Kristin Simon 29-Morgan Booth, Larry Edwards 30-Michael Covert, Nathan Haines, Pam Dubbs ANNIVERSARIES 6-Brian & Adrienne Foster John & Cheryl Jensen Edward & Barb Pinneo Brian & Carole Cummings 16 19