REPORTER All Saints Day Although it's only November

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1 REPORTER All Saints Day, Sunday, November 1. This is the day we remember those members who have died during the past year. The names of our deceased members will be on the baptism banner. In addition we each have the opportunity to honor the memory of our own loved ones. We will have white ribbons available on which you can write the names of those who are dear in your memory and hang it on the altar rail when you go into the sanctuary. As we go up for communion we will truly be communing with the saints who have gone before us. Then watch for these ribbons, which will be tied in bows, to be used as Christmas tree decorations. Although it's only November, the Christmas gift project at Network begins November 4th. Parents will undergo interviews to determine if they fit the criteria to participate in the program. If they qualify, they will then be able to shop the Network Christmas store. As in years past, St. Luke's will help Network with our donations of gifts. The small Christmas tree will be in he gathering area covered with pink and blue Angels. You are asked to take as many angels as you want, purchase the stated gift and return them to the church. Don't gift wrap the items since they will be on display in Network's store. Network services are available to families in the Richardson School District. With your help, we can make several children happy on Christmas morning! Thanks for your generosity in this yearly program.

2 Because we share the love of Jesus Christ, we serve as God s hands in the world. Therefore, our hearts and doors are open to all. For all of us are one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28) Does that look familiar to you? It should. It s just as much a part of our mission statement as Love, Serve, Welcome All. It s the supporting core value statement that is the basis and reasoning for those four words summarizing the whole thing. Love, Serve, Welcome All could be considered the t-shirt or banner version of the longer statement. Those four words also are basically the closing portion of the old (much LONGER) mission statement. Now, honestly, how many of you remember what the old mission statement was? No cheating by looking through your stack of old bulletins to find it! Point is - it was way too long for people to remember. Not only that, but it had been almost 20 years since it was revised. I ve been in ministry 23 years now, and I m in my fifth call. I do not function in the same way now that I did in my second call. I ve learned a lot. I ve aged a lot. I ve matured, I hope. It works the same with a congregation. Not only that, but the culture today is far different from 20 years ago. The world we live in is ruled by social media and immediacy. Thanks to Twitter, if things cannot be said in 140 characters (including spaces,) then it is too long for people to pay attention. (And if you don t know what Twitter is, ask your grandchildren.) 140 characters would be about a line and a half in this column. Some would say that my column is useless, because it s too long for people s interest levels any more. I ll agree that may be true, because many things in our newsletters do seem to go unnoticed. At least, that would be the indication, since we ve been writing about the mission work and renewal for over a year and a half and many people think it came out of nowhere. Not if you ve been reading my columns or listening to my sermons!!! In one of my four August sermons, in which I discussed each of those mission words, I pointed out that the shorter mission statement is about action three verbs and the direct object of those actions. You see, mission is not about US, it s about what we are called to DO. It s not about the community within the walls of our building; it s about the community we serve. Our mission statement is about our actions that are the work of the Lord. (Continued on next page) 2

3 Do we love, serve and welcome all in the name of God or Jesus Christ? Yes. We are a church. That s a given. Everything we are and everything we have and everything we do is by the grace of God and in the name of God. But if you need reassurance of that, it s in the supporting core value statement that I began with at the beginning of this column. That appears in our bulletin every week too. It s too long to put on our sign. I don t think we ll be printing it on our church t-shirts (if we decide to get some again, someday.) Most of you won t memorize that. But will you remember Love, Serve, Welcome All? I would expect most of you will. Will we live out those actions? I sure hope so! The Social Seniors activities for December please mark your calendars and join us for: Christmas Party, Thursday December 3, 2015 at the Copper Kettle, 1456 Belt Line Rd, #147, Garland. There is a choice of grilled chicken, fried catfish, pork brisket, price range is $8.95 to $ Bring a small gift ($5 value) to exchange. Sign up on the bulletin board to make your reservation. The bus will be available for those who would like to ride for $5 each. Other may drive themselves or carpool. Christmas Play at the Bath House Cultural Center: Romance in D by James Sherman. Break away from the usual Christmas fare to enjoy this heartwarming play guaranteed to laugh away any holiday doldrums. Romance in D covers two holiday traditions Hanukkah and Christmas and two apartments, two romances, and twice the fun. It is a lovely story of hope and possibility as well as the joy of finding love in unexpected places. We will take the bus to the matinee on Friday, December 11. There are 14 seats available for $5 each so sign up early when the list is posted on the bulletin board. Tickets are $12 and the bus leaves the church at 12:15. There will not be a men s breakfast in November or December. The next breakfast meeting will be in January. 3

4 Expressions of Gratitude An Interactive Interfaith Thanksgiving Experience Please join the Richardson Interfaith Alliance as we Express gratitude and Thanksgiving in Word and Song Thursday, November 19, :30 p.m. Parish Hall 7:30 p.m. Refreshments and Fellowship St. Paul Parish Center 900 St. Paul Drive, Richardson Remember to bring your pledge card sealed in the envelope provided in your commitment packet on Sunday, November 8. We will be dedicating them to God during the worship service that day. We are asking that you bring a card whether or not you are pledging for (Naturally, we hope you will be pledging an amount to St. Luke s.) The envelopes will remain sealed throughout the coming year and we will return them to you unopened at the end of Be sure to read our stewardship blog, Guardians of God s Gifts. You can access it from our website or our Facebook page or on line at numberlessgifts.blogspot.com. So far we have had entries from Pastor Kris, Tom Petersen, Frieda Chyn, Arlene Bakner, Guardians of God s Gifts Gail Johnson, and Tanner McEwan. New bloggers coming up in November we hope you will be one of them. your reflection on God s gifts to gail@stlukeslutheranchurch.org. 4

5 Women of St. Luke s The November Bible study for Mary Ruth and Rebekah circles is the third and final lesson on Slow Faith entitled Tempo giusto written by Liv Larson Andrews, pastor of Salem Lutheran Church in the West Central neighborhood of Spokane, Washington. The theme verse for this lesson is But as for [those who fell] in the good soil, these are the ones who, when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance (Luke 8:15). This month s lesson may be found on page 26 of the Gather magazine or may be downloaded at gathermagazine.org. NOVEMBER ACTIVITIES November 4: Activity Day, 9:00am in the Gathering Area. Come join in as we work on Quilts, layettes, school and health kits for Lutheran World Relief. There is work for women able to stand and work for those who need to sit. November 7: Leadership Team Meeting, 9:00 am in the adult classroom. Devotions: Carol Lysen November 10: 10:00am - Mary Ruth Circle will meet at church in the adult classroom. Hostess: Corinne Perkins, Study Leader: Eileen Bottolfson. 7:30pm - Rebekah Circle members meet in the home of the Barbara Tate. Study leader is Rita Humphrey. **These two Circles use the Bible study found in the Gather magazine. = November 14: 9:00am - Sarah Circle meets in the Church Conference Room. Hostess: Linda Young, Study Leader: Shella Groom. They will study Was America Founded as a Christian Nation? from the Thoughtful Christian. November 28: 9:00am Set up and decorate the Chrismon Tree. MARK YOUR CALENDAR December 5: Christmas Potluck Luncheon, 11:30am Mary Ruth circle is the host of our Christmas potluck luncheon and program. Their circle will provide decorations and desserts. Mary Karr Handley, professional speaker/entertainer, will present a program entitled Stories Behind Favorite Christmas Songs. All women of St. Luke s are invited and encouraged to come. Please feel free to join any of the circles at any time. 5

6 Booksome Ladies On Wednesday, November 18 th, at 9:30 a.m. the BOOKSOME LADIES will meet in the Conrad Library to discuss A Walk In The Woods, the New York Times bestselling memoir by Bill Bryson. Known as travel literature, Bryson s story is a blend of nature, history, adventure and humor. His decision to hike the Appalachian Trail was prompted by a desire to reacquaint himself with his native country after a twenty year absence. The trail, 2,100 miles of astonishing landscape, silent forests, and sparkling lakes, is a challenge of unexpected obstacles and opportunities to interact with a wide variety of individuals. Bryson, a writer and journalist with a keen eye of observation, is a wise witness to this beautiful but fragile trail, and as he tells its fascinating history, he makes a plea for the conservation of America s last great wilderness. You will chuckle as you read about the author s preparation and his companion hiker s ideas about diet, necessary supplies, and life itself. Do they attain their goal of hiking the trail? Read, enjoy, and learn the answer. ALL ARE WELCOME to this friendly fellowship. INVITATION TO THE CONGREGATION The Congregation is invited to participate with the women s organization to support the Navajo Lutheran Mission Center in Arizona. For several years, we have collected UPC bar code labels from Campbell s, Swanson, V8, Prego, and Franco American products. From the points gathered, the Mission is able to purchase passenger vans and educational equipment such as: overhead projectors, computers and playground equipment. We also collect Box Tops for Education which will help the school with supplies. Please save your UPC labels and box tops, bring them to church, and place in the box which is on the table in the Narthex. A list of qualifying products is also available. 6

7 The members of St. Luke s and their families that are being prayed for during the month are listed below. THE FAMILY OF TOMMIE SOBEY BILL PERKINS BARBARA MILLER DAVE SALLEE ROSEMARIE HAM RITA HUMPHREY BERNIE HUMPHREY IRMA YOUNG EMILY EASTWOOD TRACY GOLDEN RUTHIE GROOM MAGGIE HORNER LISA SANDIDGE RONDA MEIVES JEANIE PAULINE GLENN DIANE THORPE JOHN ABBOTT Our appreciation to the members of St. Luke s Prayer Chain for their constant and faithful prayers. In Thee, Oh Lord, do I put my trust Psalm 71:1 Betty Kennedy, Prayer Chain Chairperson

8 November 29th is the first Sunday in Advent, the beginning of the new church year. As in past years we will be having a midweek service each Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. beginning December 2 and will be singing the Holden Evening Prayer. The last several years we have had a turnout of about 50 people at this service. If you have never attended it, come and join in this brief sung service. You will leave with a feeling of peace to end your busy day. We love a parade! We have a group of people who are planning for us to enter the Richardson Christmas Parade on December 5. They will be decorating the bus once again for the event. Michael Packer is heading up the team and if you are interested in helping, please contact him. The theme of the parade is Christmas in Toyland and they are working on using the first Christmas characters as live marionettes. Want to be a shepherd or Wiseman on a string? See Michael about becoming part of this fun. (Note: the last two times we entered the parade we won first place in the religious category.) Here s a fun Advent adventure During Advent flat baby Jesus will be traveling around the area and posing for pictures in each place he visits. If you would like to take him for an outing and take his picture at your home or other place of interest, you can pick up a flat baby Jesus on the desk in the Gathering Area. Take his picture and send it by to gail@stlukeslutheranchurch.org. Pictures will be posted on our Facebook page during Advent under the heading, Jesus is Everywhere. 8

9 Max and Beverly Ashby Barbara Hollowell Natalie Harvey Bill Mechler Shirley Sigler Ellie Wilkins Chrys Cesaretti Ben Hong Adele Bakken Alexis Anderson Denny Brant Carol Rizzo Derek Harvey Arlene Bakner Chad Huffhines Ted Bender Gary Bowers Helgard Fleming Joy Dukowitz Eileen Larsen Judy Reed Devin Clausen Claudia Townsend Dianne Plumb Barbara Wright Gregory Bakken Michelle LeGrande NOTE: If you have an anniversary or birthday this month and your name is not on our list, please call the church office and give us the information for our records. Thank you. For all you good Midwestern Lutheran transplants out there we thought you might be interested to know that Garrison Keillor, the acclaimed host of A Prairie Home Companion radio show will be performing at the Eisemann Center in Richardson on January 28th. 9

10 A note from your Stewardship Committee November is the month we celebrate Thanksgiving. During this month we are asking all of you to pray for and celebrate thankfulness for St. Luke s. We have had several larger that usual financial challenges the last half of this year. The sidewalk repair mandated by the city cost us over $6,000. We have had numerous air conditioning challenges in the west side of the building because the chiller that cools the nursery, youth room, and library has groaned it s last. That will cost several thousand to repair or replace. In the meantime we are thankful that the weather has cooled down and is cooperating with us. We have not yet decided whether to replace it with another unit or with something else. Just recently the 80 gallon water heater for the kitchen and west hall bathrooms finally gave out and poured water down on the hallway. We will be able to get that replaced with funds in the building improvement fund. Mostly though, the financial challenge has come about because the offerings have been way down. For the third month in a row we have had to transfer funds from the savings account to pay all the bills and payroll. A few years ago, we made a plea for members to give an extra offering during November as a way of showing thankfulness for God s gift to us of a beautiful building full of wonderful and generous people. This year we are asking you to consider again giving an extra offering during this month as you are able. Thank you in advance for any gift you can make over and above your regular giving to help defray our expenses. 10

11 and elsewhere. We will be decorating for the Advent and Christmas season on Saturday, November 28th. If anyone is able and willing to help, we will be happy to have you join us. We will start about 9 a.m. The women will be decorating the Chrismon tree in the Gathering Area and the rest of us will be hanging banners and decorations in the sanctuary An upcoming post from our blog, Guardians of God s Gifts. Courageous Love When I was in middle school, we had a controversy in my neighborhood one Christmastime. We lived in an old neighborhood in Cincinnati, with big old houses, that was slowly becoming gentrified. We had wealthy and not so wealthy people on my street. The home across the street had been bought by a charity that wanted to put in a group home for the mentally disabled, much like the MOSAIC homes in our area. It was perfectly legal by the zoning laws, but the neighbors were up in arms. There were afraid of the mentally disabled and even more afraid of their property values going down. The neighbors became very outspoken and most of them put signs in their yards saying RESELL 3437 (the address of the house.) Unfortunately, the neighbors brought a case to court to prevent the group home from moving in. And the main witness against the neighbors was the Chief City Planner who wrote most of the zoning code for the City of Cincinnati: my father. He actually received death threats over the phone for his testimony. He modeled doing the right thing in the face of adversity. Being a smart alec, there was only one thing for me to do. I made two signs very similar to the neighbors signs. Same size, color and font. But one read PEACE ON EARTH and the other GOOD WILL TOWARD MEN. I didn t know if the neighbors got the implication but my family appreciated it. But the group home moved in, and nothing bad ever happened. I felt great that my family stuck up for those marginalized by society. And like the proverbial Grinch Who Stole Christmas, I felt like my heart grew 3 sizes that day. The gift of courageous of love inspired by my father has stayed with me and every once in a while, I am called to use it. And every time, that is when I feel the presence of God the greatest. Emily Hoffman 11

12 NETWORK OF COMMUNITY MINISTRIES Ingathering days are the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month. Items always needed are: Jell-O, Peanut Butter, jelly, canned meats and vegetables, soups, paper products, personal hygiene products, baby diapers and baby food. Please place items in the box marked Network in the Gathering Area. The Reporter Published for and by St. Luke s Lutheran Church Next deadline Nov. 15 gail@stlukeslutheranchurch. org All members of St. Luke s are invited to submit articles of interest for publication in THE REPORTER. Articles may be submitted in written form using WORD format or electronic form. Please include your name and phone number. Articles should be no longer than 250 words. Those over 250 may need to be edited. St. Luke s Lutheran Church Pastor Rev. Kristine Totzke Administrative Assistant Gail Johnson Director of Music Ministries. Dale Dietert Council Members President, Ed Lysen 9/ Vice President, Carol Herrman... 9/ Secretary, Anne Eckholm 9/ Treasurer, Tom Petersen 9/ Financial Sec., Shameka Young 2/ Christian Ed., open Evangelism, Barbara Tate / Congregational Life, open Congregational Resources, Gail Johnson 9/ Indoor Property, Jerry Zimmerman Outdoor Property, Ralph Rizzo 9/ Worship & Music, Frieda Chyn /514/8426 Service Outreach, Emily Hoffman / Youth, Kara Herrman / Contact Us: pastorkris@stlukeslutheranchurch.org, Ph gail@stlukeslutheranchurch.org ddietert@smu.edu Sunday Schedule Worship at 10:00 a.m. Sunday School at 8:45 a.m. Phone number: