PARISH LIFE OF OUR LORD S LUTHERAN CHURCH FAITH. MOVES. HERE.

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1 PARISH LIFE OF OUR LORD S LUTHERAN CHURCH FAITH. MOVES. HERE. From the desk of Pr. Amanda January 2018 A Call to Prayers of Hope Love has come a light in the darkness! (from Love has Come, ELW 292) This Christmastide we again gather around Love the kind with a capital L because it defines all other love. This love we welcome is Jesus, the Christ, born as one of us that we may truly know love. It is this perfect love that casts out all fear (1 John 4:18). Jesus is the love that makes it possible to follow the angels imperative to, Fear not! There are many things to fear in this world, and new threats abound every day. There are the big, international threats, and then those closer to home. Most of us are probably more concerned with the relationships closest to us than what s happening in a desert far away, but all of it can weigh on our hearts. Yet, it is into this world of fear that Jesus came as perfect love. It was also in this world of fear that a group traveled from a distant land with precious gifts because they believed the light they saw. This time of year we hear so much about resolutions and moving beyond what holds us back and that usually has something to do with fear. As we nudge our noses out just a little, to peer beyond the wall of fear, what we see is Love making all things new. And, once we have seen this Love, we turn back around to our hiding place and see that Jesus has been with us there, too. Sometimes we even fear for the church because it is not the same as it used to be. At the council meeting last Sunday, one of the suggestions that came up was to call the congregation to prayer for the congregation from now until Ash Wednesday, and there seemed to be quite a bit of support for the idea, so I am encouraging everyone to jump on board! Pray for 5minutes every day, for what you hope for the congregation. You could pick one thing and pray for it the entire time, pray for a different thing each day, pick a new topic once a week, or simply talk to God about whatever you hope for that day. For some, praying for the congregation for 5 whole minutes will seem daunting. For these people I suggest to start with a simple list prayer, such as, God, I love this congregation and I know You do, too. We both have high hopes for the ways Your love will shine through there. May Your hopes be my hopes, O God. I give thanks for the ways I saw Your love this week when. I hope,,,,,,,,,,.... For others, 5 minutes will seem very limiting. For these people I suggest taking the opportunity to pick just one thing for which to pray. Continue with the prayers you normally say for the congregation and then pick one extra thing to wrap your heart around during this time. Starting the first Sunday in January, we will make a paper chain with the names of all the people who are committed to praying for the church during this time, so please add your name if you are willing, so that everyone can have a visual of all the people who are committed to moving beyond any fears to welcome the Love of Christ anew into our congregation this Christmas! May the light of the Christchild shine in your hearts this Christmastide and show you peace! Pastor Amanda Esping WEST HEFNER RO AD O KL A HOMA C ITY, O K (4 05) ww w.ol lc.or g o ail.c om Fac ebook.com /O llc.org

2 All undesignated offerings from the 7pm Christmas Eve Vigil will benefit the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma! Epiphany Bible Study! Sign up now to join our next book study. Starting Sunday Jan. 7 at 9:30am and Monday January 8 at 1:30pm, we will join the renown mystic Richard Rohr to explore the long neglected understanding of our God as Trinity, in his book The Divine Dance. Rohr draws on Biblical texts; the traditions of the mystic; history of Greek, Roman, and other societies; and his own studies to help us gain a depth of understanding about what it means for Christianity to truly be living as the beloved of the Holy Trinity. We will again gather on Sunday before worship, Tuesday evenings, and we will add another time if desired. We will order books on January 2 so sign up today! CHILI COOK-OFF 2018 The Annual Chili Cook-off will be held Sunday, January 14, following the worship service, so find your favorite recipe and bring a crockpot-full to share! Will Carolyn Z, Carolee W and Amanda G be winners again this year, or will someone else take their places? We will vote with our money and all proceeds will go to Habitat for Humanity s Critical Home Repairs which OLLC works on every month. 2

3 Habitat for Humanity 2017 Update OLLC members have a continuing commitment to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity through their Critical Home Repair Program. We have been volunteering for 3-4 years and about two years ago took on the name ROVERS which stands for Retired Old Volunteers Enjoying Repairing Stuff. The group started with a small number of OLLC members volunteering on some Habitat New Home Builds financed by Thrivent with an occasional Critical Home Repair project included in our efforts in later years. Several of the members agreed that they enjoyed the Critical Home Repair projects more than the new builds and soon we made an agreement with Habitat for Humanity to volunteer once a month for a 3-day Critical Home Repair Project. In the past several years the group has grown to include friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc. of OLLC members. Currently there are about 25 volunteers in the ROVERS Group that serve as a pool to provide workers for the projects scheduled for the 3 rd Thursday Saturday of each month. The home repair sites are mainly in south OKC, but we have had projects in Spencer, Midwest City, Dell City and a few in NW OKC. The group enjoys the comradery of working together and the satisfaction of making someone s living conditions just a little bit better. We seldom know what the projects will involve until we arrive at the project site. We have been involved in repairing or rebuilding bathrooms, installing flooring, repairing interior walls including sheet rocking and mudding and taping, siding repair and replacement, installing windows and doors, roofing repair, etc. Most of us have learned a lot and gained confidence. Over the years we have become close friends with the Habitat for Humanity employees who run the program and are on the job site working with us-you may have met Erich Font, swho attended one of the OLLC fund raising events. In addition, Chuck Wende, Fred Grosz and Alan Green have been added to the Habitat Committee that selects recipients for Critical Home Repair projects. Presently the ROVERS group contains volunteers from OLLC and other churches. The active volunteers from OLLC, during 2017, include Larry Eberhardt, Jeff Fletcher, Ron Maxfield, John Tassey, and Tom Ziebell. We welcome anyone who has an interest in helping, regardless of the skill level, to join our group. The work can be hard, but the personal rewards are priceless. Habitat provides the tools, materials and instructions (if and when needed). Fred Grosz & Chuck Wende, ROVERS Coordinators. 3

4 MANY THANKS Many, many thanks to all who provided gifts for Reaching Our City. Jenny Myers took two full carloads of items to them for distribution at their store. The small packs of Kleenex were a particular favorite! Thank you to all who have given Christmas love through alternative giving, using the Good Gifts catalog or Heifer Project catalog. Those truly are gifts that will continue giving! Thank you to all who supported the Fall Festival - together we raised $ , all of which has been sent to Lutheran Disaster Relief to help with hurricane and wildfire relief domestically and internationally. Thank you for your caring and commitment! - Congregational Life/Social Ministry Committees Lutheran Disaster Response Lutheran Disaster Response brings God s hope, healing and renewal to people whose lives have been disrupted by disasters in the United States and around the world. When the dust settles and the headlines change, we stay to provide ongoing assistance to those in need. Learn more by visiting Did you know that if you make a purchase from any of the BC Clark Jewelers stores here in Oklahoma City, they will give a percentage of your purchase to OLLC? That has been a long-standing tradition of BC Clark. So if graduations and weddings or any other gift-giving occasion is in your future, please consider a gift purchase from BC Clark. Coupons can be found on the bulletin board in the fellowship hall. Simply present the coupon to BC Clark Jewelers at the time of your purchase and a portion of your purchase will come to OLLC. Our Lord s has a new Facebook page: Facebook.com/Ollc.org Be sure to like it today! 4

5 MARK YOUR CALENDARS Jan. 2: Office resumes normal business hours: 9am to 1pm Monday - Friday Jan. 7: The Sunday morning Epiphany Bible Study begins at 9:30am Jan. 8: The Monday afternoon Epiphany Bible Study begins at 1:30pm Jan. 14: The 2018 OLLC Annual Chili Cook-Off will take place after worship with proceeds benefitting Habitat Critical Home Repair Altar Guild is a great way to serve OLLC in a quiet, behind-the-scenes way. One person sets up on Saturday (or early Sunday morning) and another person cleans up after Worship. It doesn t take long to do but is certainly missed if it doesn t get done. Please prayerfully consider joining up to help out in such an important way. To join, please talk to Karen Foran, or Pastor Amanda. Thank you! Coffee Fellowship Time! Please use the sign up sheet, located on the Information Counter, to choose when you would like to host-- starting coffee before worship and bringing donuts, cookies, cupcakes or other treats to share after worship! Upcoming hosts are needed for dates in January and beyond! New Coordinator(s) needed! Please consider answering the call to serve on Sundays! OLLC Wants to Hear from You! Together, We are Made New in Christ! Being in constant conversation about ideas, questions, and concerns is important to everyone at OLLC. Hearing the Spirit speak through each other is one of the ways which God continues to bring forth new life in this place! You are always welcome to place a written message in the feedback drop box near your mailbox, attend a church council meeting (2nd Sunday of every month at 6:30), share your prayer concern with the prayer group (see Dee Sundholm), or contact Pastor Amanda or any member of the church council. Thank you for being part of the Body of Christ at OLLC! CARPET REPLACEMENT PROJECT For some time there has been issues experienced in the old Sanctuary. There have been roof leaks, wall leaks, dampness, etc. Most recently there have been concerns raised that there may be mold in the carpet, especially along the circular wall. A mold test kit was purchased and it was determined that there was mold present. It was recommended to the OLLC Church Council to replace the carpeting in the circular part with a waterproof floating floor. This was approved by Church Council. A request was then made by Daniela, Director of the Spanish Immersion School, to replace all the carpeting in the room and she would split the costs. This was approved by Church Council. The total cost of the project was $1230, which was well below estimate. On Nov. 19 th Fred Grosz, William Parr and John Tassey removed the carpeting and prepped the floor. On Nov. 20 th Cal Benhardt, Wayne Karst, Lynn Little, Ron Maxfield, Lloyd Scheidt, Tom Ziebell and Fred Grosz from OLLC, with help from John (Daniela s husband) and Al Albahadily cleaned the floor with bleach water to kill any remaining mold and installed the interlocking floating floor. After about 9 hours of diligent labor the project was completed. The OLLC Resources Committee thanks those who volunteered their time to make this a successful project. Without a doubt all had sore backs and/or knees to remind them of how much fun they had. Submitted by Fred Grosz, Chair, OLLC Resources Committee 5

6 Our Lord s Lutheran Church Council Meeting Minutes from November 12, 2017 Attendees: Pastor Amanda, Wendi Ainsworth, Larry Eberhardt, Lynne Little, Mike McGrath-Mahaly, Dick Morrow, Jenny Myers, Gene Naukam. Absent: Carolyn Zachritz I. Call to Order at 6:36pm by Gene Naukum, President. II. Opening Prayer Pastor Amanda III. Adoption of the minutes of the October 8, 2017 meeting. Lloyd Scheidt moved that the Minutes be approved with two spelling corrections. (Chuck Wende s last name and the word Pastor ). Dick Morrow seconded the motion and the minutes were approved. IV. Pastor s Report a. There will be a worship service on November 22 (Wednesday before Thanksgiving) followed by shared pie in the Fellowship Hall. b. The children s program will be December 17. c. The devotional for December is from World Hunger; topics/content will also be used in worship that month. d. Beginning in January, Adult Sunday School will be a study of the Trinity using the book Divine Dance by Richard Rose. e. There is one more session of Yoga in November and then they will break until January. V. The Treasurer s Report was approved. The report will be posted next week. VI. Standing Committee Reports a. Christian Education (Lynn): The children s program will involve bells! Siri and Alyssa have shared that they like the confirmation class. The kids have talked about wanting to have a sleep-over at the church b. Congregational Life (Jenny): Christmas Buffet on December 3 and Cookie Sale on December 17. c. Resources/Property (Gene): See attached report. Agreed to allow Fred Grosz to purchase up to $1000 in materials to clean and repair the carpet in the Bilingual Program room. Will consider doing the same with the rest of the room once repairs are made to this area. d. Stewardship (Larry): Suggested that the Council review the Treasurer s Report for trends in financial giving to the church, e.g., annually, previous years. e. Social Ministry (Wendi and Lloyd): i. Alternate giving table Chuck Wende will set out materials on the table in the narthex the weekend of Nov 19. Materials from ELCA Good Gifts have arrived and are in the SS office. ii. ROC Tree Jenny Myers will contact ROC to find out what they are in need of. Dick O Brien will set up the tree in the narthex before Nov 19. The SS children will decorate it on the 19 th. iii. Chili Cook-off will be held January 14. Proceeds will go to Habitat for Humanity Critical Home Repairs. iv. Souper Bowl will be held February 4. Proceeds will go to Lutheran Disaster Relief to aid in recovery efforts for the hurricanes and earthquake. v. Sally will write announcements regarding the above for inclusion in the newsletters and bulletins. f. Witness (Mike): No report. g. Worship (Dick): The worship settings and music have been selected through May 13. Gene shared that he had been approached about sharing verbal announcements while in the sanctuary for worship. h. Holy COW (Larry): Participants met at OLLC. They decided to use the group dues to contribute to funding for the Sing for Joy Concert sung by the St Olaf choir and broadcast on KUCO radio on Sunday morning. The participants agreed that the Reformation celebration had been a success. Roger Bruns will contact Gene about any donations. Participants discussed and recommended a number of cooperative activities, including 6

7 i. Serving together at the Regional Food Bank, similar to OLLC s monthly volunteer service. ii. A joint worship service iii. Working together on an Oaks project. VII. Old or Unfinished Business a. Playground (Mike McGrath-Mahaly and Lynn Little): Pastor reported that a developer would like to give us a playground pending a needed legal determination. She will know if they can make the donation by mid- January. b. Video board for information & electric sign (Mike McGrath-Malahy): Joan will maintain the board. The Council talked about an alternate if Joan wasn t in the office. Mike will check on the software logistics to see how it might affect our plans. c. November OLLC goals to be reviewed (reminder) External & Internal vision: Given the remaining agenda items and the time, Gene suggested we reschedule our discussion for the December Council meeting. d. Synod Compass group support for goal planning, additional information (Pastor): There has been no action by the synod so we should not plan for the group s support. e. Bilingual Family response to our information request on vegetable garden (area behind our out building): Lloyd Scheidt moved that we approve the Bilingual Family s request for space behind the out building to plant a vegetable garden. Lynn seconded the motion and the motion was approved. f. Toastmaster s group dance program Susy do they want to go forward at $175 per month: Pastor reported that Susy is recovering from medical issues and that an answer from Susy is delayed. VIII. New Business a. CFI agreement, changes, price. Are they making additional payments of any kind? How much and how often (LuAnn and Pastor): Lynn Little moved that the charge to CFI remain at $300 per month and was seconded by Dick Morrow. The motion was approved and the Council agreed that the charge should be reviewed annually. b. Council Meeting in December on 12/10/2017: Gene and Lynn shared that they had been approached by a few members who wanted to share their concerns with the Council. Pastor asked that the meeting be moved to the next week so she could attend. Lynn Little moved that the December Council meeting be held December 17; Jenny Myers seconded the motion and it was approved. c. Replacement for Wendi Ainsworth: Dick Morrow agreed to ask Chuck Wende and Chris Henkel. IX. Concerns, Ideas, Suggestions a. Coffee after church: social time is the reason this was started, few signing up to provide coffee (same people), keep or drop because the lack of people attending, council take the lead by personally asking people to join them in coffee time: No discussion on this issue. X. Moved to adjourn by Lloyd Scheidt and seconded by Lynn Little. Meeting adjourned at 8:20p.m. Respectfully submitted, Jenny Myers, OLLC Council Secretary RESOURCES (PROPERTY) COMMITTEE REPORT November 12, 2017 Since the October Council Meeting there have been several items addressed by the Resources Committee as listed below. 1. A holed punched in the wall from opening a door to the second Sunday School room was repaired and a door stop installed to prevent this from happening again. 2. A Fall Clean-up Day was held on October 14 th in conjunction with CFI. The projects completed included finishing striping the lines on the parking lot, painting the cement pillars in the courtyard, cleaning the butterfly garden, trimming all the bushes around the church, removing or spraying weeds in the parking lot and trimming some branches and the Fellowship Hall floor was cleaned and buffed. Seven OLLC members and 4 CFI members participated in the cleanup 7

8 3. Light bulbs were replaced under the circular driveway ceiling and the timers were readjusted. 4. Lawn service was discontinued for the year and the sprinkler system was shut down. 5. The carpet in the Conference Room was vacuumed and shampooed. 6. Trees were trimmed. 7. The ongoing issue of the leaks in the old Sanctuary has resulted in a complaint of possible mold. A mold detection kit was purchased and the area in the circular part of the room was tested. It has tested positive. A search for a remedy led to recommending that the carpet in the circular part be replaced with an interlocking floating floor. The carpet would have to be removed and the concrete cleaned to remove mold and sealed prior to the installation of the floor. A rough estimate for materials is in the range of $ Depending on access to the room, the project likely could not be finished until the end of this year. Alternative suggestions are welcome. Permission to proceed is requested. Submitted by Fred Grosz, Resources Committee Chair 8

9 LWR PERSONAL CARE KIT Items may be placed in the green box in the narthex. In January we are collecting bath towels (20 x 40 and 27 x 52 ), preferably dark colors. Adults and Children meet at 9:30am to grow in faith, love, and knowledge of the love of God! CHILDREN S WORSHIP BULLETINS and activity sheets are available on the table in back of the sanctuary along with crayons, colored pencils, etc. More items are in the ushers room. Ask an usher if you need help locating these items. The 2018 Flower Calendar will be available soon! The gift of flowers are a wonderful way to beautify our sanctuary! Open dates for January are: 7th (1), 14th (2), 21st (2), 28th (2) Regional Food Bank, 3355 S. Purdue, OKC. OLLC Volunteers from 9:30am until Noon on the First Saturday of Each Month Mateo Ziebell Antoine, 6lbs 9oz, 20inches, entered the world on Thursday, December 21st at 8am. Congratulations to Stephanie and JF, and the entire Ziebell/Antoine family! May Christ s light shine on him and keep him all the days of his life. A typical volunteer day is comprised of filling backpacks for metro school children. The backpacks they take home on Friday will provide them with the meals they need until they return to school on Monday morning. Please consider joining our loyal volunteers and make a positive impact in the life of a child. Good nutrition is the key to learning! November 2017 Treasurer Report November income of $14,102 is below budget of $16,469 (14%). November donations of $12,806 is below budget of $15,225 (16%). YTD income of $73,708 is below budget of $82,345 (10%). YTD donations of $67,039 is below budget of $76,125 (12%). November expenses of $16,436 is below budget, $16,899(3%). YTD expenses of $78,810 is below budget of $84,497 (7%). Net Income YTD is $-17. The checking account balance at the end of November at Quail Creek Bank is $9, The money market account balance at the end of November at Quail Creek Bank is $117, and is broken out below according to how the funds can be used. General Fund $37, Restricted Fund $80, Total $117,

10 January Church Family in Service Assisting Ministers (D. Gillson) 7 Lois Patrick 14 Chris Henkel 21 Jenny Myers 28 Toni Henson Cantors (Bill Fuller) 7 Lois Carlton 14 Dick Morrow 21 Jim Collings 28 Chris Henkel Greeters (Dee Sundholm) 7 Amanda Green/Cherylann Kidd/ Gene Naukam 14 Jacob Edingfield/Lynn Little 21 Diane Milligan/Linda Scheidt/ Karen Foran 28 Dee Sundholm Money Counters (Gene Naukam) 7 Sally Ziebell/Debbie Gudgel 14 Diane Milligan 21 Cal & Judy Benhardt 28 Wayne & Karen Karst Flowers ($22.00 per bouquet) 7 Loree McMahan Flower Pick Up Lois Carlton January D 4 Don Zachritz 5 Gloria O Brien 7 Larry Eberhardt 18 Judy Benhardt Margee Gaeddert 20 Jacob Edingfield 21 Jeff Fletcher 24 Alyssa Mikula Flower: Carnation Birthstone: Garnet 4 Dick & Gloria O Brien 23 Zachary & Madison Broekemeier 26 Ron & Susan Maxfield Altar Guild Julie Collings/Linda Scheidt Ushers TomZiebell/Cal Benhardt Deadline for the February newsletter is January 18. Articles may be ed to the church at: ourlordsokc@gmail.com or placed in the Office Assistant s mailbox. Flower Orders may be placed by filling out the form located near the office door. Please leave completed forms in the office assistant s mailbox. Bulletin Articles must be submitted by 11am Monday morning to be included in the weekly announcements. Christ in Our Home devotion booklets are available at the information counter. These are the known birthdays and anniversaries for the month of January. If there is an error, or if your special day is not listed, please let us know. We don t want to leave anyone out! Drop us a line: ourlordsokc@gmail.com or