Faith Lutheran Church Messenger 1000 Tates Creek Road, Lexington, KY 40502

Transcription

1 Faith Lutheran Church Messenger 1000 Tates Creek Road, Lexington, KY (859) or (859) website: June From Pastor Mark - As you read this I will be on an African adventure visi ng my daughter Anna who has been spending the year in Swaziland as part of the ELCA s Young Adult Global Mission program. One thing that I imagine I ll be experiencing and thus learning more about is hospitality. This would be true for all who leave home and enter into another culture. So I ve been thinking about our own congrega onal culture. How sensi- ve are we to guests among us for whom liturgical worship is a foreign culture for them? How open are we to those who ve never par cipated in the life of a congrega on? Might it help us to be more hospitable by realizing that they are entering a foreign culture, not unlike my visi ng a foreign land? How can we best be gracious and understanding and avoid becoming patronizing? How can we best accompany them on their journey? I raise these ques ons, but don t really have any defini ve answers to them. In fact the answers may be different for each individual that crosses the threshold of our doors. I ask them though, as an invita on for us all to become more sensi ve to the experiences of the strangers and sojourners in our midst, who just might be travelling onto the foreign soil of our congrega onal culture, even if they call Lexington home. I invite you to read over my ques ons in the last paragraph again, ponder them, pray with them, and then let the Holy Spirit guide your prac- ce of hospitality. One par cular passage of Scripture comes to mind for me as I do this. It s a verse from the 13 th chapter of John following Jesus washing of the disciple s feet and he says, By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. Thus all the interac ons happening within our congrega on form the center from which our hospitality flows. I invite you to take this to heart. In Love, Faith, & Hope, Pastor Mark Mission Statement: As followers of Jesus Christ, we embrace, reflect and proclaim God s unconditional love.

2 The Messenger of Faith Lutheran Church JUNE 2016 Page 2 What: FLC Young Families Potluck When: Saturday June 11, 4-7pm Where: Kelley's Residence Who: Faith Families with elementary age or younger children RSVP: Kristofer and Danielle Kelley (thekelleys@insightbb.com) Is My Child Ready to Receive Holy Communion? Previous to 1970 most Lutheran congrega ons did not communion children un l a er they were confirmed around age 14. Then many started moving first communion to about age 10, which was the ELCA accepted prac ce in A er years of study and conversa on, in 1997 the ELCA issued a new First Communion guideline as part of a larger document on the centrality of Holy Bap sm and Holy Communion in the life of faith. 1 This document li s up a biblically based Lutheran understanding of the Sacraments intended to help us avoid a legalis c and mechanical approach to how parents, pastors, and congrega ons raise up our children in the Chris an faith. Regarding Holy Communion the statement recognizes that: Bap zed children may begin to commune on a regular basis at a me determined through mutual conversa on that includes the pastor, the child, and the parents or sponsors involved, within the accepted prac ces of the congrega on. 2 Ordinarily this beginning will occur only when children can eat and drink, and can start to respond to the gi of Christ in the Supper. 3 In all cases, par cipa on in Holy Communion is accompanied by (instruc on) appropriate to the age of the communicant. 4 There is no command from our Lord regarding the age at which people should be bap zed or first communed. Our prac ce is defined by Christ s command ( Do this ), Christ s twin promises of his presence for us and for our need, and the importance of good order in the Church. In all communion prac ces congrega ons strive to avoid both reducing the Lord s Supper to an act effec ve by its mere performance without faith and narrowing faith to intellectual understanding of Christ s presence and gi s. 5 At Faith Lutheran we have a large variety of prac ce in children communing. Parents play the major role in discerning the readiness of their children. Parents can also play a guiding role in preparing their children to come to the table. You can obtain a copy from Pastor Mark of the welcome book, A Place for You, by Rev. Daniel Erlander, for parents or grandparents to read with children in order to prepare them for coming to the Lord s Table. Pastor Mark is then available for further conversa on as might be needed regarding any ques ons that arise about communion in general and receiving communion for the first me. The following ques ons can help you determine the readiness of you and your child to receive her or his first Holy Communion: Has your child been bap zed? Is your child comfortable in various loca ons around the church, including the Altar? Is your child asking ques ons about Holy Communion? Does your child extend his or her hands for the bread, when at the altar for a blessing? Does your child recognize the pastor and seem to be able to interact well enough to receive the elements (bread and wine)? Is your child aware enough of others in the congrega on and their needs to show a degree of respect for their communion experience? Are you prepared to help make the process posi ve? Are you prepared to con nue to fulfill the promises you made at your child s bap sm to bring him or her regularly to the Lord s Table? Some children seem ready at a very early age to par cipate, while others may not be interested un l they are older. Some also decide to only receive the bread, which is quite appropriate too. Pastor Mark is quite willing to help parents in the discernment process. 1 The Use of the Means of Grace: A Statement on the Prac ce of Word and Sacrament, Augsburg Fortress, Ibid. p Ibid. 4 Ibid. p Ibid. p. 43

3 The Messenger of Faith Lutheran Church JUNE 2016 Page 3 FLY JUNE EVENTS 6/5: Holiday World form and payment ($45 / $39 if under 54 inches) due to Kevin please make out checks to Faith Lutheran Church. Forms are available on the board by the Youth Room door, or through the link in Faith Notes. 6/14: Holiday World. We will depart from the church at 8:00 a.m. and return around 10:30 p.m. Eat breakfast before we leave. You ll need money for lunch (at least $10, locker rental: small $10; large $15), and any addi onal money for snacks or souvenirs. We ll stop for fast food on the drive home the church will pay for that dinner. Remember to bring a swimsuit and towel for the water park. Depending on interest, we may need extra drivers. 6/26: 2:45-4:00. Get Air trampoline park. It s $12 to jump for the hour. Jumpers must have an online waiver completed in advance: h ps://lex.getairmanagement.com/waiver.html MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW FOR VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL JULY :00 8:30 p.m. Watch for more details and......come along and Catch the Wave of God s Amazing Love. To register: Day me Sophia...New member Jeannie Shands will be hos ng the day me Sophia mee ng on June 9th at 1pm at the Faith House. She'd love to meet women of Faith and share home made apple pie, fresh fruit and lively discussion about the non-fic on book, Kabul Beauty School : an American woman goes behind the veil, by Deborah Rodriguez. Summary Soon a er the fall of the Taliban, in 2001, Deborah Rodriguez went to Afghanistan as part of a humanitarian aid group. Surrounded by people whose skills--as doctors, nurses, and therapists--seemed eminently more prac cal than her own, Rodriguez, a hairdresser and mother from Michigan, despaired of being of any real use. Yet she found she had a gi for befriending Afghans, and once her profession became known she was eagerly sought out by Westerners desperate for a good haircut and by Afghan women, who have a long and proud tradi on of running their own beauty salons. Thus the idea for the Kabul Beauty School was born. Within that small haven, the line between teacher and student quickly blurred as these vibrant women shared with Rodriguez their stories and their hearts, ul mately giving her the strength to leave her own unhealthy marriage and allow herself to love again, Afghan style. Evening Sophia will meet on Wednesday, June 15, at 7 p.m. at the home of Ellie Burnside. We will be reading and discussing, Caleb s Crossing, by Geraldine Brooks. Please feel free to join us even if you haven t read the book. Please contact Ellie at or ellie@teambim.com for ques ons or to RSVP. OWLS (Older, Wiser, Lutherans) Will meet on Thursday, June 16th at 12:30 p.m. Su on s Restaurant on Richmond Rd. See you there.

4 The Messenger of Faith Lutheran Church JUNE 2016 Page 4 Listening Ear Need One? Interested in Being One? The newly formed Care and Support Ministry Team is looking for both. If you are in need of a visit or two, or twenty, we would like to fill that need. Our current members consist of some formerly trained Stephen Ministers, ready and willing to listen. Please make plans to honor Dr. Bob Henry, founding director of the Mission Lexington Free Dental Clinic, during an open house in celebra on of a decade of bringing healing and hope to our neighbors. Join us June 12, 2016 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., at 230 South Mar n Luther King Blvd. We are also looking for those of you who are interested in using your listening ears. There will be a training class this fall. Please feel free to ask any ques ons or make any referrals to Pastor Mark, Kathy Heersche at or Diann Terry at Coming Full Circle? We have almost completed our "BUILD Year." I say that because June is the month during which we celebrate our accomplishments since our Listening campaign began early last fall. Jus ce Ministry Network Members will a end the BUILD Celebra on on June 6th at Mary Queen of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church. We will review our issues: 1.) Pay day lending; 2.) Neighborhood safety; and 3.) Mental Health Services. As we do our review I will feel sa sfac on about our accomplishments, even though we made li le movement on two of the issues, and will likely carry them over next year. Over the past 13 years of our involvement in BUILD (yes, it really has been that long!) it has become apparent to me that "Doing Jus ce" is some mes s-l-o-w work. It took us 6 years to reach a victory on the affordable housing issue; pay day lending has been an issue for BUILD for 4 years; and it looks like neighborhood safety is becoming a long-term campaign as well. Bo om Line?... Doing jus ce requires many types of changes...change in how we view situa ons (taking the other guy's perspec ve), change in a tudes (that's their problem, not mine or, we've always done things this way), some mes a change or shi in values. And we all know that change is hard, especially if you're asking ME to make the change. This is just to remind you that you will s ll be hearing about pay day lending, you will s ll be asked to make phone calls, sign pe - ons, or write le ers, you will s ll hear Temple Talks about it. So be ready for it! June is also our Investment Drive for BUILD. Hopefully every member of our congrega on will join the Jus ce Ministry Network Members and make an investment in BUILD. The term investment is used because we feel that the work BUILD does is important to our community, and makes this a be er community in which to live and do business. Lexington is truly a be er place because there is now a drug treatment program for women in the deten on center that has reduced recidivism, because there is now a restora ve jus ce program for teens who would have otherwise become a part of the juvenile court system, because there is an affordable housing fund that has been responsible for the crea on of 350 affordable units during the past year, because there are health care services through the county health department that had not previously been available, and the list goes on. Go ahead, write a check to BUILD and be a part of doing jus ce in Lexington! Gail Swanson

5 The Messenger of Faith Lutheran Church JUNE 2016 Page 5 PERSONAL CARE KITS NEEDED IK SYNOD ASSEMBLY 2016 We ve been asked to collect Lutheran World Relief Personal Care Kits from our congrega on to take to the 2016 Synod Assembly in South Bend, IN. We hope to collect at least 25 Personal Care Kits. Twelve kits so far - almost halfway there! When LWR distributes Personal Care Kits, it s o en to people who have lost everything. The simple gesture of giving a Personal Care Kit can offer someone the encouragement to start anew, beginning with a bath. You can share God s grace and love by providing that comfort. Items needed for each Personal Care Kit: 1 lightweight bath towel (between 20 x40 and 27 x52 ), dark color 2-3 bath-size bars of soap (8-9 oz total), any brand, in original packaging 1 adult-size toothbrush, in original packaging 1 sturdy comb with handle, remove packaging 1 metal nail clipper (a ached file op onal), remove packaging Per LWR guidelines PLEASE NOTE: All items should be new and in good condi on. Do not add other items or omit listed items. Do not donate items with any symbols or messages. This includes religious symbols, church name, U.S. flag, patrio c or military symbols, or any references to the armed forces - including camouflage designs. Please leave Kits behind the Welcome Center desk by Sunday, June 5. Monetary dona ons are also welcome. Please make your check out to IK Synod and place it either in the offering plate, or in the bin on Ruth s door, by Sunday, June 5. On behalf of Faith s congrega on, we will present all checks and Personal Care Kits to the Synod Assembly. Thank you for your compassion and generosity! Please direct ques ons to your 2016 IK Synod Assembly Delegates: Elaine Billington and Judy Page, billinge2004@yahoo.com GIVING, GROWING, GRATITUDE Grace Missions, Inc. con nues to build, sponsorship by sponsorship, dona on by dona on. We have come a long way since 2009 when the first seed was planted, but then most life begins with one seed and Grace Missions, too, is a life of giving, growing, and gra tude. It is not the amount that is important. It is the gi that is important. One can give or gi as li le as $5 or $10 per month. The key is that the gi is sustaining. One can also direct where that gi is used. For example, it can be for basic necessi es or tui on for the Chez Moi girls. It can be for tui on, books, food, or staff salaries. It can go toward tui on, books, medical expenses, and rent for the four scholarship students. It can even go toward paying off the orphanage building. The IMPORTANT considera on is that gi s are SUSTAINING. I know that many of you have given to Chez Moi, known to us as Grace Orphanage. And we are so thankful for all you have done. But, the need goes on which is why sustaining sponsorships or gi s are important. Please consider giving on a con nuing basis. All you have to do is complete the sponsorship form ( Grace_Mission_Sponsorship_ pdf) and a ach your first check. You can either put the competed form in Pat Mundt s folder at church or mail to Grace Missions, Inc., P.O. Box 8804, Lexington, KY Leah Hower is the Grace Missions treasurer so she will assure that your check is deposited, and she will send the sponsorship form to the sponsorship coordinator. Thank you for con nuing to support Grace Missions, Inc.

6 The Messenger of Faith Lutheran Church JUNE 2016 Page 6 The following is the list of persons who have said they would like to be listed. Please keep them in your prayers. In the future, when pu ng people on the prayer list, please inform the church office if you would like their names and concerns to be shared in this way. Steve Carter, undergoing dialysis and on kidney transplant list. Sydney and Adeline Taber, daughters of Leslie Taber, con nued growth as premature infants. Randy Will, son of Eileen Will, spinal cord injury. Henning Egner, dealing with Alzheimer's. All those in harm s way for whatever reason. Bring us peace in our me, Lord, and let it begin with each of us. FAITH LUTHERAN CHURCH Financial Secretary's Report April 1-30, 2016 INCOME TOWARD BUDGET Offering Envelopes $31, Loose Offering Use of Building Maundy Thursday Easter , Total Income Toward Budget 32, RESTRICTED MONEY Reimbursements CC Reimb - Workman's Comp CC Reimb - Custodial Postage Reimb 8.34 Parish Life Com-Fellowship Special Funds Pastor s Discretionary Fund Sunday School Offering Wedding Deposit Bach Marathon National Youth Gathering Pass Thru Monies World Hunger God s Pantry Mission Endowment Fund LWR-Fair Trade Sales , Total Restricted Money 2, TOTAL APRIL RECEIPTS 35, Comparison to Budget April Year-to-Date Contributions 32, , Budget 35, , Percent of Budget 91.26% 93.12% Mary S. Hemken, Financial Secretary, , mshem326@gmail.com

7 The Messenger of Faith Lutheran Church JUNE 2016 Page 7 JUNE BIRTHDAYS JUNE ANNIVERSARIES BIRTH 1 Jane Pe bone 3 Teri Applegate 4 Jonathan Delap Anne Gross Anne Sabba ne 5 Ben McGrath 6 Tony Sword 8 Miriam Brown Lisa Fox Will Holmes 9 Ann Hagan-Michel Julie Keller 10 Julia Mar nez 11 Amy Hadden 12 Marianne Kehres 13 Sherri Greer Teri Knudsen 14 Kelsey Cloyd Dresion Swanson 15 Jan Patrick 16 Ruth Schumacher Robert Wendroth 18 Nick Veil 19 John George 22 June Hansen Adalyn Lee 23 John Co rill Rory Hefner-Templar 24 Jenny Delap Alison Mar nez Randy Young 25 Bob Fullerton 27 Elaine Billington 28 Lori Watkins 30 Clover Hadden Brad Ranta 3 Paul Ebben & Lori Hetzel 4 Clay & Nicole Gilliam 5 Ray & Anne Sabba ne Barry & Lin Whitley 6 Jerry & Sue Landis 7 Drew & Betsy Filchak 8 Jim & Judy Knauss 9 Brian & Ruth Lundborg 10 Dave & Judy McGrew 12 Urton & Debbie Anderson 14 George & Kathy Heersche 18 Bront & Carol Davis Robert & Donita Henry Richard & Ann Michel 23 Jonathan & Jenny Delap 25 Roland & Helen Born Gene & Judy Templar 27 Barry & Hannah Williams 28 Drew & Heather Cur s 29 Marcus & Melonie Atkerson Ned & Miriam Brown 30 Owens & Diane Nelson Gradua ng High School Senior: Julia Wilson A endance Worship April May May May May Gunnar Ray Chandler, son of Crystal Harstad and Nick Chandler, was born May 8 th. May 15 th Catron Arnold Madeline Farrar Anna Holmes Ashlyn Sievers June 19th will be the LAST fair trade sale un l September 18 th. We will do our best to have a good supply of chocolate and coffee so that you can stock up. If there is an item that you would like to stock up on, please send an to Pat Mundt at patricia.mundt@gmail.com...is a four day fes val at the intersec on of jus ce, spirituality and the arts, will be held July 7-10 in Hot Springs, NC. This year s theme is Stories Shape our World Are you listening? Speakers include Jim Wallis, Ma hew Fox, and Shane Claiborne. The Indigo Girls, and Ken Medema are among the list of musicians. Pre-fes val events (addi onal registra on required) include a Racial Jus ce Ins tute and a Mys c-ac on Camp. Check it out at: val.org. Groups of 10+ get a reduced cket rate. Pastor Mark and Susan are interested in a ending, so we would only need 8 more. Please let Ruth know in the office if you would like to be a part of the group. If we get 8 or more then we ll register together for the group rate. Deadline for joining in the group rate is Sunday June 12. NEWSLETTER ARTICLES ARE DUE THE 20TH OF EACH MONTH.ARTICLES MAY BE EDITED AS TO SIZE, CONTENT AND TIMELINESS. Marian Lundborg, Messenger Editor, mclundborg@gmail.com

8 The Messenger of Faith Lutheran Church JUNE 2016 Page 8 Service Schedule Sunday Worship 8:30 AM, 11:00 AM, 6:00 PM (Nursery provided during the 8:30 and 11:00 AM services) Sunday School (Sept. through May) 9:45 AM Staff Mark Sloss, Pastor pastormark@faithlutheranchurch.com Tom White, Cantor (Director of Music Ministries) cantortom@faithlutheranchurch.com Office hours: Mon Thu 10 5 (Friday off) Ruth Lundborg, Parish Administrator office@faithlutheranchurch.com Monday Thursday 8:00 4:00, Friday 8:00 1:00 Charla Heersche, Child Care Director childcare@faithlutheranchurch.com Bryna Reed, Coordinator of Educa onal Ministries blreed@twc.com Kevin Lentz, Coordinator of Youth Ministries lentz.kevin@gmail.com Brian Lundborg, Sexton H. Gene Templar, Pastor Emeritus Marian Lundborg, Messenger Editor mclundborg@gmail.com Faith Lutheran Church Council 2016 Tim Sorenson, President David Templar, Vice President Debbie Rosenberg, Treasurer Sandra Palmer, Secretary Shane Hadden Charlie Hamilton Adrienne Matson Jim McGrath Diane Nicely (859) or (859) office@faithlutheranchurch.com website: h p://