ethsemane Lutheran Saturday, April 30, 9am-1pm Sunday, May 1, 10:45am-2pm April 2016 The Leaf a monthly publication of GLC The Leaf

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1 April 2016 Volume 49,, Issue 4 The Leaf a monthly publication of GLC Ge ethsemane Lutheran Church The Leaf 35 East Stanton Avenue Columbus OH Pastor Rev. June A. Wilkins pastorjune@gethsemane.org Music Ministries Dr. Timothy E. Guenther tguenther@gethsemane.org Mission Developer Rev. Ipyana Mwakabonga ipibonga@hotmail.com Child Care Center Brenda Weilbacher bweilbacher@gethsemane.org Parish Secretary Diane Gutgesell glcoffice@gethsemane.org Custodian Brian McLean L.I.C. Ally Jagoda ajagoda@tlsohio.edu Saturday, April 30, 9am-1pm Sunday, May 1, 10:45am-2pm In this Issue From the Pastor P. 2 Adult Education P. 3 Faith Mission Anniversary P. 4 Small Groups P. 5 Prayer Concerns P. 6 Council Highlights P. 7 Serving P. 8 Calendar P. 9 At this moment at Gethsemane, we are in need of some planning and direction for the future. Without it, we can t make wise decisions right now. WE NEED EVERYONE to come to these sessions! New members, visitors, young, old, everyone should be here for both sessions! If you can only come to one, please do that. But we really need for people to come to both! Our facilitator will be Rev. Luke Bouman, (a pastor and child of this congregation.) Older children can participate and there will be child care and food at each of these sessions.

2 FROM THE PASTOR ALIVE! Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive. Luke 24 Christ is risen! Alleluia! We say that during Easter as part of our worship, but does it really mean anything to our lives today? It s more than just a miracle. It s more than just an amazing fact that happened two thousand years ago. It means that God has victory over death. It means that as long as we are with God, death will not have a hold over us. It means that evil and pain will not have the last word. It means that Jesus is present with us and is still a part of this world and can help us and make things happen. It means that Jesus is alive in us so we are free to live as God created us to be. Our theme this Easter season is ALIVE! We will talk about what it means that Christ is alive in us and we in him. This Easter season, celebrate, because Christ rose from the dead and we know that Jesus is ALIVE! GETHSEMANE S JUSTICE MINISTRY We continue to work together for justice with B.R.E.A.D. and other congregations in Franklin County. This year s issue is jobs. We are trying to assure that all people in Columbus can work for a living with dignity. We need everyone to get engaged and to be prepared for this year s Nehemiah Action on Monday, May 9, at 7:00pm. You will hear from our Justice Network Members about upcoming activities. Dates of Upcoming B.R.E.A.D. Justice Ministry Meetings Rally April 11, 7pm Congregation Tifereth Israel 1354 E. Broad Street Columbus, OH Prepare for the Action. Learn about the details of this year s issue and the proposed solution. Nehemiah Action, May 9, 7pm The Celeste Center on the Ohio Fair Grounds. Rev. June Wilkins Join together with other people of faith to urge our leaders to take action to make our community better! 2

3 LEARN April 24 and May 8 Forgiveness: Receiving and Giving (Complicating the Simple) Violet Meek and Don Dell Forgiveness much talked about, often recommended, seen by some as an obligation for Christians; just what is it and how do we go about it? Is forgiveness a choice? What are some of the benefits of forgiving others and of self-forgiveness? And, for a complete picture, what about unforgiveness? All-Church Education Events April is a month for All-Church Sunday School. We re working on our plan to make Gethsemane a stronger community and to allow different generations to get to know each other better! Please join us in April for these great learning opportunities! April 3 G.I.F.T. Class We will share learning together as a congregation with a fun project for everyone! April 10 Caring for God s Creation We will all gather together and hear what we can do, what Gethsemane is doing, and think of what Gethsemane might do, and then groups will participate in some fun creation projects. April 17 Everyone Goes to Sunday School! We will have a musical opening and all adults will be assigned to a Children s Sunday School Class you might color, do a craft project, play a game, talk who knows?! We can learn from our young people! In these sessions we will examine this important concept, so central to our faith. We will talk about the Biblical and liturgical use of forgiveness, commandments regarding forgiveness, forgiving your neighbor, and forgiving yourself. April 24 Forgiveness in the Bible and in our Lutheran faith. Definitions, distinctions, and contemporary examples. How do we receive forgiveness? How do we go about forgiving another person? Is forgiveness a Christian s obligation? Are some people and/or acts unforgivable? May 1 No Class Strategic Planning The congregation will meet for Strategic Planning. May 8 Benefits of forgiveness demonstrated effects on physical and mental health. Forgiving with and without God s involvement. Self-forgiveness sensible concept or easy out? The politics of forgiveness impact on survivors of abuse. Back to where we started Lutherans and forgiveness. 3

4 FAITH MISSION Celebrates 50 th Anniversary Faith Mission and Gethsemane go way back, at least to the 1970s. This year Faith Mission is celebrating their 50 th anniversary, so we have been involved with this mission almost from the beginning. For many years, beginning with former Pastor Gerry Miller in the 70s, Gethsemane has had representation on the Faith Mission Board, and now with Nancy Feole on the Advisory Committee. Nancy even has the women s shelter building, Nancy s Place, named in her honor. Since 1998, we have hosted benefit concerts to support this mission. Gethsemane members have been serving meals for over 40 years at various Faith Mission sites. Currently, besides quarterly benevolence donations, Gethsemane serves dinner several times a year (April 8 th this month) to as many as 200 men, women and children. We have volunteered in the donation room and this year have a Thrivent Action Team doing a project for the garden at Faith on 8 th. In 2016, Faith Mission serves about 700 meals every day in several buildings. This is a far cry from their first night in February, 1966, when 14 people were served dinner. Besides food, FM also provides shelter nightly to as many as 235 people, as well as employment resources, a clinic, case management, and supportive services for veterans. Faith Mission joined the Lutheran Social Services family in You can read more about Faith Mission at Volunteer opportunities are detailed there also. Mowing: One way in which we are good stewards of Gethsemane's financial gifts is to accomplish as much maintenance work as we can through volunyear. We have teers. Please consider mowing the church lawn this posted a sign-up sheet in the hallway across from the church offices. A mower (and gas) and trimmer are stored in the garage and available for use. 4

5 Small Group Ministries First Reflections Monday Bible Study Paula Sauer Bible Study Every Monday at 8:00am at La Chatelaine-Worthington CONNECT Second Saturday of the month at 8:00am at TeeJaye s Brown Bag Bible Bunch Dick Lyndes rhlyndes@wowway.com Connections: Faith at Work Judy Reuning jreuning@lifecrossings.com Every Wednesday at 12:00pm in the church library Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 8-3:00pm. Book Group Sharon Walton skrwalton@gmail.com Barbara Ford bandbford@columbus.rr.com Men s Breakfast Bob Davis rjdjr@wowway.com Thrivent Builds Bill Darlage darlage_bill@hotmail.com First Friday of the month at 7:00am at Bob Evans on Olentangy River Road Quilting Last Saturday of the month from 9-12:00pm in Trinity Hall LWR Quilts Terri Siebert tsiebert@columbus.rr.com Prayer Shawls rdhekh@att.net OR Call the Church Office Last Wednesday of the month at 7: :30pm in the church library. Fourth Monday of the month at 7:30pm in the church library. 5

6 PEOPLE NEWS April Birthdays 3 Emilie Hagerdorn 6 James Laspisa Evelyn Lyatuu 9 Rachel Murphy 12 Heidi Hiller Erin Tober 16 Ralph Portzline 18 Eli Klukas 22 Kathy Montgomery 25 Barb Driver Jenn Bogan Darlene Norman 28 Jessica Lagergren 29 Julia Wiebe Our Prayers and Concern Are With... Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. Ephesians 6:18 New concerns: Mary Bardach Dick Jones Margaret Murphy Wes Taylor (friend of Joy McLemore) Jill Woods. Our congratulations to Chris and Tammy Bullwinkle on the birth of their daughter, Claire Elise, born Saturday, Feb. 27. Members with ongoing concerns: Donna Baer Bob and Sibylle Custis Bob Hagerdorn Elaine Haines Dick and Sue Jones David Kibble David Lagerberg James Laspisa Phyllis Nelson. Family and friends with concerns: Mary and Maury Drum (parents of Andrea Mayer) Gretta Massie (greatniece of Laurie Burnett). Homebound: Mary Bardach Marie Cooper Beryl Cumberland (Wesley Glen) Dotty Edwards (Laurels- Worthington) Carolyn Fergus (Wesley Glen) Ken and Alice Gerken (Mayfair Village) Becky Oldaker (Bennington Glen) Ralph Portzline (Chapel Grove Inn) Joanne Vollrath (Worthington Christian Village) Phyllis Wei Reva Woodruff (Brookdale). Would you like to add a name to the Sunday prayers? Contact church secretary at or glcoffice@gethsemane.org before 10:00 am on Thursday to have the name printed in the bulletin. After that time, you will have the opportunity in worship to name those silently or aloud during the prayers. You may also have the name sent out to the congregation via our E-Prayers ( ). MARCH NEWSLETTER CORRECTION: Doug Sand returned to Columbus in 1976 rather than 1998 and started working as a computer systems analyst/supervisor for the State of Ohio rather than a programmer. 6

7 COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS Congregation Council OFFICERS: President Paula Sauer Vice-President Hank Langknecht Secretary Joy McLemore Treasurer Chris Bullwinkle MEMBERS:. Jackson Lyimo Michael Murphy Jim Siebert Anna Wildermuth Carol Savolaine Highlights of Council Meeting March 10, 2016 A copy of the Council minutes and Financial Report is posted in Atrium Way. PLEASE READ BUT LEAVE POSTED. Take home copies (minus attachments) are available at the Sign-Up Desk in the narthex. REPORTS: Pastor June will take two vacation Sundays in May. Hank Langknecht will preach on Pentecost. 54 Pledge Cards totaling $218,000 were received last month Audit of Financials shows all accounts in order. Several recommendations by this committee will be addressed by Chris Bullwinkle, Treasurer. Treasurer reported contributions are lower than expected and expenses are also lower than expected, but there is a deficit of $2,800 for the month. Year to Date: There is a surplus of $33,000 primarily because of the open staff position. The Strategic Planning half days, April 30 and May 1, will be led by Luke Bouman, a professional facilitator. Gethsemane needs every member to be present for at least one of those days. The Outreach Committee sent out 4000 post cards in our neighborhood (161- Morse Road, I-71-the river) inviting people to our Holy Week and Easter services. The Environmental Stewardship Committee is working with those planning educational opportunities this spring. DECISIONS: 2017 Budget Guidelines were established. 2% raise for staff. Committees and Teams hold steady. If any group needs to raise their requests above 10% of their last year s budget amount, they are asked to come to Council. Pass Throughs are not to be counted towards Gethsemane s 15% benevolence contributions. Council Liaisons were selected for each committee and team. Those names will be posted in Atrium Way. A Security Team has been appointed by Council. It will be led by Mark Hagerdorn. He will pursue several ways to make our Gethsemane community safer. ANNOUNCEMENTS: April 14, 2016, 7 p.m. Next Council Meeting April 30 and May 1 (half day each) Strategic Planning Meetings June 4, 2016 Southern Ohio Synod Assembly, Wittenberg. Carol Savolaine & Joel Wildermuth congregational representatives. June 5, 2016 Congregation Meeting 7

8 SERVING THIS MONTH APRIL 2016 April 3 April 10 April 17 April 24 May 1 Assisting Minister Brian McLean Brian McLean Brian McLean Brian McLean Jeff Luedke Projectionist Dan Bonarrigo Jim Sauer Mike Siddall Kate Lutz Brian McLean Sound Monitor Readers Ushers Mike Siddall Dan Bonarrigo Jim Sauer Mark Geary Eric Walton Joel Wildermuth Joy McLemore Joe Reilly Mike Siddall Mark Hagerdorn Peter Olesen Lund Joanne Leussing Bill Darlage Dave Whitesell Bob Hagerdorn Barb Driver Jim Driver Nursery Kelly Seifert Heidi Hiller Leah Hiller Communion Bread Judy Kulikowski Carol Savolaine Howard Feole Jim Siebert GottfriedMaeffert ManfredMaeffert Pam Hagerdorn Bryn Hagerdorn Don Huiner Brian Murphy Eric Walton Brian Burdette Jeff Luedke Wendy Luedke Jill Woods Hugh Geary Joyce Geary Diane Langner Rick Langner Scott Conlon Bob Abdou Joyce Geary Team Carole Wilkins Brian Lutz Joyce Geary Communion Care Diane Langner Bonnie Reilly Diane Langner Jane Sieberth Joyce Geary Counters Joyce Davis Scott Conlon Celia Conlon Jeff Luedke Wendy Luedke Joanne Leussing Hugh Geary Imma Lyatuu Vision Statement To empower a servant community that over-flows with God's grace, justice, and welcome. 8

9 APRIL 2016 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 7:00 AM Connections :00 PM 3 10:45 AM G.I.F.T. 4:00 PM Swahili 10 8:30 am Health Ministry 10:45 AM G.I.F.T. 3:30 PM Swahili Choir NEWSLETTER DEADLINE 17 /Play &Learn Sunday 10:45 AM G.I.F.T. 4:00 PM Swahili 24 10:45 AM Education Hour 3:30 PM Swahili Choir 4 8:00 AM Reflections 8:00 PM A.A. & Al Anon 11 8:00 AM Reflections 6:00 PM Day Care 8:00 PM A.A. & Al Anon 18 8:00 AM Reflections 8:00 PM A.A. & Al Anon 25 8:00 AM Reflections 7:30 PM Prayer Shawl Ministry 8:00 PM A.A. & Al Anon 5 P&L Chapel 10:30 AM Staff Meeting 7:00 PM Adult Ed Ministry Team 12 P&L Chapel 10:30 AM Staff Meeting 6:00 PM Handbell Choir 19 P&L Chapel 10:30 AM Staff Meeting 26 P&L Chapel 10:30 AM Staff Meeting 7:00 PM Ministry Team 6 12:00 PM Brown Bag Bible Bunch 6:00-8:00 PM 13 12:00 PM Brown Bag Bible Bunch 6:00-8:00 PM 7:30 PM Swahili Ministry Team 20 12:00 PM Brown Bag Bible Bunch 6:00-8:00 PM 27 12:00 PM Brown Bag Bible Bunch 6:00-8:00 PM 7:30 PM Book Group 7 6:00 PM Handbell Choir 7:15 PM Vocal Choir 14 6:30 PM P&L Spring Concert 7:00 PM Council 7:30 PM Vocal Choir 21 6:00 PM Handbell Choir 7:15 PM Vocal Choir 28 6:00 PM Handbell Choir 7:15 PM Vocal Choir 8 5:15-7:45 PM Faith Mission 9 8:00 AM Men s Breakfast 11-1:00 PM 4:00 PM Swahili Planning Meeting :00 PM 5:00 PM Scandinavian Club 22 5:00 PM Play & Learn Fundraising Dinner 23 8:30-1:30 PM Blood Drive 9-12:00 PM Quilting 11-1:00 PM :00 PM Strategic Planning 11-1:00 PM 9

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