christ lutheran chronicle

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1 christ lutheran chronicle September 2018 christ lutheran church and preschool 1955 East Oakland Park Boulevard Fort Lauderdale, Florida Parish Office: Preschool Office: Website: Pastor Deborah Geweke, D.Min. 1

2 From the Pastor: We are Blessed On the morning of August 5, our congregation met, following our Liturgy. At that time we voted to call Pastor Deborah L. Geweke, D.Min. to be our permanent Pastor. Mr. Roger Saurez, the Bishop s representative was there to aid and guide us in this process. We are grateful to him and the Synod office for their help. We are now looking forward to even more growth in our faith and our family. To my dear family at, and in, Christ It is with great humility and sense of calling that I receive your call as the Permanent Pastor at Christ Lutheran Church. Over the past years I have deeply sensed God s hands continuing to urge us forward in mission and ministry together. I am grateful for your faith in God s leading us to a new and exciting chapter of love and life in the name of Christ. May we continue to follow our Lord s call wherever it leads us together. In Christ s love, Pr. Deborah L. Geweke 2

3 From Bishop Pedro Saurez August 27, 2018 Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Once again, we are grieving with our community as we hear the reports of the shooting at The Landing in Jacksonville yesterday. It seems senseless that an event that was intended to be recreational and fun became so tragic and painful. I give thanks for Pastors Ham and Vicki Hamilton, who shared their pastoral heart and leadership with their neighbors by providing St. John s Lutheran Church as a space for prayer, grieving, anger and tears last evening. I know many of you were actively responding with your presence, with prayer, and with spirit-filled conversations. I give thanks for the first responders and the staff at the medical facilities that responded and treated the wounded. And my heart breaks for the families of those who were killed, and for the brokenness and complexity in one person s life that resulted in the shooter causing this chaos and then taking his own life. As the shooting in Jacksonville is added to the list of mass shootings in our country, and even in our own community here in Florida, I am drawn even more deeply into our call to love and serve our neighbor. As we raise our voices in solidarity with those who are grieving, may we bring a word of hope and consolation. May our communities be spaces where those who are grieving, hurting, and struggling find healing. May our communities teach, model and encourage positive relationship and emotional health so that people are equipped to respond to anger and frustration without harming others. And may we be tireless in our pursuit of justice and peace in our cities and neighborhoods. Additionally, I would remind you of the variety of social statements approved by the ELCA to assist in the complex and complicated conversations around issues that are affecting our society. These are available at: Please don t hesitate to reach out to someone if you need to talk about your response to this and other acts of violence. As these events can trigger memories and wounds, please listen deeply to one another and invite opportunities for grief and prayer. I ask you to join me in prayer. O God, where hearts are fearful and constricted, grant courage and hope. Where anxiety is infectious and widening, grant peace and reassurance. Where impossibilities close every door and window, grant imagination and resistance. Where distrust twists our thinking, grant healing and illumination. Where spirits are daunted and weakened, grant soaring wings and strengthened dreams. All these things we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. (ELW p. 76) Peace, +Pedro Pedro M. Suarez, Bishop, Florida-Bahamas Synod 3

4 LAFF DINNER There was a last minute change from Bonefish Grill to Brewfish Bar and Grill because Bone fish had our reservations confused. Thank you, to Denise Coller for contacting everyone about the change. It ended up that everyone had delicious food and a great time. In September we will celebrate our LAFF Dinner on Thursday September 20, 2018.at 6:30 p.m.at the Chow Time Grill and Buffet at 6997 W. Commercial Blvd. This is an Asian fusion restaurant, that includes typical Chinese food, sushi, Mongolian barbeque, some American comfort foods, and a full bar service. We will have our one table in one of their rooms, and it should be a lot of fun, as usual. 4

5 From the E Spirit Newsletter God's Work Our Hands Sunday Dear sisters and brothers in ministry, day for your dedicated day of service. "God's work. Our hands." Sunday is one month away, and I thank you for considering participating in the ELCA s dedicated day of service. The appointed day is Sunday, Sept. 9. If it s not possible for your congregation to participate on Sept. 9, please consider another Whether your congregation prepares personal-care kits for people who are homeless, cleans parks and community gardens, visits the homebound and those who live in nursing homes or writes thank-you notes to emergency responders and members of the armed services, your activities are an opportunity for us to explore one of our most basic convictions as Lutherans: All of life in Jesus Christ every act of service, in every daily calling, in every corner of life flows freely from a living, daring confidence in God's grace. To help you plan, you are invited to visit ELCA.org/dayofservice for helpful resources including: the 2018 toolkit, which includes a section on advocacy-related activities a worship resource posters and postcards doorhanger invites bulletin inserts T-shirts available through Old Lutheran If you haven't done so already, please sign up your congregation for the day of service by answering a couple of quick questions in our survey. Your registration helps us share and tell stories about the good work that we do together. We want to hear from you! Shortly after Sept. 9, please share with us your congregation's activities. Send your stories and photos to livinglutheran@elca.org so that together we can celebrate what God is doing through the congregations and ministries of the ELCA. Every day, congregations share the love of Christ with God s people. On God s work. Our hands. Sunday, we join together to use our various gifts in service to our communities. We look forward to working together again this year and to hearing your stories! God's peace, Christina Jackson-Skelton Executive Director, Mission Advancement Evangelical Lutheran Church in America 5

6 Our God s Work, Our Hands Mission Outline July 29, Wrist Band Giveaway (Freewill Offering Ongoing) Reminder August 5, School Supplies Collection for distribution thru United Way August 12, Blessing of the Backpacks August 19, 2018 Door Hangers & Bulletins through the neighborhood August 26, Big Food Drive for Poverellos (Community Food Collection) September 9, Community Feast (Hot Dogs, Chips, Soda for Community Our Church Family Back to School Best wishes and blessings to all of our students who are now back in school. Some of them are in new schools this year and facing even more new experiences. So keep them all in your prayers. Let them know we are proud of all of them. Also remember we have a beautiful preschool and the graduates from the VPK program are now moving on in their educational journey after being prepared by a wonderful and loving program. If you know of people with preschool age children, please let them know about our school set in a Christian environment. Also, we will soon be starting our Confirmation Classes, and Adult Education for Sundays. Please watch for additional information regarding times and content, for the upcoming classes. Adult Education A study of the Book of Acts The Book of Acts is the second of a two-volume work (the first being the Gospel According to Luke) traditionally attributed to Luke, a physician and traveling companion of Paul. Acts narrates the founding of the Christian church and the spread of its message to the Roman Empire, providing theological insight and practical guidance for Christian churches in the first generation of Christianity. Confirmation Class The continuing study of the Old Testament Collaborate Lutheran Confirmation -- Hands-on investigative learning in four units: Bible: Old Testament, Lutheran History & Catechism, Bible: New Testament, and Lutheran Living. 6

7 2018 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 Crafty Christians?? GWOH Sunday 16 Adult Ed. 23 Adult Ed Bazaar 8 am to 2pm Preschool Board Mtg@6:00p.m. Church Council p.m LAFF Dinner@ at 6:30 p.m Chow Time Buffet Adult Ed 7