The Seeker MAY / JUNE Seek and you shall find. Knock and the door will be opened to you. -Matthew 7:7

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Our Saviour Evangelical Lutheran Church 56 Cleveland Drive Croton-On-Hudson, NY 10520 (914) 271-4632 The Seeker MAY / JUNE 2013 Rev.

Backe, Interim Pastor Sunday Worship Schedule Sunday School: 9:30 am Confirmation Class: 9:15 am Worship: 10:30 am Coffee Hour: following worship Weekday Office

1 Our Saviour Evangelical Lutheran Church 56 Cleveland Drive Croton-On-Hudson, NY (914) The Seeker MAY / JUNE 2013 Rev. Anthony Stephens, Pastor Rev. John F. Backe, Interim Pastor Sunday Worship Schedule Sunday School: 9:30 am Confirmation Class: 9:15 am Worship: 10:30 am Coffee Hour: following worship Weekday Office Schedule Office hours: 9:00 am - 12:00 Office Phone: (914) Office mail@oursaviourcroton.org Website: Seek and you shall find. Knock and the door will be opened to you. -Matthew 7:7 Weekday Activities Adult Bible Study 7:30 pm Choir Practice: 7:45 pm

Our Saviour Lutheran Church 56 Cleveland Drive, Croton-On-Hudson, New York MAY 2013 The Seeker IF YOU DON T KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING, IT DOESN T MATTER HOW YOU GET THERE. - Pastor John F.

2 Our Saviour Lutheran Church 56 Cleveland Drive, Croton-On-Hudson, New York MAY 2013 The Seeker IF YOU DON T KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING, IT DOESN T MATTER HOW YOU GET THERE. - Pastor John F. Backe A familiar hymn written over 200 years ago still speaks to us today: Built on a rock the church shall stand, Even when steeples are falling. These words speak of both encouragement and a dire situation. We are ever called to consider what it means to be the church when confronted with challenges, both physical and theological. This is not new; we are always called to rebirth, renewal, resurrection. When the church gets too comfortable, or too distracted, it can be harder to hear the Spirit calling us. There are realities to be aware of. Our synod includes New York City, Long Island, Westchester and counties north of here, approximately 200 congregations. Even as new congregations are starting we know that in the next 5 years or so it is likely that 40 or more congregations may be closed. There are a variety of reasons this happens: failure to adapt to change, internal conflict, increased expense of maintaining old buildings (almost literally, steeples are falling.) Change can be scary and troubling. One reaction is to draw huddle together and hope this doesn t happen to us. That would be the wrong reaction. It is difficult to think ahead, whether one, two or five years, when we feel set upon by immediate problems. There are bills to pay, repairs to make, and other legitimate concerns. In our time, as in all times before, the church is in transition, called to discern and define our mission and ministry. Let me correct that. It is not our mission and ministry. God has a mission that we have been called to, entrusted with. The ELCA slogan puts it succinctly: God s work, our hands. I m not saying this to frighten anyone. I m new here, I don t have some special knowledge, just an awareness of how congregations function and the challenges many congregations like ours struggle with. Our Saviour has great potential, talented people, a proud history. There are questions we need to ask and trust God to answer with us. What do we want Our Saviour to look like five years from now? What is our vision for mission? Who should be here that isn t here now? How do we reach out and welcome those who need to be here? What is God calling us to beyond our walls? Don t let these questions immobilize you. No one should be waiting for the pastor to answer these questions alone. These are concerns for the entire community. I ll conclude with a hopeful reminder from that same hymn: Christ builds a house of living stones; We are his own habitation; Where two or three will seek his face, He in their midst will show his grace, Blessings upon them bestowing.

PRESIDENT S MESSAGE John Magerlein As we conclude our stewardship program during this joyous season of Easter, we are grateful to all who have committed their time and talents to support the

It is always a challenge to find the money to pay for staff salaries, benevolence payments for the work of the greater church, utilities, building maintenance, insurance, and countless other expenses.

3 PRESIDENT S MESSAGE John Magerlein As we conclude our stewardship program during this joyous season of Easter, we are grateful to all who have committed their time and talents to support the ministries of our congregation. Stewardship programs tend to focus on our financial resources, and indeed this is important. It is always a challenge to find the money to pay for staff salaries, benevolence payments for the work of the greater church, utilities, building maintenance, insurance, and countless other expenses. At the same time, carrying out the mission of the church requires much more than those things for which we pay. It requires members to initiate and lead congregational programs such as organizing youth activities, assisting those less fortunate in our community, or assisting with our worship as a lector or alter guild member. It requires us to make our church more visible in our community and to invite others to share in the good news we proclaim here. It requires volunteers to carry out tasks such as lawn mowing, snow shoveling, and building maintenance for which we cannot afford to pay. We ask you to use your creativity and time to help us to succeed in these areas of our mission so that we may prosper as a congregation. SUNDAY SCHOOL IS ALMOST OVER! - Kunmi Johnson & Matilda Weekes, Sunday School Superintendents OSL Family, Spring is here! The flowers are blooming, so are our kids in OSL Sunday School! With only two more months to go, we want to reach out to you to say thank you for your engagement in the program, and for facilitating your kid s presence in the program and church, in general. This year, the kids are focused in making Jesus their Best Friend Forever (BFF) using videos, role play, songs as well as conventional bible study. At this time, we invite you to reflect on the past few months and let us have your thoughts: Students give us your suggestions on how you would like us to conduct the Sunday School meetings Parents let us know if you encounter any problem or issue you would like to bring to our attention Teachers tell us what worked/ did not work and any specific suggestions to improve the curriculum Congregation - as you think of your talents to share, please think of how you can influence tomorrow s leaders in the Church and the World Also, note that - The LAST DAY of Sunday School is Sunday, June On that day, there will be an end of year party for the kids COUNCIL MEMBERS Our Congregational Council members would like to keep the conversations and ideas that will move our church in the right direction going. If you have any ideas that you feel Our Saviour can benefit from.. Please...Talk To Us!! Here is a list of our 2013 Council Members : Circle School: Dianne Carroll Property: Steven Millar Christian Education: Dianne Carroll Social Ministry: Evangelism & Outreach: Stewardship: Greg Evans Finance & Secretary: Peter Ling Worship & Music: Greg Evans President: John Magerlein Treasurer: Eric Golberg Pastor / Parish Relations: Bryan Montgomery, Vice President Angie Nuwesra, Ex Officio: Barbara Henninger, Financial Secretary

4 The Fobbet - Pastor Anthony Stephens Despite my best plans, this is the first time for official correspondence. Prayer correspondence, however, has been ongoing as I pray for you by person, and as a church. Part of the reason for not corresponding on more temporal planes is that there is forever a deluge of training about information assurance or IA. This is the caution that service members are required to exercise in disseminating information about operations, even if they could otherwise be Googled. Part of the intelligence for the D-Day landings was to gather multiple holiday (that is vacation) snaps and build a complete topographical picture of the Normandy beaches. They haven t told me about any D-Day landings going on in Afghanistan, but in an excess of caution this brief will be a little vague because a) I am in a Signal Battalion where communication security is meant to be our middle name, and b) my predecessor got into some pretty hot water with injudicious use of social media. That said, now for the rest of the news. Just about six weeks ago I left Westchester and flew to Georgia to be brought up to speed for deployment. As an individual augmentee I whizzed through numerous courses on this and that and was issued with an entirely new set of clothing, such that I finally got on the plane with five duffle bags and my ukulele. The Army does not issue ukuleles, but I was hoping to rekindle very ancient guitar skills, and perhaps salvage or at least find some smattering of musical ability. Unfortunately my practice has been thwarted by too many excuses, and not much privacy. We took one of the scenic routes to Afghanistan on a lengthy flight, or flights. The first thing that I noted about Kandahar upon arriving at the passenger terminal was that it had a telltale aroma. This is the infamous Pooh Pond. This is no relationship to Winnie the, but a big pond in the center of the post where effluent aerates. It s better than it used to be, when effluent was incinerated apparently leaving a fecal soot on everything. Aside from the aroma sandstorms, floods, hail and nearby earthquakes, Kandahar is actually quite commodious. I have actually enjoyed coming back to it after leaving on 2 or 3 stay away missions. Kandahar Air Field, or KAF is by no means Afghanistan, any more than West Point is America. Journeys outside the wire allow for a little more mingling and observing of Southwest Asian culture and geography. I am by no means at the tip of the spear, or really outside the bale of tight security, but I am not an intentional fobbet or someone who refuses to leave the FOB (forward operating base). While there are no combat action badges in my future, or probably any others for that matter, I do keep fairly busy now that my parish has grown by 500 or so. I teach, preach, lead worship, counsel just as before except in MultiCam clothes. I am also the Commander s advisor; the traditional role of a chaplain. Fortunately the Commander is smart and very personable, which makes that job easier. This morning I ran one of the numerous morale booster 5k races (a lot quicker than my first when I was getting used to the altitude). The theme was Salute to Civilians (of whom there are many here at KAF). I certainly do support civilians, particularly those at OSLC, who like those at KAF are indispensible to the mission. Again, with St. Paul I say, Every time I think of you, I thank God. GRADUATES On Sunday, June 30, we will take time during worship to recognize those who have graduated from high school, college or other degree programs this year. Please inform the church office of any graduates who should be included.

Bread for the world - Frya Barnes On April 21st we participated in the writing of letters of our representatives in Washington regarding eliminating hunger in the world. I mailed 55 letters.

5 Bread for the world - Frya Barnes On April 21st we participated in the writing of letters of our representatives in Washington regarding eliminating hunger in the world. I mailed 55 letters. Also, as part of our Christmas Fair we had made a commitment to donate 10% of our proceeds to Bread for the world. This amounted to $ Thrivent matched it with another $ Our Treasurer will mail a check for $ to Bread for the World in the near future. Many thanks to all who participated. PENTECOST On Sunday, May 19, the church celebrates festival of Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit as described in the Acts of the Apostles. Everyone is encouraged to wear something red, a fun and joyful way illustrate the fact that something like tongues of flame appeared over the heads of the believers. We are especially blessed that on that day we will also celebrate the Affirmation of Baptism, also known as confirmation for three young people. Come and support them and celebrate with Daniel Crumb, Liam Montgomery and Shoshana Nuwesra. Cortlandt Food Bank News This is almost ancient history, but when we held our last Oktoberfest we designated that the profit, which amounted to $ , should go to the Cortlandt Food Bank. Thrivent matched this with another $ It took some time for us to finalize this but the congregation might be interested to know that we sent a check for $ to the Cortlandt Food Bank some time ago. - Frya Barnes We support the Cortlandt Food Pantry and its service to our community. Donations of non-perishable food items are always welcome. Each month we will suggest a particular item as a guide and reminder for your giving. Food can be placed in the basket near the choir loft stairs on Sunday morning. MAY: canned tuna JUNE: pasta and sauce - Pastor John THANKS..GIVING Elsewhere in this newsletter you will find details of our current financial situation as we approach the close of our fiscal year. You will also find descriptions of some specific ways in which you can give your time and talents. At this point we simply want to say thank you to all who made a pledge of their intended giving for the coming year. There is still time to submit a pledge form. Many people find Simply Giving, the electronic funds transfer system to be a convenient way to manage regular giving. Contact the church office with questions or to begin giving electronically.

EASTER BONNETS 2013 Mikiko Golberg Ladies, many thanks for wearing your Easter bonnets again this year! The bonnets added to a fun and joyful Eastertime.

Property - Frya Barnes For many years I have handled the weeding and pruning of at the Church property.

6 EASTER BONNETS 2013 Mikiko Golberg Ladies, many thanks for wearing your Easter bonnets again this year! The bonnets added to a fun and joyful Eastertime. Be sure to check out the church website at to see these pictures and the pretty hats in color. Property - Frya Barnes For many years I have handled the weeding and pruning of at the Church property. Last Fall I notified the congregation that I would no longer be able to continue with this and asked for volunteers to take my place. I would be willing to work with them for a time to show them what is involved. I did not hear from anybody, so here is another appeal. I know members of Our Saviour recently completed their Time and Talent forms, so there may be some people who have expressed an interest in gardening, but I have no idea who is compiling this data. Now may also be a good time to think of power-washing the back of the parsonage and replacing part of the screen on the porch. I remember that the proceeds of the Christmas Fair were designated for capital Improvements. Both the bathrooms in the parish Hall and the one next to Pastor's office are in desperate need of attention. I know that there is no great need for fire wood right now but there is wood available in back of the Parish Hall. LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF -Frya Barnes During the past months I packaged and mailed 25 layettes to the Lutheran World Relief Center in Maryland. Some of the items in the layettes are obtained at the Christmas Fair. Other items are purchased by me with funds contributed by members of Our Saviour. This project requires quite a bit of money and shipping is very expensive. I have done this for more years than I can remember and am wondering whether there is anybody in our congregation who would want to take this over or whether we should discontinue this. We still have a few items on hand and could possibly complete a few more layettes and then stop. The same applies to items for School Supplies and Health Kits that I have sent over the years. Please speak to me if you have an interest in this.

HELP WANTED There are so many opportunities to join in the mission and ministry of Our Saviour that you may feel overwhelmed. Here are some specific needs: TELLER: or Counter.

7 HELP WANTED There are so many opportunities to join in the mission and ministry of Our Saviour that you may feel overwhelmed. Here are some specific needs: TELLER: or Counter. It would be our best practice each Sunday to have two people count that day's offering and enter the details on a counting sheet. This takes about an hour. (It would be nice if the counting took longer because we received so much.) You can choose the Sunday that is convenient for you. FOOD PANTRY: Transport donated food to Asbury United Methodist Church on a Saturday morning. GARDENING: We take pride in the beauty of our church grounds. We need help in maintaining our garden. If you enjoy gardening, you can help. The work does not include mowing the lawn, just weeding and other general maintenance. Speak to Pr. John for more information or notify the church office to sign up. MESSAGE FRON THE TREASURER: LET S CLOSE THE GAP! - Eric Golberg As of April 12, 2013 we are about $12,227 in the red. We have until the end of June, about ten Sundays, to close the gap. The shortfall is being driven by a lower number of people pledging, lower attendance on Sundays, and lower giving. Let s rally together to meet or pledge commitments, increase our attendance and our giving. We have important work to do at this church and it needs funding. Below is a diagram of what your giving supports. Good Things on the Internet Our Homepage and Facebook pages: ELCA: NY Metro Synod: Save the Dates Smore s & More Retreat at Koinonia. 5/31 6/2, 3 rd 6 th graders. Sign up sheet at church. Our Saviour Lutheran Church Retreat at Koinonia: 10/ Sign up sheet at church. If you have any questions check with Eric Golberg. (914)

8 MAY SUNDAY SERVANTS May 5 John & Tom Magerlein Lee Ann McCarthy MaryBeth Soucy Janet Behning Bob Riekert Leon Johnson Hospitality: Frya Barnes & Matilda Johnson May 12 Anita & David Baumann Lily Evans Eric Golberg Karen Magerlein Alexandra Stephens Liam Montgomery Hospitality: Men s Feast For Moms May 19 Dianne & Meagan Carroll Greg Evans Liam Montgomery Karen Magerlein Shoshana Nuwesra Zoe Staats Hospitality: Karen Callahan & Sue Gabrielsen May 26 Chuck Cooper & Evelyn Garrett Lori Esteves Ken Gabrielsen Greg Evans John Magerlein Leon Johnson Hospitality: Mikiko Golberg & Melanie Mueller LECTIONARY READINGS 5/5 Acts 16:9-15 Rev 21:10,22-22:5 5/12 Acts 16:16-34 Rev 22:12-14,16-17, /19 Acts 2:1-21 Rom 8: /26 Prov 8:1-4,22-31 Rom 5:1-5 6/2 1 Kings 8:22-23,41-43 Gal 1:1-12 6/9 1 Kings 17:17-24 Gal 1: /16 2 Sam 11:26-12:10,13-15 Gal 2: /23 Isa 65:1-9 Gal 3: /30 1 Kings 19:15-16,19-21 Gal 5:1, /7 Isa 66:10-14 Gal 6:7-16 JUNE SUNDAY SERVANTS June 2 Eric Golberg & MaryBeth Soucy Matilda Weekes-Johnson Alexandra Stephens Karen Magerlein Evelyn Garrett Zoe Staats Hospitality: Sue Montgomery & Mikiko Golberg June 9 Greeter&Usher: Hosp: June 16 Hospitality: Lily Evans & Frya Barnes Rosie Evans Anita Baumann Karen Magerlein Ken Gabrielsen Leon Johnson Frya Barnes & Anita Baumann John & Tom Magerlein Lee Ann McCarthy Janet Behning Greg Evans Frya Barnes Zoe Staats Potluck Lunch for Dads June 23 Alexandra Stephens & Rosie Evans Lily Evans Matilda Weekes-Johnson Janet Behning Bob Riekert Leon Johnson Hospitality: Karen Polacek & Greg Evans June 30 Hospitality: July 7 David & Anita Baumann Greg Evans Frya Barnes Janet Behning Alexandra Stephens Zoe Staats Lori Esteves & Sue Orts Dianne & Meagan Carroll Lori Esteves John Magerlein Lori Esteves Chuck Cooper Leon Johnson ALLERGIES If you have any allergy that interferes with receiving Holy Communion, especially gluten or Celiac disease, please inform the pastor. We have gluten free wafers available.

MAY 2013 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY KEY: HB Happy Birthday HA Happy Anniversary 1 2 3 4 5 Sixth

Confirmation 9:15am 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Day of Pentecost (red) Confirmation Sunday Confirmation 9:15am HB Ken Gabrielsen 20 21 22

9 MAY 2013 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY KEY: HB Happy Birthday HA Happy Anniversary Sixth Sunday of Easter (white) Confirmation 9:15am Ascension of Our Lord HB Sue Orts 12 Seventh Sunday of Easter (white) Confirmation 9:15am Day of Pentecost (red) Confirmation Sunday Confirmation 9:15am HB Ken Gabrielsen HB Sarah Doherty Holy Trinity Sunday (white) HA Pastor & Lisa Stephens 27 HA Anna & Ray Calore HB Dionne Johnson 30 31

JUNE 2013 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY KEY: HB Happy Birthday

Frank Orts HB Zack Kuchnicki 9 Third Sunday Pentecost (green) 10 11 12 13 HB Jack McCarthy

19 20 21 22 Last Day of Sunday School HB Rhys Hough 23 Fifth Sunday Pentecost (green) 24

10 JUNE 2013 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY KEY: HB Happy Birthday HA Happy Anniversary 1 2 Second Sunday Pentecost (green) HB Eric Golberg HB Frank Orts HB Zack Kuchnicki 9 Third Sunday Pentecost (green) HB Jack McCarthy HB Peter Gabrielsen Fourth Sunday Pentecost (green) Danish Home Visit 2:00pm Last Day of Sunday School HB Rhys Hough 23 Fifth Sunday Pentecost (green) 24 Circle School Summer Camp begins 9:15am 12:30pm daily Sixth Sunday Pentecost (green)

I Will Pour Out My Spirit On All People -Acts 2:17

I Will Pour Out My Spirit On All People -Acts 2:17 Weekday Office Schedule Office hours: 9:00 am - 12:00 Office Phone: (914) 271-4632 Office E-mail: mail@oursaviourcroton.org Website: www.oursaviourcroton.org Sunday Worship Schedule Sunday School: 9:00