Our 'Living Generously' Stewardship Pledge Sunday is November 16th

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1 Our November newsletter highlights some of the ministries Concordia Lutheran Church has been serving and brings attention to our upcoming events. not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. November 13th, 2014 Our 'Living Generously' Stewardship Pledge Sunday is November 16th Upcoming Events Receiving New Members Community Thanksgiving Service, November 23rd Advent Season All Saint's Day Dia De Los Muertos Recap Sunday School Update Youth Ministry Update Big Faith Questions Small Group Meets December 3rd Volunteer Opportunities Concordia Place News Concordia Lutheran Church Information Our 'Living Generously' Stewardship Pledge Sunday is November 16th Leading up to our Stewardship Renewal Pledge service this Sunday, on November 16th, we have offered a number of member interactions designed around this year's theme of "Living Generously". Brenda offered a wonderful Temple Talk on November 2nd. The following

2 is an excerpt from Brenda's talk: "...I ve discovered a peace that comes with faith of knowing our Father s love and grace and of giving my whole self to His service. This has changed how I think of giving. I think of living generously. We are all going to die sometime. But while I am here, I am blessed to do His work." To read Brenda's Temple Talk in its entirety, please go to page 10. Our final Temple Talk will take place on November 16th. It will be given by our Associate Pastor, Adam Varner. We hope you will join us on this important day where we join together as one and commit our time, talent and treasure to the Lord's work through our Church's ministries. Need Pledge materials? All Pledge materials are available in the narthex of the sanctuary. You can also call the church office at or Jen Phillips at jphillips@concordiaplace.org to have them sent to you. Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving. ~W. T. Purkiser Upcoming Events Be sure to save the date for all these upcoming events! Read more about these events in this newsletter: Nov. 16- Stewardship Pledge Sunday Nov. 23-Community Thanksgiving Service Nov. 30- First Sunday of Advent December 12-ChristCordia Event at Whipple Campus December 21-Children's Christmas Drama December 24-Christmas Eve Services (5pm at Whipple Campus and 11pm at Seeley) December 25-Christmas Day Service, Seeley, 10:30am Receiving New Members We welcome new members into our congregation on Sunday, November 16th. Welcome to Dana Braun and to the Slominski family-isabel and Aviana who will be received through Baptism and their parents, Gabriel and Rose. Community Thanksgiving Service, November 23rd As a reminder, on Sunday, November 23, we ll hold a special Community Thanksgiving worship service at 10:30am at Concordia Church. At this service, we ll give thanks for all Concordia Place staff celebrating milestone anniversaries and we ll also recognize the volunteers who support Concordia Place s Friendly Visitor program. Concordia Church s choir will provide special music (please feel welcome to join them in rehearsal on Nov. 16 at 9:00am for the service on Nov. 23), the Sunday School students will share a special musical offering, and we ll all enjoy festive refreshments during fellowship after the service. This year we honor 15 staff and volunteers for the service:

3 Previous Concordia Place Staff Recognition Service Advent Season Advent is a season of preparations in the church calendar, four weeks leading up to the celebration of the Nativity of our Lord. It is a different kind of preparation from the frenzied pace of secular Christmas shopping and holiday planning that marks our everyday lives. Instead of the rush of decorating, gift buying, party planning and shopping, Advent worship focuses on the spiritual center of our lives; the joyful anticipation of the advent of God s promises into our world born to us in our Savior, Jesus Christ. Worship in Advent is a call to spiritual preparation;

4 worship has a meditative quality, a time of peace and joy for the soul. Advent decorations place emphasis on the gifts of faith promised in the advent of the Christ child and realized in our journey with Christ. Reflect on the four Advent panels hung from the sanctuary this season, may these be the gifts you receive and give. All Saint's Day On November 2nd, our Sunday worship service included a remembrance of those who have died.we gave thanks for one of our church members, Steve Smolenski, who died this past June. Members of the church were invited to light a candle in memory of their loved ones. Saints are often portrayed with halos in religious art, a symbol of how their faith shined as a light in the lives of others. Lighting candles during this service is a reminder to us of their baptism into Christ and of the communion we share in the body of Christ.

5 Dia De Los Muertos Recap On Friday, November 7th, Concordia Place hosted a fantastic Dia De Los Muertos event. Great food, fun times and a memorable worship service was enjoyed by all who attended. A great deal of thanks to everyone who volunteered their time and energy for this event. If you were unable to attend this year, we certainly hope you will join us in 2015! Below are some highlights: Sunday School Update On Sunday, Nov. 2, Sunday School students and parents gathered for a Family Craft Sunday, where they made a craft together to kick off this month s Sunday School theme, Thanking God. Students and parents created place mats with illustrations of things they are thankful for and also created leaf rubbings and collages. Many thanks to the Sunday School teachers, assistants, and other volunteers who made this Family Craft Sunday a success! During Sunday School this month, students will continue to explore how they are called to thank God for God s blessings in their lives.

6 Youth Ministry Update High school youth group members and confirmation students gathered on Sunday, Nov. 9 to prepare soup to serve to the homeless with The Night Ministry. The group prepared 9 gallons of Italian pasta and bean soup and served all of it to more than 100 people at The Night Ministry site in Humboldt Park. Many thanks to congregation members who generously donated $ to the loose change offering which paid for the ingredients to prepare the soup! In December, the youth group looks forward to visiting St. Paul s House to sing Christmas carols. Big Faith Questions Small Group Meets December 3rd Want to journey in faith with a small group of people who want to do the same? Want to ask big faith questions and discuss them in a small group setting? A new Concordia small group is forming that will give you the opportunity to do just that! The goal of the small group is to create a space for participants to grow in relationship to God and each other through engaging content, spiritual practices, and fellowship. At recent meetings, we ve discussed topics as varied as different images for God and reading the Bible for spiritual growth. Our next group meeting will be Wednesday, December 3 from 6:00-7:30pm in the Resource Center (red brick building) at the Concordia Whipple campus (3300 N. Whipple). Contact Pastor Adam for more information at x 402 or Adam at adamv@concordiaplace.org. All are welcome! Volunteer Opportunities Photographers are needed! Please help us capture the memories of Concordia Church

7 and Concordia Place events by ing them to Help Your Neighbors: Bring the following items to church and place in the back of the sanctuary: Eyeglasses - Your old eyeglasses can make it possible for a child succeed in school or for an adult to be able to provide for his or her family, Food or Personal Care Items - The Common Pantry requests non-perishable food items, such a peanut butter, tuna or oatmeal and personal care items, such as soap, toilet paper, plastic bags. Coats - A big 'Thank You' to all those who have donated coats and winter gear for our neighbors in need. The Lake View Pantry was delighted to receive eight big bags of coats and other items. With the cold weather, there is a great need and we would love to take another load over soon. Adult and child sizes are needed. No out of season clothes can be accepted. Electronics - Old phones or tables (without chargers) are needed. Concordia Place News Sprouting Out Initiative The BOGO Project was recently launched by our Sprouting Out Social Entrepreneur teen program. These teens make handcrafted all-natural body care products and learn all about how to run a business as part of this after school program. This year they have decided to introduce a new component to their business model, the BOGO- Buy One, Give One - so that for every

8 product purchased, they will donate the same product to someone in need. For the holiday season, they have partnered with the Night Ministry. So, for every product you purchase, you will be giving a gift, support the teens of Concordia Place, and providing a much needed necessity to the homeless teens served through the Night Ministry. To purchase any of the products, go to To read more about the BOGO project, click here. The Emerging Leaders Program of Concordia Place was featured on WGN Radio during the Business Lunch with Bob Sirott and Marianne Murciano. Director of Community Programs, Flora Calabrese, discussed what the teens are doing. Concordia Lutheran Church Information 3855 North Seeley Ave. Chicago, IL (O) (F) contact@concordia-chgo.org Sunday Worship Schedule 8:00 Spoken Word Worship 9:00 Choir Rehearsal 9:15 Confirmation 9:30 Sunday School 9:45 Adult Class 10:30 Festive Worship 11:30 Fellowship We understand ourselves to be called to serve and to witness to our faith in Jesus Christ in our community. We believe the doors of the church should be open to all; we invite and make welcome people of every age, race and condition by offering worship, fellowship and programs that meet the needs of children and adults. Concordia Place is a vibrant nonprofit with proactive solutions to key social needs. We believe in creating involved communities where all of our neighbors can gather, learn and grow. Concordia Place is how Concordia Church puts its faith into action in the world.

9 November 2, Temple Talk by Brenda This morning, I want to share my journey - my career change and brain surgery and how it relates to the annual stewardship campaign Concordia Church is conducting with the theme Living Generously. My journey started about 14 years ago. At that time, I had a leadership role in a technology startup company. I had helped them grow from 50 to 850 employees, but with the technology bubble compounded with the loss of two clients from 9/11 (one of them in the tower), I became a major part of closing offices and laying off staff. I was traveling a lot. During this time, I started having odd little symptoms that were unobtrusive at first: This part of my thumb was numb when I washed my hands. But the symptoms progressed over time becoming more annoying. The numbness traveled further up my hand. Then it was also on my other hand. God was trying to get my attention, but I was ignoring His nudges. I can really relate to Jonah. If I were to wake up tomorrow with all of the symptoms I ended up with, I would have David rush me to the emergency room. I made little adaptations I wasn t really aware I was even making. I stopped wearing button-up shirts and wore pull overs instead because the buttons were difficult to manipulate. I wore loop earrings instead of studs because I couldn t get the backs on. And I didn t connect the dots. Didn t see how other things were possibly related. I would stop in at various eye glass places to get my glasses adjusted. It feels like my glasses are rubbing here behind my ear. Do you see it? (Of course they didn t, because the problem was in my head!) I kept trying different pillows because I had such headaches. At one point I almost scalded my children because I couldn t feel that their bath water was so hot. But I still wasn t listening. Oh sure, I attended church, gave weekly, got involved here and there. But I hadn t given generously of my heart. Of myself. But God didn t give up on me. He loved me enough to keep trying to reach me, but he had to keep turning up the volume. Next he took away all the mechanisms I used to cope with stress. I used to lift weights, but had to quit because I started dropping them. My grip just wasn t strong or reliable enough. I stopped playing my flute because I couldn t feel the keys and cover the open holes. When I played piano, it felt like I had on oven mitts. But I felt I just needed to toughen up and plow through this. I think when you re a strong person, your own strength is actually your biggest weakness. I felt I had to do more. Finally, God took away my job. And even though I knew the layoff was coming, it was hard. I had inextricably linked who I was as a person with what I did. But undaunted I found a

10 lucrative consulting arrangement with a former employer, and the work and traveling increased. I did go to several doctors, had an EMG (which was fine), and was being treated by a chiropractor. But I was traveling so much, it was easy to string things out. And I really didn t know what else to do. Finally the headaches had become so extreme. One night I woke up in my hotel room crying because of the pain. I didn t know what else to do. I finally got down on my knees alone in my hotel room and prayed to my Father to heal me. The answer didn t come until a month after I quit job and took a position working for my church and I gave my whole self to what He wanted. My chiropractor had urged me to get an MRI. And when I got the diagnosis of a brain tumor, I actually thought- Thank God! I finally know what it is. We had a plan to address it. And the prognosis was good. For the 10 th anniversary of my brain surgery, we gave a gift to the church to thank God for His love and celebrate His grace. That He loved me so much he didn t give up on me. He kept gently nudging me and patiently waiting for me to listen to Him. I had struggled with so much uncertainty of what was happening to me over several years leading up to the diagnosis and surgery. While I am embarrassed to think of my stubbornness and my arrogance, I ve discovered a peace that comes with faith of knowing our Father s love and grace and of giving my whole self to His service. This has changed how I think of giving. I think of living generously. We are all going to die sometime. But while I am here, I am blessed to do His work. Next Sunday, November 9th is the congregational luncheon. There will be a Church Council Member at each table to lead a conversation about Living Generously. The campaign will culminate on Stewardship Pledge Sunday, November 16 th. Your pledge commitments of money, of time and talents will be offered in thanksgiving at our Worship service. When I live generously, I feel His presence and experience the Joy He gives us. I invite you to join me in living generously. Thank you.

11 What is The BOGO Project? The Buy One Give One Project is a Concordia Place gift-giving initiative of its Sprouting Out teen program. Sprouting Out is a teen-run social enterprise that provides entrepreneurial training and paid internships through the production and distribution of teen-made, all natural, body care products, which includes soaps, shea balms, deodorants and lip balms. With every purchase of a BOGO gift package-we give a gift package! Your purchase has 3x the impact: your clients, colleagues and friends; Concordia Place and the Night Ministry! How It Works HOLIDAY GIFTS WITH A SOCIAL MISSION A Concordia Place Solution to Corporate Gifts - The BOGO Project FACE & BODY BAR SHEA BALM You purchase a $20 Holiday Gift Package for your clients, colleagues and friends. (Includes a teen-made soap, shea balm and lip balm) LIP BALM We donate a package to the Night Ministry and spread the spirit of giving to those who need it most. Call Cameron Nelson at ext. 421 and place your order. We can customize large orders to suit your needs. We accept all major credit cards. Place your order before November 10; we will have it ready by December 15. Shipping and delivery is available for an additional cost.

12 Who We Are focus is growth and opportunity through economically inclusive early childhood, teen leadership and senior wellness programs. The Sprouting Out project integrates a social mission of developing environmentally-conscious teen leaders, who are agents of positive change in their community, with a socially-conscious business venture. Our teen-run enterprise provides innovative entrepreneurial training and internship opportunities, through the development and distribution of sustainable teen-grown and teen-made products. An entrepreneurial mindset is an advantage for teens in our fast-changing world. This project educates today s teens on the fundamentals of running a socially responsible business so that they can become the progressive leaders of tomorrow. The teens engage in service-learning activities that teach: entrepreneurial innovation, money management, creativity, networking, responsible business practices & strategies, Concordia Place has two centers on Chicago s northwest side 3300 N. Whipple & 3855 N. Seeley, Chicago, IL For more information contact Cameron Nelson at ext. 421 or cnelson@concordiaplace.org Benefits to You Be part of the solution in Chicago by participating in The BOGO Project! What s in it for you? Opportunity to give back Show clients and remind employees that you care about the community Make a difference in the lives of homeless teens Support the local economy and teen employment Help grow a teen-run social enterprise