THE VOICE. Pastor Justin s Message. Pastor Flora s Message

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1 OCTOBER 2018 THE VOICE Pastor Justin s Message Swinging into Full Gear Dear Friends in Christ, In last month s Voice, I remarked on our transition from a summer full of activities to a fall bursting with ministry programming. And now we re right in the thick of things! I was so excited to see a great turnout (and great weather) for our revamped Rally Day celebration. We had great music, food, games and prizes for all ages. Some Pastor Justin Lathrop of you even took the chance to throw a pie at my face. A special thanks to the many staff and volunteers who worked in preparation and on the day of the event. We had a leadership transition, and it took many hardworking hands to make the day a success. With that kickoff, we now forge into a Fall with lots of opportunity to get involved. All of our Bible studies, circles, prayer groups, schools, etc., are now in full swing. And just about every weekend this month features a special event. Whether it s the Blessing of the Animals, Corn Hole Tournament, Ordination Celebration, Reformation Service, New Member Luncheon, or any of the other regular gatherings, look out for something that catches your interest. You can read more about all these activities in the pages to follow. Be sure to take advantage of one (or many!) of these offerings to bring you closer to our community of Christ. Contents President s Corner Pg 4 WELCA Pg 4 Stephen Ministry Pg 5 Pastoral Acts Pg 5 Can t Come to Church? Pg 5 Holiday Craft Fair Pg 6 Spiritual Direction Pg 7 How Will You Distribute God s Money? Pg 7 Rally Day Photos Pg 8 Publicity Pg 9 Treasurer s Highlights August 2018 Pg 10 Preschool Ministry Pg 11 Women s Bible Study Pg 11 Peace, Pastor J Pastor Flora s Message Kickoff with Whipped Cream, Sprinkles, and a Cherry on Top! We had a wonderful gathering of Forever 50 on Wednesday, September 19th. Over 30 members and new comers joined in having lunch and fellowship together. Then, of course came the fun part the long-awaited dessert: Make your own Ice Cream Sundaes! Ice Pastor Flora Hartford

2 THE VOICE OCTOBER 2018 Page 2 Kickoff with Whipped Cream, Sprinkles, and a Cherry on Top! cream was dished out, then Strawberries or Chocolate, Carmel and Butterscotch syrup toppings added, topped by whipped cream, sprinkles, and a cherry! As we all enjoyed an Ice Cream Parlor atmosphere, we turned our attention to looking over various trips offered by Rendezvous Travel for our group for Most people seemed to be interested in American Trilogy Tribute to Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, and Neil Diamond at Westbury on November 13th, Radio City Christmas Spectacular on November 29th, the Broadway show, Come From Far Away on December 5th, as well as The Holiday Train show at the NY Botanical Gardens also on December 5th in addition to our already scheduled trip on Wednesday, October 10th to see Phantom at the Westchester Dinner Theatre.

3 THE VOICE OCTOBER 2018 Page 3 Kickoff with Whipped Cream, Sprinkles, and a Cherry on Top! Then on Wednesday, September 26th, our very own artist Kay Nuzzo instructed close to 40 of us on how to paint various motifs such as rose buds and butterflies on glass. Participants brought in wine glasses, vases, and dishes to decorate. Our Fall Schedule is brimming with fun, fellowship and information. Please join us each Wednesday in our Social Hall for: October 3: Birthdays and BINGO October 10: No Meeting; TRIP to see Phantom October 17: Pallet Painting with artist, Jenn Lathrop October 24: Guest Speaker: Christine Drasser, RN on Comfort Care. October 31: Halloween Costumed Party. Blessings, Pastor Flora

4 THE VOICE OCTOBER 2018 President s Corner I had been sitting trying to think of something to write about for the October issue of The Voice. I was not getting any divine inspiration this month. I was even tempted to fall back on the old trick of young confirmands when they were puzzled by the Pastor s sermon. Not sure what to write, they could at least fall back on the good old - Jesus Loves Me. Then I started to think about the fact that the seasons were changing, and pretty soon we would be changing our clocks, and FALL BACK!! But fall back on what? And then the divine inspiration hit me, FALL BACK ON OUR FAITH. And why is this the perfect topic for October? Because October is the month of Reformation Sunday, and as a lifelong Lutheran (and a student of Pastor Flora s 10th grade Humanities class), I knew that one thing that makes us Lutherans is Martin Luther s proclamation that faith, not works, would help us to achieve salvation. What does Fall back on our faith mean to me? I suppose it is as simple as remembering to trust in God. I bet everyone reading this has had to struggle in some way over the last couple of months, or maybe it been longer than that. I know that my family is not unique and are just one of many who find themselves tested a bit (or maybe a lot). But I also know that with our faith in God, and our faith family, Ascension Lutheran Church will help us get through these tough times. So, if you are currently facing a challenge, or in the future when you do (and everyone will), remember to fall back on your faith, and also to fall back on your faith family at Ascension. Oh, and of course - Jesus Loves You!! Heidi Manzo Page 4 WELCA Summer is over, and Fall activities are starting again. WELCA circles have met once and are planning their activities for the future. Won't you join us? Rally Day was very successful. I'm sure a good time was had by all. The food was certainly plentiful and delicious. Thanks to all who worked so hard to make it so great. The DJ played well, and the games were great. An added plus; the weather was perfect! Will have more to tell next month, so will close now. Until next time, stay well, be happy and always remember, God Loves You! Jeremiah 29:11 Grace Schumacher

5 THE VOICE OCTOBER 2018 Page 5 Stephen Ministry A time of learning. That is where our new Stephen Minister recruits find themselves; in a Time of Learning. They are meeting weekly to fulfill their 50 hours of training. They have learned how to hear feelings and how to actively listen. These are good lessons for all of us to learn. It is important in all of our relationships to learn how to feel the feelings of the person we are speaking to and to actively listen to what they are really saying. Many times, when we are talking to someone we find ourselves listening with the intent to reply rather listening with the intent to understand. This a valuable lesson for our Stephen Ministers and a valuable lesson for us all. When we listen to understand, we put ourselves in touch with how the other person sees a situation, and when we can do that, we find empathy for that person. Empathy allows us to get in touch with the other person on a deeper level. Our Stephen Ministers are learning how to be empathic so that they can provide the best care to their future care-receivers. We can learn to be more empathic to bring healing to the people closest to us. If you would like to find out more about our Stephen Ministry Program at Ascension, please speak to one of our Stephen Leaders, Pastor Justin, Pastor Flora, Vicki Elfers, Don Hartford or Pattie Komornik. Pastoral Acts Baptisms: Daniel James Fink August 26 Brody Daniel Kennett September 9 Weddings: Victoria Loos & Matthew Parente August 24 Funerals: Andrew Maxwell September 24 Can t Come to Church? If you or a member of your family is no longer able to come to church services and would like the Pastor or a Deacon to visit, please call the church office at (631)

6 THE VOICE OCTOBER 2018 Holiday Craft Fair Page 6

7 THE VOICE OCTOBER 2018 Page 7 Spiritual Direction It is the end of the growing season. A time for the harvest. A time to celebrate the bounty of what has been grown and a time to celebrate the food that will sustain us through the long hard winter. Many of us today have a life that is very different from our agricultural roots. Unless you have a vegetable garden in your yard, these phrases I just used don t apply to our current daily living. In fact, for many of us, even those with a garden, having fresh vegetables readily available all year long is as close as our nearest grocery store. The images of growth and harvest are a thing of the past and of a time long ago or at least a farm stand away on the East End of Long Island. I find great value in images of growing, harvest and long winters and let me explain why. When we daily take the time to sit in prayer with God we are growing. Each time as we quiet ourselves to be with God, we water the seeds of love planted in our hearts at our birth. As we continue to grow in this love of God, we get to reap harvests of good thoughts and good life decisions. The reason that the growing and the harvesting are so important is that we know that there will be long cold winters. These long cold winters come in the form of job loss, serious illness, loss of a loved one or any other times in our lives when we feel distant from the love of God. But if our growing and harvesting have been good, then we will have enough to sustain us during these long cold winters. If you would like to find out more about how you can learn to grow and harvest a deeper relationship with God, please feel free to contact me and I would be glad to explain the process of Spiritual Direction and how it can fill your life with God s sustaining love. Vicki Elfers velfers@optonline.net (Home) (Cell) How Will You Distribute God s Money? God calls upon all of us to make wise use of the gifts he bestows upon us in both our life and beyond it at our death. It is both appropriate and right to remember Ascension in your Will. Through your Will, you can return a portion of what is left after you die to Ascension as your contribution toward the continuation of its ministry. Many others have done this before you. A suggested amount is the Biblical tithe or 10 % of your estate. Those without children might well consider more. Please speak with Pastor Justin, Pastor Flora, or Pastor Krahn at ( ) on how you might provide for Ascension s future.

8 THE VOICE OCTOBER 2018 Rally Day September 16, 2018 Page 8

9 THE VOICE OCTOBER 2018 Page 9 A Great Day For Fellowship Publicity Alice Wright and Jim Mueller are sharing Publicity responsibilities now. If you have an event that is upcoming and you d like it publicized to the community as well as the congregation, please contact them at: publicity.ascension@gmail.com at least 6 to 8 weeks before your event with the details.

10 THE VOICE OCTOBER 2018 August 2018 Treasurer s Highlights Page 10 Unfortunately we fell further into the red in August by another $16,000, increasing our year-todate deficit to ($19,457), A decrease in Preschool tuition income is certainly a key factor as there is no school in July or August. Below you will see a comparison to While we had a small deficit last year, this year's deficit is $18,000 greater. Income is actually up $7,000 but expenses are up $25,000. Some expenses higher than last year include: Cleaning service $5,700, Misc. $3,000, Preschool $16,600. August Results August Results August Year-to-Date August Year-to-Date Income $455,964 $448,776 Expenses $475,421 $450,231 Net Income (Loss) ($19,457) ($1,455) INCOME HIGHLIGHTS: FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST Contribution Income $28,171 Regular Envelope Giving $23,623 Direct or Electronic Giving $4,548 Preschool Tuition $2,810 Thrivent Choice Dollars $194 EXPENSE HIGHLIGHTS: Insurance Premiums $4,591 Preschool Expenses $2,641 OTHER ITEMS OF NOTE: Special Need LI Youth Mentoring $656 Mission Appeal Monies received $8,071 Remembrance received $745 Remembrance Fund $205 Investment Appreciation $1,914 Any questions at all, please let me know! Faithfully, Your Treasurer, Rich Germann izzygerman@optonline.net

11 THE VOICE OCTOBER 2018 Page 11 Preschool Ministry The preschool had a great start to the school year! Our teachers worked hard decorating their classrooms and planning for the new school year. The children are becoming familiar with their classroom routines, and they are enjoying meeting new friends. Enrollment in all our classes are up since the beginning of September. Our morning classes are full, and some classes have waiting lists. We do have some availability in our 3 year-old Mon/Wed/Fri afternoon class. On September 6 th, we had our Meet and Greet for the preschool parents. Attendance was great, and it was so nice to meet the wonderful families. The parents and children were able to meet the teachers before school started, which put our new parents and the children at ease. Afternoon Adventures will begin on Oct. 1st. Afternoon Adventures are enrichment classes that the children can sign up for in addition to their preschool class. Each day is a different program. We offer Fun with Fitness, Yoga, Creative Kids, Creative Movement and Cooking/Science. Our Wednesday class is full, but we do have some availability on the other days. Upcoming Events: Oct. 1st: Afternoon Adventures begins Oct. 3rd and 4th: First chapel days of the school year Oct. 25th and 26th: Fall Harvest AnneMarie Achatz, Preschool Director Women Bible Study Based on Max Lucado s ANXIOUS FOR NOTHING (Philippians 4:4-8) When: Wednesdays 10:30-11:30 am October 3-24, November 7 Where: Library Lounge

12 THE VOICE OCTOBER 2018 ASCENSION LUTHERAN CHURCH 33 Bay Shore Road Deer Park, NY (631) Services Saturdays: 5 pm Sundays: 9:00 am & 10:30 am Misa Services Sundays: 11:45 am Justin Lathrop, Pastor Flora Hartford, Associate Pastor Patty Avila, Pastor We re on the web! Ascension Lutheran Church 33 Bay Shore Road Deer Park, New York Address Service Requested