Gulf States Glad Tidings

Transcription

1 Gulf States Glad Tidings Winter Edition 2017 Lutheran Women s Missionary League - Gulf States District Volume LXII, Issue 4 COMING SOON!!! Reign in Me Col. 3:15, 17 The Lutheran Women s Missionary League, Gulf States District, will meet in convention on April 27 to 29, 2018, at the Hilton Birmingham Perimeter Park in Birmingham, Alabama, with a great line-up of speakers. I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E 1 1 Call to Gulf States District Convention th Anniversary of the Reformation Note 2 District President Judy Lessmann s Message 4 Senior Counselor Rev. J. Mark Kuehnert s Message 5 Gulf State District Officer s Reports District Convention Announcement Zone News Officer Candidates Birmingham 2018 Convention Registration Form Women of the Reformation Although the names most often associated with the Reformation are male, women also played key roles in maintaining the integrity of the church. Most were wives and mothers, professor Justin Holcomb writes. Some were also authors, apologists, ex-nuns and queens. All were faithful servants of Jesus. Women who made notable contributions include: Katherine von Bora, the former nun who married former-priest Martin Luther Argula von Grumbach, a Bavarian noblewoman who published letters and debated with university faculty Olympia Fulvia Morata, an Italian scholar who lectured on the teachings of Luther and Calvin and was persecuted and imprisoned Jeanne d Albret, queen of Navarre and a leader in France s Huguenot movement, who tried to peacefully resolve tensions between Catholics and Protestants Marie Dentière, an aristocrat who left an Augustinian monastery to speak in public even on street corners! about church reform Next Gulf States Glad Tidings Deadline: February 1, Lana Pratt: lbgpratt@gmail.com 780 Gross Road Guntersville, AL Gulf States Glad Tidings 1

2 President s Message Judy Lessmann As I write this at the beginning of November we are between the celebration of 500 th anniversary of the Reformation and the celebration of Thanksgiving. When Martin Luther nailed the 95 theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg he had no intention of starting a movement but wanted instead to debate and discuss what he considered abuses in the Church of Rome. But through his writing and speaking God used him mightily to bring the Gospel to the common person. We are blessed to be able to read the Word of God any time we choose. Let s take advantage of that privilege. If you do not have a regular time of Bible reading, why not celebrate with a reformation of your own and begin one this week? CPH and LWML both have Today s Light Bibles that have a two year plan and CPH has free downloadable reading plans. God will bless your time you spend with Him. Now we look forward to celebrating Thanksgiving Day where we take time to specifically thank God for the many ways He blesses us. In addition to giving thanks for family, health, home, sustenance, work, and all our material blessings, let s remember to thank Him for our spiritual blessings. Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thess. 5: (NIV) The 2018 convention committee and the Board of Directors have been working hard to make the convention in Birmingham a memorable one. It will be April at the Hilton Perimeter. The proclaimer at the opening worship will be the Rev. Arthur Porter of Birmingham. Joe Fairchild of Scottsboro/Huntsville will be our Bible study leader. Just knowing that these two dynamic men will be with us to guide and teach us will be enough to convince anyone to attend. But wait there s more! Michelle Dierks will be our keynote speaker and Katie Luther will come to join us. Also President Patti Ross will be our national representative, our own Pastor Carlson will be the banquet entertainment, and YWR Lydia Landes will lead our singing. What a lineup! And there will be more to come. Plus we will elect officers and select mission grants. It promises to be a great time of inspiration, learning, fellowshipping and fun. Please gather your friends and join us in Birmingham in April. The Gulf States District is a great place to Serve the Lord with Gladness. May God bless our celebrations during this holiday season and especially our preparations that will occupy a lot of our time and energy during the coming weeks. As we prepare our homes and our meals for Thanksgiving and Christmas, let s take time to prepare our hearts and minds to thank our heavenly Father, receive our King, and worship Him as Lord. God s peace and joy to each of you. I love you all. Judy Lessmann Gulf States Glad Tidings 2

3 Pastor J. Mark Kuehnert -- Senior Counselor HARVEST TIME! Not many of you are farmers, perhaps none of you, but you may have participated in harvesting. picking apples, strawberries, pears, corn, okra, blueberries, butter beans, squash, tomatoes, peppers, or picking up pecans. This week I will have the experience of harvesting pecans in Miles, Texas. My brother, Phil, has invited me to go with him on what will be his 6 th year to join his friend Chester, whom he met at Concordia College, Austin Texas, where they both prepared for a career as a Lutheran pastor. Chester and Phil are both retired pastors, but Chester and his brother continue to harvest pecans on a commercial level. So I will be a worker in a harvest this coming week. Jeanie Kisner - Financial Secretary Jesus was traveling through towns and villages teaching in the synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, healing every disease and sickness. And when he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the Harvest, there, to send out workers into his harvest field. (Matthew 9:35-38) WORKERS IN THE HARVEST FIELD is what the ladies who are active in LWML are. Through your prayers, mission projects, support of the mission of your congregation, all are ways that you are an answer to prayers to send out workers into HIS HARVEST FIELD. THANKSGIVING DAY 2017 will be a time for me to thank God for your compassion on the harassed and helpless people who are like sheep without a shepherd. Join me in giving thanks that the good news of the kingdom is being heard by us and through workers like us. J. Mark Kuehnert In His service, Jeanie Kisner It s that time of year once again to renew your society s Quarterly subscriptions. The renewal letters are being sent. There is no change in the cost of the Quarterly. I am mailing the letters to contact people who send in mites, where applicable, otherwise they are being mailed to the appropriate church. Please check your church mailbox or let the church-staff know they are coming. In addition to the amount owed for the magazine, we are including the $5 fee per LWML member to help defray the cost of sending delegates to convention. As in the past, the deadline for renewal is December 31. The renewal information goes to National by the end of the 1 st quarter of 2018, and it makes our jobs easier if we can get payments prior to that time. Now is the time to make any changes to the number of Quarterlies you will need, there is an area for updates on the form. If you have any questions, don t hesitate to contact me: jeaniekpa@gmail.com or Gulf States Glad Tidings 3

4 Jackie Morris 2 nd Vice President A total amount of $16, in mites was raised for GULF STATES LWML grants from Feb. 1 to Aug. 31, Half of mites go towards District Mission Grants. Payment of grant allocations is as follows: $750 for scholarship to Mr. Stanley Lacey preparing for pastoral ministry, $4,000 for Shepherd s Heart Ministry, and $5,000 for missionaries, Rev. Joe and Jennie Asher, who serve in Kaiserslautern, Germany. The chart below details the current balance remaining for the biennium. MISSION GRANTS FOR THE BIENNIUM GRANT AMOUNT BALANCE REMAINING 1. Scholarships $3,000 $ 750 $5,000 PAID IN FULL 2. Concordia Seminary, Ft. Wayne, IN Food and Clothing Coop to purchase food 3. Shepherd of the Bay Food Pantry - purchase of upright $3,000 PAID IN FULL freezer 4. Be A Friend camp counselor intern at Bethesda s summer $3,000 PAID IN FULL camps for campers with developmental disabilities 5. Good Shepherd Lutheran School, Elberta, AL - One In $3,500 PAID IN FULL Christ religious curriculum 6. Shepherd s Heart Ministry - disaster $4,000 PAID IN FULL 7. Direct support to Rev. Joe and Jennie Asher, LCMS $5,000 PAID IN FULL missionaries to Kaiserslautern, Germany 8. Project H.O.P.E. - educational support in the form of $2,500 $2,500 teacher s salaries for children in Uganda PRAISE GOD! Jackie Morris Gulf States Glad Tidings 4

5 Diane Plotz Treasurer Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7 NIV Apparently the members of the Gulf States LWML are doing just that. We have been giving cheerfully to our Mite collections and also building up our funds for the 2019 National convention, which we are hosting. Please pray that we are able to continue giving with a cheerful heart. Mite Collections August - November 2017 October September August , , , , , , District Grants District Ops National Grants Respectfully Submitted Diane Plotz / Gulf Sates District LWML Treasurer Gulf States Glad Tidings 5

6 Norma Palmer Special Focus Ministries One of the elected offices in LWML is the Vice President of Special Focus Ministries and Kaye Wolff fills that National office. One of her responsibilities is the oversight of the Committee on Young Women which facilitates the YWR (Young Women Representative) program. I was one of many volunteers at Kaye s booth for the Committee on Young Women in Albuquerque. As soon as I saw the excitement at that booth with all the YWR s coming over with their photos, I wanted to share their idea for our Gulf States District societies! A few weeks before your planned LWML society meeting, ask everyone to bring a photo of someone to the meeting, who was or is a spiritual mentor in their life: someone who influenced their faith walk. If no photo is available, put their name on a heart-shaped piece of paper. If the women are willing, have them share a couple sentences about the heart connection and then attach the photo or paper heart to a larger heart at the front of the room. This sharing time could be used as the program. I also used their cell phone to take a photo of them with their picture, so they will be able to share on social media, if they want. Are you a Spiritual Mentor? Have you ever shared how Jesus is working in your life? You may have one conversation sharing Jesus and the Holy Spirit uses that for a teaching moment and you ve become a Spiritual Mentor. The YWR s are young women enjoying their role as Spiritual Mentors in their churches. There were 81 registered at Albuquerque. Our Gulf States District YWR is Lydia Landes and she will be sharing her convention experiences with us. May God bless you with daily times of connecting with others and influencing their faith walk. Serving the Lord with Gladness, Norma Palmer, Special Focus Ministry Chairman Marlys Kuehnert Mark your Calendars April 27-29, 2018 Join the invasion of the "Women in Purple" at the Hilton Perimeter Park Hotel in Birmingham, Alabama, for The Gulf States LWML District Convention! The theme of the Convention is Reign in Me Col. 3:15,17. Women from The Women of Vision Zone will be hosts for this 2018 Convention. More volunteers are needed from Zone 2 to assist with Convention details! Please notify your Society President if you can help! Remember April 27-29, 2018! Gulf States Glad Tidings 6

7 Please Note: The link to reserve hotel rooms for the Birmingham 2018 convention will be published on our web-site when it is available!! Azalea Zone LWML ladies in the Azalea Zone were active in many ways. Annual bake sales and yard sales were held to gather funds at each church. Monetary donations were sent to victims of the recent hurricanes, missionaries, food pantries, scholarships, Lutheran Bible Translators, as well as providing many various church needs. Central Alabama Zone The Central Alabama Zone Spring Rally was held at Holy Cross Lutheran, Camden, AL. Thirty-four ladies participated. Special speakers included District President, Judy Lessmann and District Special Focus Minister, Norma Palmer. A Christian Growth version of Beautiful Feet was presented by Cherie Endrihs. After a delicious lunch, election of officers was held. The new officers are: Gwendolyn Dixon, President; Patricia George, Sec/Treasurer; and Debra McDaniel, Christian Growth Chairman. It was decided at this meeting that each society will be asked to donate $100 to help defray cost of the Mobile Convention. Emerald Coast Zone The Emerald Coast Zone Fall Rally was on September 30, and hosted by Grace Lutheran, Santa Rosa, FL. We enjoyed a great opening devotion and Bible Study. The Zone delegate, Carolyn Kassulke, and our Young Woman s Rep, Lydia Landes, gave a report on the convention in Albuquerque. To give the attendees a little taste of the convention, they were each given a purple or gold scrubbie and everyone exchanged a prayer gem for the year. Before lunch we assembled 83 Gospel bracelets for the MOST Ministry. We had a food ingathering to be used by the church and an offering of $ for the day. The new officers were installed at the end of the meeting. Submitted by Carolyn Kassulke Gulf States Glad Tidings 7

8 Magnolia Zone Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Biloxi, MS, held their annual Summer Luncheon having 8 ladies in attendance. Following the meal, three ladies who attended the National Convention in Albuquerque, gave a presentation about their experiences. This included a slide show, a short video, and a presentation of the new LWML logo. Submitted by Ellen Garnett, Society President St. Matthew s Lutheran in Gulfport, MS, had two members, Ethel and Ginny, attend the National Convention in Albuquerque, NM. The ladies were thrilled to be in the company of so many Lutheran women. The convention was packed with good information, fun and festivities. Upon their return, the ladies gave a presentation about the convention to the congregation at a potluck dinner. The LWML ladies annual rummage sale encompassed two weekends, due to the threat of Hurricane Harvey. Part of the proceeds went to the "Wounded Warriors" organization. LWML Sunday was observed the first Sunday in October by the ladies assisting in the Worship Service. The Magnolia Zone Fall Rally was held at St. Matthew s in October. Members got together and worked on three different gifts that were presented to ladies attending the Rally. In addition to the great meal, the gifts, and the fellowship, a fall wreath was given as a door prize to one lucky lady holding the prize ticket. The beautiful, large wreath was made by St. Matthew's LWML president, Debbie Gable. The Zone ladies all brought socks to be given to the homeless. An election of officers was held for the zone with the following people serving for the upcoming term: President, Ellen Garnett; Vice President, Ginny Hermetz; Treasurer, Theresa Struss; and Secretary, Mary Cubley. Some of the ladies worshiped at the Reformation Service held at Good Shepherd, Biloxi, singing in the choir and playing hand bells. Submitted by Ethel Smith, Magnolia Zone President The ladies of Lutheran Church of the Pines have been busy collecting and stocking our small food and care pantry. LWML involved the congregation by providing zip lock bags with a message inside, listing items that were needed in filling the bags. As always, our members embraced this mission. We celebrated LWML Sunday in a big way this year. People were asked to wear purple, so we had purple everywhere. We called it "Paint and Pack the Pews in Purple", and it worked. All of the ladies were given purple and gold pins as they entered the church. Our members assisted with the 8:30 and 10:30 AM worship services. We had a reception in our fellowship hall with a beautiful and delicious sheet cake where we introduced the new LWML logo to the congregation. Our president attended the Zone Rally and delivered warm socks for the homeless. We participated in the Reformation Service at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Biloxi, MS, by singing in the choir and making sandwiches for the program. Plans are under way for the second annual Thanksgiving Community Dinner with our Outreach Ministry on November 18. Submitted by Cathy Mason, Society President The LWML at Christ Lutheran, Pascagoula, MS, has been busy since our summer break organizing activities for the last months of We conducted a successful fund raising Spaghetti lunch/dinner/auction to benefit a Lutheran congregation in Orange, Texas, who is recovering from the torrential rains and flooding of Hurricane Gulf States Glad Tidings 8

9 Harvey. In addition, we had our Octoberfest a little early so we could participate in the Coast-wide celebration of the 500 th Anniversary of the Reformation held at the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, Biloxi, MS, on October 29 th. That service was beautiful and the fellowship was a tremendous blessing. We are also planning a special thank you delivery of baked goods to our area First Responders in conjunction with the Thanksgiving holiday. Advent is always a busy time for us as we help coordinate our Advent Soup suppers held each Wednesday with our mid-week Advent worship. We are also joining with our Church Counsel to sponsor our Nativity Walk. At this event, we have special shelves that are installed along our pews and we set up over 100 nativity scenes of every description on almost every flat surface we can find. It is a sight to behold and we open the church on the first Friday of December, in conjunction with our city s Downtown for the Holidays celebration to remind folks of the true meaning of Christmas. Please feel free to make the trip to Pascagoula to see this display. It is not only beautiful, unique, and heartwarming, but is a great outreach of the Gospel as well. We are busy little bees at Christ and are looking forward to the season celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior! Submitted by Donna Krebs, Society President Mountain Lakes Zone The Ladies of the Mountain Lakes Zone met at the Fall Rally at St. Paul s Lutheran Church in Decatur, AL, on September 9 th. Our theme was Confidence in Jesus from Hebrews 10:19. Forty-eight ladies from 6 societies were in attendance. A collection of paper towels, toilet paper, dishwashing soap, laundry detergent and bleach were gathered to benefit the Tennessee Valley Outreach in Decatur. District President, Judy Lessmann, was in attendance and spoke of being a worker bee at the upcoming 2019 National Convention in Mobile. The ladies of the Gulf States District will be hostesses for this convention and many hands will be needed to make this event a success. Individual societies have been tasked with raising funds for this convention. Many of our societies in the Mountain Lakes Zone have already held fund raisers or are planning fund raisers for the convention. Each district needs to raise between $7,000 and $8,000 to host the convention. The ladies in our individual societies have been busy! St. Paul s, Cullman, AL, reported that they filled 51 shoeboxes for the Shoe Box Ministry. They are also currently working on Christmas wreaths and tabletop Christmas trees to sell to raise funds for the 2019 Convention. St. Paul s, Decatur, AL, has raised funds for the convention, and begun working on their casserole sales to raise monies for needed repairs in their church. They have also begun a Prayer Shawl Ministry and had beautiful items on display at the Fall Rally. The Ladies of Ascension, Huntsville, AL, held a bake sale to raise money for the convention, continues to help support three seminary students, and work with the families at their Child Development Center. Trinity, Hanceville, AL, reported that they held a rummage sale in August with the help of the congregation and raised a large amount of money for the convention. The Ladies of Grace, Huntsville, AL, continue to have lunch for the handicapped in October and have begun a faith and family project to reach out to their school children and families when the children sing in church. The ladies provide snacks after church and spend time with the children and their families. The ladies at Our Redeemer, Florence, AL, continue to sponsor a resident at Bethesda and made and distributed blessing bags in their area. This Christmas they plan to place pockets on the Christmas tree in church. Church member then put money in these pockets. Half of the money is planned to be used for projects in the church, and half is used for projects in the community. Please watch for all of the information regarding the Gulf States District Convention. We look forward to seeing you in Birmingham in April! Submitted by Judy Jankens, Zone President Gulf States Glad Tidings 9

10 Officer Candidate PRESIDENT NOMINATING COMMITTEE Gwen Marshall Kittie Wiggins Mobile, AL Camden, AL No Picture Judy Jankens Hanceville, AL 1 st VICE PRESIDENT Cherie Endrihs Enterprise, AL Lynn Harmon Tuscaloosa, AL Susie Smith Birmingham, AL Ellen Collet Mobile, AL No Picture No Picture Karen Crout Huntsville, AL Ginny Hermetz Gulfport, MS Lydia Landes Destin, FL No Picture FINANCIAL SECRETARY Sheryl Stephens Gadsden, AL JUNIOR PASTORAL COUNSELOR Rev. LaVaughn Wiggins Montgomery, AL Mary Harris Thrash Mobile, AL Rev. Paul Leigeber Birmingham, AL Gulf States Glad Tidings 10

11 LWML Gulf States District April 27-29, 2018 Hilton Perimeter Birmingham, Alabama CONVENTION REGISTRATION FORM Please type or print clearly - Make a copy of this form for your records Badge Name: Address: Check One Category General Registration Delegate City/State/Zip: Young Woman (21 35) Phone: Church/City: Zone: District Board Member Clergy Past District President Please note that everyone attending Bible Study and sessions Exhibitor (Saturday and/or Sunday) must register. Attendance at Friday Worship only does not require registration. CONVENTION FEES Friday registration 12:00 pm - Saturday registration 7:30 am Registration (postmarked by March 15, 2018) $ $ Late Registration (after March 15, 2018) $ $ (Each of above includes Saturday lunch & Saturday banquet Banquet tickets for guests $40.00 Clergy (registration waived) lunch & banquet $65.00 $ Exhibitor ($25.00 per table) $ Total Amount Enclosed $ Mail registration and check to: Marilynn Jacobs 5009 Northwood Lake Dr. Make checks payable to : Gulf States Convention Treasurer Northport, AL any questions? Call Rwmbja@wmconnect.com No refunds after April 15, $10 processing fee will be retained for all reservations AMOUNT Emergency Contact at Convention (Name & cell #) Emergency Contact at Home (Name & Phone #) Will you participate in the choir? Yes Alto Soprano Tenor Please check your preferred section. Gulf States Glad Tidings 11