Cross of Glory Lutheran Church

Transcription

1 Cross of Glory Lutheran Church Ministry Through Faith in Action Volume 16 Issue 6 July/August 2016 Cross of Glory Lutheran Church 95 Cambridge Drive Aberdeen, NJ GLIMPSES OF GLORY Fax: Pastor The Rev. Gary E. Costa COGPastor@verizon.net Church & Nursery School Secretary Cahren Morris crossofglory@verizon.net Musician & Choir Director Andrea Riemen Youth Advisors Jim & Cathy Easley Sunday Services: 8:15AM & 10:30AM Summer Service: (July August) 9:30AM Holy Communion is celebrated every Sunday Cross of Glory Nursery School Fax: Director Janet Kain Webmaster Jeremy V. Samuelson Malina and Rohrbaugh in their work, Social Science Commentary on the Synoptics, identify the ancient Mediterranean people as dyadic. That is to say, they developed their identity from what others thought of them and not by what they thought of themselves. It is at least in part, why Jesus says to the disciples who do people say that I am... who do you say that I am (Matt. 16:13&15). This is hard for modern day Americans to fathom, since we live by a mantra, a creed if you will, that says it doesn t matter what others think of you, it only matters what you think of yourself. I call it a creed because we rarely, if ever, question this view point. We are so sure that we are right about it, that this ancient Mediterranean way of thinking seems primitive and ridiculous. Consider with me that almost any point of view is eligible for evaluation at some point in its tenure no matter how strongly it is held. In light of this, I offer a few comments contrary to popular belief. Identity We are social by nature. We were created in plurality. Most of the time when someone says they don t care what others think about them, they are trying to deflect some form of criticism. To say that we don t care what others think of us is disingenuous. Of course we care. Not caring at all would be extreme narcissism, and basing our identity exclusively on the opinion of others would be extreme co-dependency. An emotionally healthy person would measure somewhere in the middle. Further, if someone is abnormally skewed to one side or the other, encouragement to focus heavily on the other side might be offered simply to balance the scale. Maybe this is where the denial began. If you agree with the above comments then you would also agree that a well-balanced person cares about what she thinks of herself, and also cares about what others think of her. Such a person strikes a balance between the two as they proceed through life. This is good news because there are days when we may not think so highly of ourselves. There are some days, some moments when another s opinion of us may be the thing that gives us strength to carry on. There are moments when I find peace, comfort, and strength in what Jesus thinks of me. He thinks enough of me to forgive me and continue in relationship with me. He thinks enough of me to offer me grace and mercy. He thought enough of me to die for me on the cross. There are days when my identity is found primarily in what someone else thinks of me, rather than in what I think of myself. Pastor Gary

2 Notes & News Comments or suggestions? We d love to hear from you. Contact the church office to be included in an upcoming newsletter. The deadline for the July/August Newsletter is August 22nd. The Cross of Glory Newsletter is available each month on the church s website. It is also ed to the congregation in a pdf format. Paper copies are available upon request. Please contact the church office if you have any questions. Bible Study You are invited to join us for our next joint Bible study with Breakthrough in Christ Ministries on Monday, July 18th at 7:30pm. Newsletter Deadline If you have notes or news that you would like included in the September Newsletter, the deadline is August 22nd. Baptism On Sunday, August 21st, we will celebrate the baptism of Lucas French. Lutheran Men in Mission The dates for upcoming breakfasts are July 23rd, August 27th, and September 17th at 8am. Please join us for good food and fellowship. Service Schedule Please note that our Praise & Worship team will be taking a summer hiatus; we will resume Praise & Worship services on the third Sunday of the month in September. We will also resume our normal service schedule on Sunday, September 11th with 8:15 and 10:30 services. Rally Day Help us kick off the start of another exciting Sunday School year by joining us for Rally Day on Sunday, September 11th. Sunday school begins at 9:30AM. Bayshore Lunch Program Cross of Glory and a number of other churches and local organizations provide lunch to approximately 50 people Mondays through Friday6s at the fellowship hall of the Community Church of Keyport, 125 Division Street, Keyport. Cross of Glory provides a hot lunch on the 4th Thursday of each month. The Bayshore Lunch program is looking for donations of the following items: Disposable dinner plates, dessert plates, and salad bowls Disposable hot cups and cold cups Plastic forks and knives Paper napkins Clorox wipes Contractor-sized black garbage bags Aluminum foil Iced tea mix Tea bags Salad dressings (especially Ranch) Shredded mozzarella cheese Parmesan cheese Jars of pasta sauce Equal or Splenda packets Butter Sugar Stovetop Stuffing Instant Potatoes Hot dogs Frozen breaded chicken patties Ground beef Squeeze bottles of mustard and ketchup Dish detergent and sponges Paper towels Toilet paper You can also help by donating to cover expenses through your normal COG giving envelope and designate Bayshore Lunch. Gethsemane Annual Boat Trip Gethsemane Lutheran Church is sponsoring their annual boat trip aboard the Captain John. Tour Sandy Hook, up the Navesink River, to the Statue of Liberty on Saturday, July 30 th. (Boat departs from the Keyport Waterfront at 5pm, boarding begins at 4:30pm.) $25 for adults, $15 for children (13 and under). There is a sign up sheet in the Narthex. Please see Betty Wilson for details.

3 Jersey Jottings Evangelical Lutheran Church in America God s Work. Our Hands. News from around the NJ Synod NJ Synod 1930 State Highway 33 Hamilton Square, NJ Fax: info@njsynod.org Mon. Fri. 9am 5pm Rev. Tracie L. Bartholomew Bishop Substance Abuse Recovery Awareness Task Group (S.A.R.A) In working toward the goal to educate rostered leaders and members of the congregations about the dangers of abusing drugs and alcohol, the team wanted to lift up two new resources. NJTV has provided an excellent webpage that includes articles from a number of different facets of addiction. Also, there is a new program that provides naloxone, an overdose antidote, without prescription. Both of those can be found at Crossroads Giant Church Picnic August 21, 2:30-6:30pm Join us for our annual End-of-Summer Bash! Bring your family, friends and congregation for this fun-filled day! Come and experience all your favorite camp things! Giant Swing; Rockwall; Canoeing; Worship; Awesome Food, and all your favorite classic picnic games! For more information, visit: Take action on predatory lending Many households facing financial struggles may look to short-term loans to cover emergency expenses. In some states, payday lending companies that claim to provide support charge interest rates of 300 percent or more to borrowers. These steep rates and hidden fees can trap those who are not able to quickly repay loans. You can join ELCA Advocacy in opposing unjust policies and call for standards that will help lift people out of poverty. Go to ELCA.org/advocacy and click on Advocacy Center to send a letter to Congress calling on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to stop predatory lending traps. Flooding in West Virginia West Virginia is experiencing the worst flooding in more than a century. At least 23 people have been confirmed dead, hundreds of homes are severly damaged or destroyed, and thousands of people are without power. Flash flooding caused little time to prepare or escape the rising waters. With the threat of heavy rain still in the forecast, additional flooding and damage may occur. Through congregations, synods and disaster-affiliate organizations, Lutheran Disaster Response is working to assist those who have been affected by the flooding. To learn more and to give to support this ministry, please visit: Relief-and-Development/Lutheran- Disaster-Response/Our-Impact/West- Virginia-Flooding.

4 In Our Prayers Long-Term Illness: Martha Baldwin Rich Barlett Phyllis Cipriano Sue Downey Tracey Downey Durkin Family Lisa Fisher Elona Folk David Franklin Kim Franklin Sharon Goodman Kathy Guiamano Diane Hopster Rich Hough Christopher Joyce Erin Larson Kevin McNamara Joe Manzella William Mirabella Robbie Moffitt Joan Moran Eddie Morris Carmen Mount Joseph Myers Joanne Nisi Dolores Olson Robert Pante Jim Samuelson Bernie Schwartz Soldiers and Civilians of War John Stables Kaitlin Whitford May, June, July: Mike Short Ellen Davis Prayer Requests Please add the following person(s) to Cross of Glory s Prayer List: Name: Prayer Concern: Hospitalized Recuperating Homebound Outpatient Other Please remove the above person from the Prayer List Submitted by: Date: Phone: Relationship to above: Please check one: Long-Term Prayer List 3 Month Prayer List You may give this form to an usher, place it in the offering plate, or drop it off in the church office.

5 Congratulations and best wishes to everyone celebrating this month! Don t see your birthday or anniversary? Please make sure the church office has your information or cogoffice@juno.com July Birthdays 6th Stephen Krachie 12th Joseph Bettcher Dawn Weg 13th Gary Costa 20th Hunter Green Willis Hines 21st Eli Morris 23rd Kieran Maloney 24th Silvano Brewster 26th Gina Pante 28th Jennifer McGlivery 30th Grace Harrington Kam Harrington August Birthdays 1st Justyna Harrington 3rd Bailey Franklin 4th Kyle Goodman 10th Shannon Maloney Diane Stinson 14th Eddie Morris 20th Jonathan Eads 21st Kurt Carlson 23rd Jan Lee 24th Kathryn Downey 28th Tom Stinson 29th Stephanie Fauder Owen Noch July Anniversaries 21st Jim & Linda Samuelson August Anniversaries 8th Laurie & Duane Noch 11th Alicia & Michael Archibald 20th Lynn & Sue Paul 28th Claire & Lyle Phelps

6 Church Cleaning Schedule June December 2016 Ingrid Carlson, Coordinator Saturday June 4 June 11 June 18 June 25 July 2 July 9 July 16 July 23 July 30 August 6 August 13 August 20 August 27 September 3 September 10 September 17 September 24 October 1 October 8 October 15 October 22 October 29 November 5 November 12 November 19 November 26 December 3 December 10 December 17 December 24 December 31 Carlson: Fauder: Hines: Lee: Maloney: Morris: Nichols: Odell: Vaughn:

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8 WORSHIP & MINISTRY SCHEDULE JUNE -SEPTEMBER 2016 Date Time Asst. Min. Com. Asst. Reader Acolyte Ushers Greeters Counters 7th Sunday After Sun July 3 9:30 Barbara Hines Janet Kain Tim Keene Christopher Vaughn Silvano Brewster Mickey McAuliffe Samuelsons Nicole Holota 8th Sunday After Sun July 10 9:30 Tim Keene Dennis Daniels Silvano Brewster Riley Moffitt Jeremy Samuelson Jo Seigle Brewster Elona Folk 9th Sunday After Sun July 17 9:30 TBD TBD TBD TBD Ingrid Carlson TBD Hileys 10th Sunday After Barbara Hines Sun July 24 9:30 Marian Vaughn Barbara Hines Michael Burgi Stephanie Fauder Eddie Morris Judy Daniels Kains 11th Sunday After Thur July 31 9:30 Jeremy Samuelson Ingrid Carlson Duane Noch 12th Sunday After Walter Kain Christopher Vaughn Michael Burgi Elona Folk Samuelsons Lucas Daniels Sun August 7 9:30AM Barbara Hines Tim Keene Silvano Brewster Riley Moffitt Doris Hiley Barbara Heinrichs Brewster Paul Hiley

9 WORSHIP & MINISTRY SCHEDULE JUNE -SEPTEMBER 2016 Date Time Asst. Min. Com. Asst. Reader Acolyte Ushers Greeters Counters 13th Sunday After Sun August 14 9:30AM Tim Keene Jeremy Samuelson Janet Kain Stephanie Fauder Silvano Brewster Carol McCoy Hileys Nicole Holota 14th Sunday After Sun Ausgust 21 9:30AM TBD TBD TBD TBD Ingrid Carlson TBD Kains 15th Sunday After Sun August 28 9:30AM Marian Vaughn Dennis Daniels Barbara Hines Jeremy Samuelson Christopher Vaughn Jeremy Samuelson Mickey McAuliffe Samuelsons Elona Folk 16th Sunday After Sun September 4 9:30AM Jeremy Samuelson Barbara Hines Tim Keene Riley Moffitt Eddie Morris Jo Seigle Brewster Walter Kain 17th Sunday After (Rally Day) Sun September 11 10:30AM Barbara Hines Janet Kain Michael Burgi Stephanie Fauder Michael Burgi Judy Daniels Hileys Lucas Daniels 18th Sunday After (Praise) Sun September 18 10:30AM Tim Keene Youth Youth Youth Ingrid Carlson Youth Kains Barbara Hines

10 WORSHIP & MINISTRY SCHEDULE JUNE -SEPTEMBER 2016 Date Time Asst. Min. Com. Asst. Reader Acolyte Ushers Greeters Counters

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