June New Life begins in the Dark. Summer Worship. Congregational Meeting & Conversation. Caring for others because Christ cares for us

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1 June 2018 New Life begins in the Dark Stumbling around in darkness can cause doubt, fear, and uncertainty. I don t know of anyone who enjoys feeling around and using all of their senses seeking to make sense of their surroundings. Most of the time, eventually, in the dark, most of us find our bearings and take our first few uncertain steps in the direction we need to go. Being in the dark is so hard. AND, new life begins in the dark. Whether the darkness of the womb, or in Genesis 1 before creation, or in the dark empty tomb on that first Easter morning. New life begins in the dark. Thus, new paths for the future, as individuals and as the church, begin in the dark as well. The first few steps are shuffling in the darkness until our eyes and other senses adjust and we take a few tentative steps in one direction. I was reminded of this truth at Monday Bible study a few weeks ago. One of the participants shared a passage of Barbara Brown Taylor s Learning to Walk in the Dark, that I just paraphrased above. Over the past few weeks, as I think about our life as a congregation, I ve returned to this idea of darkness again and again. We are learning to walk in the dark. In the nearly two years that I ve been at Crossroads, we have been feeling our way around, making use of all of our senses to get our bearings. We ve expressed our fears, our hopes, our grief, and our excitement. As we enter this third year together, I sense that it s time to intentionally take some steps towards our future. It s time to share with one another visions of what being followers of Jesus as Crossroads, in this community, at this time can look like. This month, on June 16 & 17 after worship, your congregational leadership will begin to share what we believe new life can look like. We plan to begin by sharing the hopes and fears and grief and excitement so many of you expressed in writing during the Season of Easter. And then, we want to share some exciting new possibilities of what can become in the future. are the most wobbly until momentum can be gained. With a bit of momentum, stability and direction increase, and a bike pedals so much more easily. We are hopeful as we lean into Crossroads future. We are excited to share with you some ideas of what can come. We can all take these steps together, led by the One who calls us out of the darkness into the light of what is to come! Peace and hope to you, and for you, Pr. Adam Summer Worship This summer all Saturday worship, starting June 2, will be held outside. The first Sunday of each month, beginning June 3, worship will be held indoors, all other Sunday worship will be held outside. If the weather is not conducive to being outside, we will worship in the sanctuary. Congregational Meeting & Conversation On June 16 & 17, Crossroads will have a congregational conversation after worship. In this conversation, Crossroads Council will begin to share a future vision for Crossroads and seek your feedback. Pastor Adam will share the reoccurring themes from our Easter series of questions. And, we will need a formal congregational vote to sell a 5x40 foot parcel of land that is adjacent to the former Cleveland Hill Lutheran Church parsonage. This parcel was overlooked when we sold the parsonage in A simple meal will be served both days. The first few steps into anything new are unsteady and wobbly. Think about how the first few pedals of a bike

2 Vicar Adam Instructions for the Intern My mom, my grandma, and several of my siblings are on the same family cell phone plan. I have friends who have gone together with other friends together on friends and family plans on their phones too, to save money. Sometimes I wonder about what makes a family, and apparently in today s day and age, it s who shares your cell plan! Later this month one of our readings for worship tells the story of when Jesus went back to his home town. (Mark 3:20-35, if you want to check it out.) As part of the reading, as he is teaching and healing in a house, Jesus family comes to him, and try to talk with him. Some of the crowd tell Jesus, Hey Jesus, your family is here! And Jesus says, Who are my mother and my brothers? And looking at those who sat around him, he said, Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother. Jesus defines family in a bigger way than who we are related to by blood, or some silly cell phone plan. When we think about who our brother is, and who our sister is, Jesus says that our siblings are those who are living in a way that is delightful to God. Following Jesus isn t about defining our groups with blood ties, family histories, which part of town or which part of the world we re from. It s not about whether we re fans of one sports team or another, or one group of Christians or another. Christians throughout the world, everyone who does as God hopes for us, these are our brothers and sisters. As followers of Jesus, we are connected with followers all over the world who are on this same path of faith that we are on. We are family with churches around the world and down the street. We are family with people of faith in Buffalo, in Boise, in Baghdad, and in Barcelona. As I live out my faith this summer, as I worship God together with you and other neighbors, as I look for ways to serve our community with you, I ll remember that those I serve and those who serve alongside me and you are connected as family through Christ. Brothers and sisters, I give thanks for you and the ministry I share with you. Let s live this summer like the one family we are in Christ. Council Corner Greetings! Hope everyone is enjoying the warm weather that has finally arrived! I am excited to get out in my yard and start planting some flowers! A few updates: Our steeple has finally been repaired and looks good! Also the non-functional chimney was removed. Thank you to Lanny for all the hours you have spent calling and meeting with companies to get estimates. In the coming weeks our hallways and vestibules will be painted to match the updated sanctuary and lounge area. Thank you to Karen Barone for making the lovely window treatments in the lounge. We are still (slowly) adding some decorating touches to the inside, so if anyone has any interest or ideas for decorating please come and talk to us. Our custodian Mark is still out on leave from surgery, during his absence we have been using a cleaning service to come in a few days a week. We pray that Mark will make a full recovery. On June 16 & 17th we are holding a congregational meeting for the sale of the small plot of land from the parsonage and hope you can attend. We will also have some light food and want to have discussions about the responses from Pastor Adam s questions. The council has been hard at work talking about the future of our church. Please continue to pray for our Crossroads community and ask God for his wisdom and guidance and how we can best serve our community. Blessings to all! Arlene Eberhard, Council Secretary Youth Night Saturday, June 2 nd all 6-12 th graders are invited for a fun, impacting night together at Crossroads Lutheran Church. Families and youth are invited to worship at 5pm and we ll eat dinner together before our games and activities begin about 6pm and go until 9pm. Upcoming Events June 2, 1pm-4pm. 1st-5th Grade Spring Play Day at St. Paul s Lutheran Church in Eggertsville. Cost: Free!

3 Impact Day Camp Comes to Crossroads July Impact Day Camp is a unique blend of outdoor ministry, congregational ministry, and community outreach for youth entering grades one through five in the fall. Less formal than vacation Bible school, Impact Day Camp is based on role modeling and relationship building with less emphasis on classroom learning and more emphasis on fun! One other week of Impact Day Camp will happen before the week at Crossroads and two after, all hosted at nearby Lutheran congregations. Look for brochures soon for the children you care about. They can attend one week to all four weeks. Registration fee is $75 for the week. We will also be needing volunteers to help with registration, lunch, and a few other things for the week here. It is exciting to be hosting a week of caring educational, faith-based camp this summer! Tiger s Den Food Pantry THANK YOU for helping to supply the Tiger s Den Food Pantry. For June we are changing it up a bit. We're asking churches for school supplies. We hope to distribute the school supplies at the pantry in July, when people are starting to shop for school supplies: loose leaf paper folders highlighters 3 inch binders pencil bags colored pencils pens #2 Ticonderoga pencils 1 subject spiral notebooks composition notebooks combination locks for lockers You may continue to place your donations in the food barrel. -Carolyn Catalano Prayer Shawls The Prayer Shawls have now found a NEW home on the shelves in the back of the church. If you would like one or know someone who would like a Shawl, PLEASE take one or two. Just sign the list and take a sheet with the Shawls for delivery. Thanks for keeping this Ministry going. If you still knit and/or crochet and would like to make more shawls, we invite you to give of your talents. Darleen Nesselbeck June Birthdays 4 Colleen Probst 21 Kate Svec 7 Lucas Myers 22 Carol Bush 10 Sarah Garcia 24 Amber Miller 11 Jonathan Keenan 25 Zachary Adams 14 Megan Cassata 25 Rebecca Steiner 19 Eleanor Molnar 25 Shelby Yanik 20 Arline Smeader 26 Mary Mindel June Birthday Lunch The June Birthday Luncheon will be held at 12 pm on Tuesday, June 19 at the Golden Parachute, 5735 Main Street in Williamsville. Everyone is welcome whether it s your birthday or not. Call the church office for reservations. Hope In El Salvador El Salvador is one of the poorest, most dangerous countries in the world. Extreme poverty and violence often cause Central Americans to migrate to the US. When they find a job, they send money back to their family members to keep them from starving. But it is a dangerous process to cross the border, smugglers often extorting migrants out of hundreds of dollars to guarantee their safety. So, the Salvadoran Lutheran Church has launched a migrant ministry program which offers basic humanitarian assistance food, medical care, and psychological attention and attempts to address the economic desperation that causes the poor to seek to emigrate. Start-up funds are available to open small businesses; in one village there are now stores, a fish processing business, a beauty salon, bicycle repair, and a plantain farm. Where violent gangs are the issue, victims are turning to the Lutheran Church for help. The ELCA supports the migrant ministry through the Accompanying Migrant Minors with Protection, Advocacy, Representation, and Opportunities (AMMPARO). Learn more at elca.org/ammparo. Your mission support helps the Salvadoran Migrant Ministry! Thank you! We are church together for the sake of the world. God s Work. Our Hands. Marcia Brown, mission interpreter

4 It's time to register for Summer Camp 2018 It's time to register for one of our many exciting programs this summer. Please don't forget that camperships are available to help any child who wants to experience a week at camp. For more information or to register online, please visit our website via this link. Lake Chautauqua Lutheran Center 5013 Rt. 430 Bemus Point, NY contact@lclcenter.org Join the Lutheran Herd! Friday, July 20th is Lutheran Family Night at the Bisons at Coca Cola Field! A great evening of baseball, fun and prizes begins at 7:05 p.m. with fireworks to follow. Tickets are just $10 - contact Lutheran Charities or order on-line at LutheranNightAtTheBisons2018.bpt.me 21st Annual Golf Classic The Lutheran Charities Golf Classic happens on Friday, August 10, 2018 at Chestnut Hill Country Club in Darien. it s a great day of golf, food, beverages and prizes - last year s event sold out! Chiavetta s Chicken Dinner Sunday June 3rd St. John Lutheran Church 6540 Main Street, Williamsville, NY St. John s will be raising funds for kids who are being sent to the National Youth Gathering in Houston at the end of June. Cost is $10 per meal, which includes Chicken, potato salad and a roll. 4th Annual Bishop s Golf Tournament Monday, August 20, :00 PM - 8:00 PM Bishop John Macholz invites all golfers, the best and the rest, to tee off with him on Monday, August 20, 2018 at Shadow Lake Golf and Racquet Club, 1850 Five Mile Line Rd., Penfield, NY. Funds raised at the event will support the 2018 Bishop s Appeal. The golf outing will begin at 12:00 noon with a shotgun start, followed by dinner at 6:00PM, followed by awards, celebration and the auction (including a wine pull). Bishop Macholz will also share a few words. Last year s event exceeded $10,000 let s see if we can double that for 2018! Sounds like a tall order, but one thing s for sure: we will have fun and give it our all. Online registration will open on June 1, Contact Keith Nickoloff for more information, knickoloff@pharos.com. Mark your calendars now, recruit a team of four and plan to join us! because Thanks to all who gathered for brunch following worship on April 22nd at the Tavern at Windsor Park for because! This annual fundraiser is organized on behalf of Lutheran Charities by a group of dedicated pastors who serve for the day as restaurant wait staff! Thanks to everyone s generosity over $4,000 was raised to support social ministries in Western New York. Special thanks to Keith Morgan, proprietor of the Tavern at Windsor Park for giving over his restaurant and 15% of proceeds for the day! SAVE THE DATE Sunday, August 12 Worship and Picnic at Cheektowaga Town Park Crossroads and St. Paul s

5 JUNE 2018 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY Groups Using Crossroads Building: AA Meetings: Tuesday & Thursdays 6-7pm in the Fellowship Hall Northside Writers: 1 st & 3 rd Thursdays 7-9pm in the Lounge St. John Board Meeting: 2 nd Thursday of the month 2-3pm in the Lounge (Sept.-June) Al-Anon Meetings: Saturdays 10-12pm in the Lounge Garden Nursery School: Basement & Stage (Sept.-June) pm Youth Group 3 10:15 am Worship Synod Assembly, June 3, 4, 5 # :15 am Sunday School 10:15 am Worship am Baby Blessings # & Congregational Meeting 17 10:15 am Worship & Congregational Meeting :00pm Birthday Lunch at the Golden Parachute # :15 am Sunday School 10:15 am Worship #2 29 Maundy

6 Crossroads Lutheran Church 4640 Main Street Amherst, NY Address Correction Requested Caring For Others, Near and Far, Because Christ Cares For Us. June Main Street Amherst NY (716) (716) fax Our Pastor: Rev. Adam Miller-Stubbendick Our Vicar: Adam Arends Won t You Join Us? Saturday worship 5 pm (Informal) Sunday worship 10:15 am Sunday School 9:15 am