FEBRUARY 2017 Newsletter Redeemer Lutheran Church 2384 E. Landis Ave Vineland, New Jersey

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1 CARING TOUCHES MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE Sunday Schedule: Worship 8:00 & 10:30 A.M. Sunday Church School 9:15 A.M. Wed. Evening: Bell Choir at 6:15 Chancel Choir at 7:30 Come and See, Go and Tell, the Good News for All! FEBRUARY 2017 Newsletter Redeemer Lutheran Church 2384 E. Landis Ave Vineland, New Jersey Blended Worship Services. First and Third Sunday of every month. Connecting People to Christ, Growing in His Love, Serving Him.

2 Clippings The Monthly Newsletter of Redeemer Lutheran Church Church Staff Pastor: Gary Stiegler pastorgary@redeemerlutheran.net Parish & Financial Administrator: Lisa Purificato parishadmin@redeemerlutheran.net Office Assistant: Michelle Dixon assistant@redeemerlutheran.net Music Director/Organist: Teresa Minnix terminnix@gmail.com Office Hours: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Mon-Thurs, Closed Fridays Council Members President: Matt Helland - mattrhelland@gmail.com (856) Vice Pres: Dave Hermanson - hermanson1@comcast.net (856) Secretary: Harry Fisher - hfisher7@verizon.net (856) Treasurer: Larry Gilbert - lp_gilbert@live.com Congregation Council: Dawn Amari - djamari@verizon.net (856) Michael Headley - headleymb@verizon.net 9856) Carl Marinelli - liberty83@comcast.net (856) Darlene Morvay - karaandkim@verizon.net David Raffo - dmrsang@comcast.net (856) Ed Slaughter - wrestlingblues@yahoo.com (631) Kathy Stenger - kathsten@aol.com (856) Margie Stierle - marmickinteriors@att.net (856) Jaclyn Wolf - luxseer@gmail.com (856) Youth Rep: Allyson Stierle Committee Information Committee of Stewards: Meet 1st Sunday of each 7 PM Chairperson: Dan Cherwien (856) Worship & Music: Meet 1st Sunday of each 11:45 AM Chairperson: Zola Fisher (856) Communications: Meet 1st Monday of each 7:00 PM Chairperson: Harry Fisher (856) Mutual Ministries Chairperson: Robert Stenger (856) Pastor s thoughts A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign that said, "I am blind, please help." There were only a few coins in the hat. A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words. Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were going. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Weren t you the one who changed my sign this morning? Yes the man replied. What did you write?" The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way." I wrote, "Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it." Both signs told people that the boy was blind. However, the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people that they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective? Moral of the Story: As members of the family of Redeemer, be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively. When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile. Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future with optimism and hope. In 2017, keep the faith and drop the fear. Pastor Gary

3 FEBRUARY WORSHIP & SUNDAY SCHOOL SCHEDULE Sunday, February 5 Positive Change - Spirit & Truth Ministries (Soup Kitchen) 9:15 a.m. Sunday Church School - (Manor House) 10:30 a.m. Blended Service with Holy Communion Sunday, February 12 9:15 a.m. Sunday Church School (Manor House) 10:30 Welcome New Members Sunday, February 19 9:15 a.m. Sunday Church School - (Manor House) 10:30 a.m. Blended Service with Holy Communion Sunday, February 26 9:15 a.m. Sunday Church School - (Manor House) 10:30 a.m. Celebration Worship with Holy Communion Special Dates to Remember PLEASE NOTE. The next mailing of the Clippings will be the March Issue: The deadline for information to be included in the upcoming newsletter is February 12th. Please News & Articles, Birth Announcements, Family Events, Thank You Notes, Etc. to: parishadmin@redeemerlutheran.net or mail them to the church office 2/12/2017. Offerings via Smartphone! If you have a Smartphone you may now make your church offering via your phone. Go to Redeemer s website and click on Donate to Redeemer and follow the instructions from there. Thank You for your ongoing support of the ministry of Redeemer! ALTAR FLOWERS/COMMUNION WINE! The Altar Flowers and Communion wine are available for donation each Sunday throughout the year. The flowers are $20/vase (you may donate one or both) and the wine is $10. Your donation may be In Memory or In Honor of a Loved One, or In Honor of a Special Event. Fill in a Flower and/or Communion Wine envelope at church, or contact Lisa in the church office for more info. Special Thanks to the Clippings Crew! - Redeemer s Mission Statement As a welcoming and nurturing community of faith we: invite all to celebrate Christ s love, empower one another to grow in Christ s love, share Christ s love as we minister to the world. Redeemer s Vision Statement Come and see, go and tell, the Good News for all! Just a Reminder! Please write your offering envelope # (if you know it, or have one) on every check you write to Redeemer. Also please do not tape or staple envelopes shut. This is a Big Help to our money counters. Thank You! Have You Remembered Redeemer In Your Will? February 2nd - Ground Hog s Day February 14th - Valentine s Day February 20th - President s Day March 1st - Ash Wednesday Scan this symbol with your Smartphone to view our Church website Remember to visit our website often! or like us on facebook under Redeemer Lutheran-Vineland

4 DOUG DWIGHT IS THE PROUD UNCLE OF ELEANOR WINTER MARTINE BORN, JANUARY 5:00 A.M PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH Remember our loved ones in prayer especially... Redeemer members: Sylvia Asmann, Sharon Blasé, Clara Chinnici, Joan Curcio, Ruth Donaghy, Douglas Dwight, Margaret Fanfarillo, Jim Kendall, Carl Marinelli, Roberta Romano, Orville & Gerry Strang, Peggy Schumacher, Jan Stiegler, Berla Uber. Please keep Catherine Wisda and family in prayer, upon the passing of her husband Gregory Stretch, on December 24, Family & Friends: Rosemary Buono, Joe Farah, Theresa Fisher, Susan Frank, Ben Garrison, Linda Glestein, Kathryn Karpuk, Nico Marts, Kathy Mascio, Joan Parcell, Shirley McAfee, Bath Sarles, Betty Schmalle, Mara Spector, Brian Wiener, Timothy Zatzariny. All troops serving our country and the world, including: Brandon Bakley, Franklin Cole, Tommy Davis, Michael Gonzales, Ruth Graham, Jason Heney, Alan Holden, Chase Kielbasa, Bryan Langley, David Lunsford, Mathew Martin, Meagan & Ryan Munoz, Derek Schwartz, Christopher Stenger, Jonathan Stretch, and Daulton Wallace. Funeral by Pastor Gary Stiegler: Gregory Stretch, entered God s eternal glory on December 24, Greg s funeral service was celebrated on December 30 at Wainwright-Bernhardt Funeral Home. The following Donations have been made to the Memorial Fund of Redeemer Lutheran Church In loving memory of Gregory Stretch by: Doris Allewelt ***** FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS ***** 2 Robert Preidt 14 Lilija Balodis Robert Sapsai James Salvaryn 3 Brooklynn Betancourt 19 Edward Morvay Hannah Salvaryn Mary Peterson 4 Lisa Rishel 20 Stephanie Givler Chloe Wiese Michael Headley 5 Geraldine Strang Nancy Manzoni 6 Lisa Criss 21 Robert Wood Casey Richardson 22 Aurora Esquilin 7 Greg Kendall Andrea Martorano Christopher Stenger 23 Lily Day 8 Larry Gilbert Suzanne Forte Thomas Rodriguez Betsy Harrison 9 Lynda Gilbert Susan Papiano Rosetta Lechner 24 Vivian Moss Thomas Ulrich 26 Wayne Fellows Ginny Workman John Ketcham 10 Margretta Houston 27 Bret Bretnall Konrad Krummp 28 Lauren Haugen 12 Janet Critchfield Kaylee Sironen 13 Jan Stiegler **** FEBRUARY ANNIVERSARIES **** 13 Dale & Anita Richardson 26 Pastor Gary & Jan Stiegler 14 Al & Alison Keller 29 Joseph & Rebekah Drogo - I apologize to all January Birthdays that were accidently cut off the page. 4. Zola Fisher 16 Martin Papiano 5. Haley McCann 17 Robert Demarchi Jr. 6. Diane Rodriguez Douglas Zimmerman Jr. 7. Chappy Betancourt Jr. 21 Kelsey Rishel 8. Amanda Civinski 23 Kathleen Clay Amanda Parisi 24 Hope Preidt Lee Steigerwalt Kaden Sunday 12. Joan Curcio 25 Austin Richardson 13. Ariana Panagiotopoulos 30 Susan Burch 16. Amy Criss

5 A letter from the Stewardship Team. We say Goodbye to 2016 and Hello to We welcomed 2017 after the service on New Year's Day with a rousing Happy New Year. The year 2016, was a very good year, many things happened at Redeemer. The Committee of Stewart's would like to focus on just two things. The weekly attendance going back to 2010 has been on a downhill slide until However for 2016 the attendance rate did not drop. It basically stayed at the same level as The point is that the attendance rate at least stayed at the same level for the first time in about five or six years. We think that is significant. The second significant point has to do with the offering. In 2015 the weekly offering averaged $ In 2016 the weekly offering averaged $ This equates to an increase for the year of $16, This is an increase of approximately 10% over Also the per person average for 2015 was $1477, but in 2016 is was $ Now it may not seem like a lot of money but the point is again for the first time since 2010 the offering average did not drop but it increased. It made a tur n for the better. The committee feels this is a very positive and something we hope will continue through 2017 and on into the futur e, so that the Redeemer family can grow and be stronger. This can be accomplished by all of us giving of our time, our talent and our treasure. It is up to each one of us to use the gifts that God has given us, if we do we will grow stronger and increase our members. If this happens we will be able to increase our activities within the family and in the community which is our mission. + Happy New Year + +Thank You to the members and friends of Redeemer,

6 Redeemer would like to thank Dale Richardson, Gabe, Austin and Anthony Smith for the great work installing the kneelers. GREAT JOB!!!!! Do you regularly use social media? Are you savvy in negotiating it? We are looking for someone to oversee Redeemer s social media initiatives, that is Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. As you know these sites are constantly updating information and it is time to coordinate Redeemer s messages to our membership and the community. Contact Pastor Gary or Arlene Cherwien for more information.

7 This message appeared in a post by world traveler, Rick Steve s, regarding the killing of 8 civilians in Berlin on December 19th. Although specific to the Berlin incident, it is a great message about how to handle any crisis and how to not fuel the fear that is its intent. Live in the hope and the confidence that God is walking with us, even in Berlin. Pastor G. Carol and Dick Shenton through their Thrivent Action Team present Vineland Public Schools Social Worker Kenny Smith with underwear, socks and pants for children who during the school day have soiled or torn their clothing. Many are unaware that often school nurses purchase items themselves for these children. Also pictured is Karen Gallo, Sabater School Nurse and Jeff DuBois Principal. This is another way that Redeemer members and friends can reach out into the community to provide a much needed service or boost. Packing of the shoe boxes for the Family Shelter. We packed almost 50 boxes for men, women, children and infants. Thank you to all the Redeemer members who not only supplied items but helped with the packing of the shoe boxes. The Board of Directors of the Shelter was so appreciative of our efforts and thank all who participated. After today s horrifying events at a Berlin Christmas market, as we keep the victims and their families in our prayers, it s natural for Americans to wonder what is the correct response. Let me share my thoughts. I believe we owe it to today's victims to not be terrorized by this event and to not let our fears get the best of us. Especially given the impact of sensational media coverage and opportunistic fear-mongers, we need to respond intelligently and rationally. I imagine many Americans will cancel their trips to Berlin (a city of 3.5 million people) or the rest of Europe (a continent of more than 700 million people), because of an event that killed a dozen people. As a result, ironically, they ll be staying home in a country of 320 million people that loses 30 people every day, on average, in gun homicides. It is simply not rational for Americans to stop traveling to Europe because of safety fears. I also want to remind you that there are 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide, making it the planet's second-largest religion (after Christianity). Some German media are reporting that a refugee has been arrested in connection to this event. In the coming days, you will likely hear sweeping generalizations about people of the Islamic faith. Please remember that judging Islam based on a small minority of Islamic people is like judging Christianity based on Timothy McVeigh and the Ku Klux Klan. To honor the victims rather than empower the forces of violence, it is important that we do not confuse fear with risk, that we do not overreact, and that we strive to build understanding between people. Keep on traveling'.