A Message from our Pastor

Transcription

1 Hope Lutheran Church A Message from our Pastor I m as corny as Kansas in August; high as a flag on the fourth of July! For any of you who musicals, that s a line from a song Mary Martin sang called I m In Love With a Wonderful Guy, from the musical South Pacific. I ve always loved musicals and South Pacific is my alltime favorite. When I was a kid I used to listen to it again and again. Keying off that song, my mother used to wink at me and tell me that my father was a wonderful guy. I really liked hearing that. Well if you ve ever driven across Kansas or Iowa or Nebraska in midsummer you know how literally corny they can be. When I was in the business world and used to spend a fair amount of time on airplanes, it never failed to amaze me when we flew over the fruited plain during summer to see the abundance of corn and wheat and soybeans. It has been said that the area in the U.S. between the Rockies and Appalachia is a breadbasket that could literally feed the world. And it s all provided by the most wonderful guy of all. C. S. Lewis once wrote that when Jesus performed miracles like feeding five thousand people by multiplying two fish and seven loaves of bread, or turning water into wine at the wedding at Cana, he was just doing in shorthand what God is doing all the time. In the farm fields of the Midwest, God is always multiplying grain to make bread and in the oceans and lakes he is always multiplying fish to feed his people. In the vineyards of New York State and Northern California, he continually turns water and sunlight into grapes and grapes into wine. Jesus was just removing the stage machinery and letting people see the miracle for what it is. Our problem is that we get so used to it that it no longer seems miraculous to us. People who drive past Niagara Falls on their way to work each day cease to be impressed by it. People in Arizona get so used to sunshine 365 days a year take for granted that which would be a precious thing to us in Cleveland in January. But make no mistake: all of God s creation is a miracle. And His continued love and forgiveness of our sins is even more of a miracle. So even though you experience God s creation and His love every day, don t just get used to them. They are truly miracles. Pastor Woods

2 Page 2 Bible Studies Dear Friends, I would like to extend a special invitation to you to come to a Bible study we started Sunday, July 31 st! It is entitled What Is Really Going On When We Worship, and it will last only three Sundays. Until I made a study of it, I never realized how much of God s power is available to us through worship and I d like to share what I learned with you. I hope you can join us the next three Sundays! God bless, Pastor Woods Men s Monday night Bible study has finished the book of Acts. We will take a break until September 12th when we will resume with a brief look at Leviticus and then a study of Hebrews. Fourth of July Parade Often, when I am reading a good book, I stop and thank my teacher. That is, I used to, until she got an unlisted number. ~Unknown

3 Page 3 August Adult Beverages Sermon Schedule August 7 "The Word in a World of Words" Speaker: Rev. Dr. Gregory Seltz It's "Archives August" and Pastor Gregory Seltz revisits a classic sermon by Dr. Oswald Hoffmann. (2 Corinthians 5:19-20) August 14 "In Spite of Everything " Speaker: Rev. Dr. Gregory Seltz "Archives August" continues, as Pastor Gregory Seltz preaches another classic sermon by Dr. Oswald Hoffmann. (Romans 8:28) August 21 "Hope Not in Politicians" Speaker: Rev. Dr. Gregory Seltz "Archives August" concludes with a classic yet timely message originally presented by Dr. Oswald Hoffmann. (Isaiah 31:1-3) August 28 "Boasting - Ridiculous or Real" Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour: Rev. Dr. Ken Klaus Modern man boasts, "God is dead," but what have we gained from such thinking? (Galatians 6:14) FRIDAY AUGUST 12 AT 7 PM Beer Tasting with Jason Freeman Join us for Mini Beer School with an expert. Try 7-10 different beers with snacks to match. Find your new favorite! This event will be held at Carol s house. or message if you need the address. Education's purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one. ~Malcolm S. Forbes

4 Page 4 Date MUSIC Worship Assistant Server s List Greeters Ushers Reader Acolyte Communion Record PPT Lynn Chris S. Donna Dan George Karen Nathan Donna Sermon Lori Anthony Ruth Colin B. Dave B Sheila none None Dan Sermon PPT Lori Dave R. Lynn Bob Paul Judy Dottie Carol Marge Sermon Lynn Bob Del Sue Dave K. Colin B. Melissa Alyssa none Dawn Sermon PPT Becky s Book Club Wednesday, August 7 PM Karen s home Choose your own adventure Wednesday, September 7 PM Susan s home The Summer Before the War, by Helen Simonsen Wednesday, October 7 PM Carol s home The Ladies Auxiliary, by Tova Mervis Norma s Jokes Visiting his grandparents, a small boy opened the big family Bible. He was fascinated as he fingered through the old pages. Suddenly, something fell out. He picked it up and found that it was an old leaf that had been pressed flat between the pages. "Mama, look what I found," he called out. "What have you got there, dear?" his mother asked." With astonishment in his voice, the boy answered, "I think it's Adam's underwear!" Inspirational speaker Dr. Wayne Dyer still remembers the card his kids gave him for his 64th birthday. The front said, "Inside is a message from God." Pleased they finally appreciated his work, he opened it to read, "See you soon! The next Hope Church Council meeting is Thursday, August 11th at 7:00 p.m. All members are welcome to attend. Please book Master calendar appointments with Dawn! She can be reached at OR dghlc456@gmail.com. You can check the calendar and mark it if the day and time are free, but please let Dawn know about it. Thank you. Education is the movement from darkness to light. ~Allan Bloom

5 Page 5 PreSchool NURSERY SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR After many years of very excellent service, Linda Lawyer has decided to retire at the end of the coming school year. If you or anyone you know would be interested in this position, please contact Linda ( ) or Dan Coleman ( ). BIG THANKS Hope PreSchool sends a BIG thank you, to Hope for the new carpeting and especially to Dan and Dave for spreading all the playground mulch for the preschool. Thanks, Linda and the staff of HCNS Sunday School during worship resumes August 7 with combined classes in a Vacation Bible School Format through the month and including Labor Day Sunday. We recently learned that Dick Rival, a founding member of Hope passed away. Please keep the family in your prayers. For those dealing with Health Issues: Robert Jessup (Godale) Nick Tomaselli Erin Safe Maria Pugh Christian DeMarco George Tomaselli Christy (Schwed) Katie Conley Don from Redeemer Amy Pugh Patrick Anielski Kent Coble Theresa (Carol Ewell s aunt) Janet Byer (Gabler) Lisa DeMarco Judy Rediger Gary & Peggy Robinson Annie Bishop Ruth Gabler Jay Scholes Doris DeVontie (Dunbar) Betty Christy Richard Miller Betty Mardigian Fred Emery Charlie Cheatham Kurt Meehan (Schwed) Alan Schnider Mary Sipos, (Grys) Lisa Dunbar Janice Harkcom Heather Smith Kade O Reilly Don Pugh BobZellmer Vinny Rini Lorrie (Schwed) Ruth Kosinar Ed Hartung Chuck Godale Chuck & Chris Schwed s Mothers

6 Colin B August 04 Lynn K August 12 Griffin W August 17 Cody H August 19 Austin W August 20 Bob H August 25 Find Us on Social Media Facebook- Hope Lutheran Church in Aurora, Ohio Pinterest- Hope Lutheran Hope Lutheran Church 456 S. Chillicothe Rd. Aurora, OH Congregational President Dan Coleman dcolemansr@windstream.net Phone: Prayer Chain Captain Debi Schuster Home Rev. Powell Woods, Minister church home cell Mrs. Linda Lawyer Pre-School Director