LIVING IN GOD S LOVE~REACHING OUT WITH HOPE

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1 VOICE OF ATONEMENT LIVING IN GOD S LOVE~REACHING OUT WITH HOPE So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. -Ephesians 5:17-20 ~NOVEMBER 2015~ As I was getting ready to write the article for this month s newsletter I started looking up verses about thankfulness and I came across the above verses from Ephesians 5. Of course the last phrase giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ seems to really fit the theme of being thankful. Then I looked at the title that what given to this section of Paul s letter to the church in Ephesus and found that it says, Renounce Pagan Ways. Doesn t really sound like much of a stewardship theme now, does it? Or, maybe it does. In this chapter, the Apostle Paul is encouraging his readers to renounce the ways of the world around them. Paul mentions things like greed, obscenity, drunkenness, and impurity. As Paul looked around he saw a whole world of people for whom Christ had died, and what he saw was gluttony, hedonism, and selfishness. It s not that the people were horrible in and of themselves, but the world they lived in taught them that the goal of life was to get as much as you could for yourself at all costs. Sound familiar? We live in a world where we ve taken keeping up with the Joneses to a whole new level. Through thousands of messages per day we re sold the idea that we deserve so much more, and that if we just buy this or that product we ll finally achieve the decadence we so deserve. It s a pretty far cry from when Luther said, I admit that I deserve death and hell, what of it? For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction on my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, Son of God, and where He is there I shall be also! Instead, the Apostle Paul encourages his readers to take a different attitude to life and to live our lives full of thankfulness for all that God has done for us. For once you were darkness, Paul says, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light. It actually reminds me of what Peter said about worship during Adult Ed last week. If we leave worship saying we didn t get anything out of it, maybe it s because we didn t bring the right attitude in the first place. Our whole demeanor in worship is one of thankfulness to God. What if we saw thankfulness not as something we do, but rather as something we are? What if thankfulness was our state of being and we lived our whole lives as one big thank you! for God s love, forgiveness, and reconciliation? I believe that would help us share the wealth of God s goodness instead of squandering it only on ourselves. Living thankfully is truly a counter-cultural way of life. But at the same time it is the way of life that allows all of us to live most abundantly. I am thankful for all you are to Atonement, and I look forward to seeing what God does with the gifts we bring. Yours in Christ, Pastor Chris 2 3 & Peter s Pen Adult Education Atonement s 50th Anniversary Invitation Children s Ministry Hannah Circle Quilting Bee Outreach Ministry Senior s Christmas Lunch Bunch Stewardship September Giving Statements Habitat for Humanity Goal Reached Community Ministry Foot Care Clinic

2 2 PETER S PEN Happy New Year! Yes, believe it or not, the last Sunday of November means it is already Advent, the cycle in the Church s year that we prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ. It also happens to be the Western church s New Year. As a Church musician, I am frequently asked why we don t do Christmas throughout the season. As much as we might like it to be, Advent is not merely an extension of the Christmas season. It is meant as a time of reflection and preparation for Christ s coming, both in as a commemoration of his first coming, and a reminder of the second coming. Originally, this was a time for fasting and abstinence. Keeping Advent can be a tricky thing these days, with the plethora of Christmas parties, the compulsion to participate in Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and last minute shopping for gifts, who has either the time or the will to reflect on how we can prepare for Christ s holy birth into our lives. The preparation that advent requires of us is not the sack cloth and ashes that we usually associate with penitential fasting. Rather, it invites us to be joyful already at the anticipation of the Baby born to us in a manger. And it is that baby that points the way to properly prepare: to first give thanks to God for all that we have been given, and to give to those less fortunate than ourselves with the same fervor we do when we give to those whom we love; to take stock of lives and see where we have been selfish, and to replace our misplaced self-importance with Christ, living out the gospel in all that we do. It is this kind of joyful giving that pervades our hymnody and singing at Advent. Let us already make room for Christ in the manager of our hearts, sweeping out the old, and replacing it with the grace of God s precious love. ADULT EDUCATION There are 5 Sundays in November so 5 great opportunities to enjoy Adult Ed sessions. Peter Hebert will present the 2 nd and 3 rd sessions of a 3 week teaching on worship, the liturgical style, the liturgical cycle, the church calendar and music in worship..how does worship and music shape us and our theology? Come find out, ask and add your thoughts. Beginning November 15th we start an 8 week David Lose presentation of Making Sense of the Christian Faith, an exciting and inviting exploration of the major theological doctrines of the Christian faith in the order of the biblical story. David Lose was Pastor Chris preaching pastor at Luther Seminary! He s now president of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP) and you can view his website/blog at davidlose.net, In the meantime. On the 15th this series discusses God Talk (Theology), on the 22nd it s Original Blessing (Creation) and on the 29th it s Missing the Mark (Sin). If you didn t order a book you can still order one through Augsburg Fortress or Amazon.com. Please add your ideas for future sessions and for next summer s AU (Atonement University) by telling one of our team members or adding to the bulletin board in the hallway, and join us Sunday mornings at 9:15 am!

3 YOU ARE INVITED! to the ~Fiftieth Anniversary Celebration~ Sunday, December 13, :30 AM Bishop James Gonia, our RMS Bishop and former pastor of Atonement brings a special message Followed by a Continental Breakfast served in the Fellowship Hall It is hard to believe but we are in the fiftieth year of our ministry at Atonement Lutheran Church. We have strived to answer the call from God to reach out and serve our parish, community and world. Our call has been expressed as Living in God s love ~ Reaching out with hope. We will have several opportunities this year to remember all the saints that came before us and to answer God s call as we move into the months and years ahead of us. A little history of the beginning of Atonement after the American Lutheran Church purchased land to build a new church in Bear Valley. The very first service for the new Atonement Lutheran Church was held at Colorado Academy on September 12, Services were held there until December 5 when the First Sunday in Advent was conducted in the fellowship hall (current education rooms) of Atonement. By the end of December 1965, Roger Field was installed as the First Pastor of Atonement Lutheran Church. On December 24, 1965 the first service was conducted in the unfinished sanctuary! The church building was officially dedicated on February 13, Ask former members and friends to join us to celebrate the first services at Atonement on December 13, 2015 at 9:30 AM. We hope to have as many of the past pastors, students, interns as we can. December is a difficult time for pastors to leave their own parishes, so we look forward during the coming year to have these special clergy come back and share a message with us.

4 Original New Sanctuary

5 CHILDREN S MINISTRY 5 As we celebrate the Thanksgiving season, it is a time to reflect on our blessings. It is with a grateful heart that I would like to express my most sincere thanks and appreciation to everyone who assists with children s ministries. Trunk or Treat was loads of fun! THANK YOU to everyone who helped with this event by fabulously decorating a trunk, planning activities, decorating the Fellowship Hall, handing out candy, and inviting family, friends, and neighbors. Your enthusiasm was apparent to the people who attended and had a great time! Reminder to families: Godly Play activities begin at 9:15 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall Sunday School begins with songs at 10 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall Our next Children s Ministry Team Meeting will be on Tuesday, December 1st at 6:30 pm in the Cafe. Please feel free to join us and share your ideas. Amanda Whitt paisley615@gmail.com HANNAH CIRCLE Hannah Circle will meet on Tuesday, November 17, 2015 at 1:00pm. The Bible lesson titled Tempo Gusto is on page 26 of the November gather magazine. This lesson is the last in a series of sessions called Slow Faith, about how scripture views our use of time. Please join us for study and fellowship. Again this year, Hannah Circle will be collecting money for grocery cards to give to families who have few resources for the holidays. In 2014, 12 grocery gift cards worth each were given out at both Thanksgiving and Christmas. We invite members of the congregation to call the church office with names of people you know who could use these gifts; and if you wish to contribute, please write a check to Atonement Lutheran Church and designate the money for gift grocery cards. QUILTING BEE For this month, the Quilting Bee will be meeting on Thursday, November 5th at Shauna Skaff s house. We will be meeting at 7:00 PM. If you have any questions, please contact Jan Lehnertz. Thank you.

6 6 OUTREACH MINISTRY The Christmas holiday season will soon be here. As we look towards December, we at Atonement have many opportunities to help those who are in need. Again this year we will be purchasing gifts or gift cards for Community Ministry and Lutheran Family Services for the elderly, refugees, and foster children. There will be tags for 100 gifts. These gifts will need to be returned to Atonement no later than December 7 th. The Santa Stocking project to bring in socks and underwear, is also a gift sharing opportunity. This will run beyond December 7 th. Please consider celebrating Christmas through sharing your resources to assist others and feel the love we share as a community in Christ. There will be a signup sheet in the narthex starting in mid-november. Notes During the Christmas season, Cuisinart is offering a program through Safeway called Stamp Saver. We hope to use this program to assist refugees in getting flatware or cutlery items. For every $10.00 you spend, you receive a stamp (from the cashier). Please put these stamps in an envelope and place them in Jim Bland s church cubby. All stamps need to be returned by January 4 th, Thank you. SENIORS CHRISTMAS LUNCHEON This year the Seniors Christmas Luncheon will be held on Wednesday, December 2nd, 11:30 a. m. at the Pinehurst Country Club, 6255 West Quincy Avenue. The cost for the luncheon will be $26.00 per person. The luncheon selections include an entrée choice of chicken salmon or beef. All lunches include salad, rolls and butter, dessert, and non-alcoholic beverages. Please sign up on our sheet in the narthex, and give the office your payment. Your check needs to be in the Church office by Sunday November 22. You can write a check to Atonement and on the memo line write for Seniors Christmas Luncheon. Be sure to invite a friend or neighbor to share in our celebration. STEWARDSHIP WHY DO WE GIVE? A LIFE OF JOY We don't give because we're pretty well off and won't miss a few bucks. We don't give because we somehow feel obligated. We don't give because we owe "dues to the church." Sometimes we get so caught up in our giving that we forget why we're giving. We forget about our joyful response. When we give from what we have - and with an awareness of all the blessings we have - that's when we truly become joyful. That s when we become true stewards. God leads us there. There is a fullness of joy just from being in God's presence, and that joy shows up where we least expect it. We give in joyful response and often it's a joy we haven't known before. After all, it's the least we can do. Carol Farr For your Stewardship Team

7 SEPTEMBER GIVING STATEMENTS 7 Total Giving By Age Number of Givers Average Gift By Age $3.50 $93.75 $ $93.17 $ $ $ The above information is from our contribution system for the month of September. The Council thought that it would be information that the congregation would like to see. There were 115 giving units that supported Atonement in September. Our average giving units through August was 127. We are blessed by those who give faithfully to support our ministries.

8 8 REACHING OUR HABITAT FOR HUMANITY GOAL Our two main fundraisers for Habitat for Humanity, the Lenten offering and the pancake breakfast, are now history. The good news is that Atonement s goal this year in contributing toward the building of a home for the Thaddeus Robinson family has been reached and slightly exceeded. Thanks for your support of this Outreach project undertaken as one of the eight Miracle Workers coalition Lutheran churches to do God s work with our hands September Monthly YTD Average Budget Income $29,828 $277,948 Income $23,886 $30,944 $278,500 Expenses $27,852 $28,610 $257,491 Net Income $(3,966) $2,246 $21,009 MISSSION SUPPORT(shown above) September reflects a significant decrease in giving both in dollars and the number of people giving in the month. September had four Sundays in it plus the God s Work; Our Hands Sunday, which resulted in giving for the month to be $6,000 behind the plan for the month and over $28,000 behind the plan year-todate. We transferred $800 from the Building Maintenance Fund, Mortgage Reduction Fund, and the Grocery Card Sales, total income for the year is right in line with the budget. The expenses for You re a Good Man, Charlie Brown were recorded in September and totaled over $1, All other expenses were normal for the month. However, with the decrease in giving, we show a loss for the month of $4,000, but still have positive net income for the year of $21,000. CAPITAL FUND We have received an additional $1,725 in mortgage reduction contributions in September. We have a balance of $6,427 in the Mortgage Reduction Fund. FOOT CARE CLINIC Join us for our Wellness Foot Care Clinic on the second Thursday of every month from 9:00 AM until 12:00 Noon. To sign up, please call the Visiting Nurse Association at: This month, we will be meeting on the 8th. COMMUNITY MINISTRY For November, Community Ministry has asked us to donate canned fruit. Thank you. NOVEMBER ALTAR FLOWERS Dean & Betty Moody John & Peggy Sellers Donna Zentner The Bland Family Louis Strovas Ruth Ann Fleming VISIT US 6281 West Yale Ave Lakewood CO Phone: churchoffice@atonement-denver.org STAFF Pastor Worship Director Office Admin. Communications/ Media Office Assist. Choir Accompanist Organists Seminarian COUNCIL Council President Vice-President Secretary Treasurer At Large Amanda Whitt Jan Sweeney Jean Viste Laura Buhs Keith Goman Rev. Chris Davis Rev. Peter Hebert Linda Neslund Nick Root Carol Ott Carol Ott Gayle Gunderson Richard Gianzero Melissa Lemke Tom Ayers Betty Moody Ruth Ann Fleming IN OUR PRAYERS Euvonne Johnson Darlene Ball Elaine Lichtenwalter Barbara Karre-Lopez