Voice of Atonement F E B R U A R Y Atonement Lutheran Church Kiefer Blvd Sacramento, CA A Note from Pastor Holly...

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1 Atonement Lutheran Church 9242 Kiefer Blvd Sacramento, CA Mailing Address: P.O. Box Sacramento, CA Pastor Holly Feather Staff: Doug McGill-Office Manager Mark Heimlich-Organist/ Pianist Clark Swenson-Pianist/ Organist Krista White -Pianist / Choir Accompanist Joyce Moss-Choir Director Voice of Atonement A Note from Pastor Holly... I LOVE stories! I love hearing them and I really love telling them. You may have noticed, especially around the Christmas season, that I love to tell stories in my sermons. Stories are powerful things and the Bible is full of powerful stories. The story, or stories, of Jesus are probably how most of us first learned the basics of our faith. We heard the story of the nativity, complete with shepherds, angels and wise men. We heard the stories of Jesus calling the disciples. We heard the miracle stories of healing, feeding and changing water to wine. And, we heard the story of the passion, of Jesus going to the cross and giving up his life. As adults, we learn that there are other stories, stories of faith, that are more personal and closer to home. We share many of those stories as a congregation, as a community of faith. What are some of the stories you ve heard lately? Maybe someone shared a story with you about Atonement that you hadn t heard before. Or maybe, they shared a story that you knew but hadn t thought of for awhile, bringing back a shared memory. As your pastor, I love to hear your stories because they help me learn who the people of Atonement are as a congregation, and as a presence in this community and the broader Christian community. So, what about you? What stories do you like to tell about Atonement? Think about that for a moment. What do we do well as a congregation? What about Atonement keeps you coming back, keeps you involved? What is the story of this congregation its history, people, activities? What kinds of stories did you think of? Were they stories about worship, music, choirs, and singing? Were they stories about friends, caring relationship, working and eating together? Maybe they were stories about social ministry, stories about the many ways that we reach out to help others. Stories are powerful. They help us make sense of the world, help us stay connected. Stories define who we are and who we are not. And they don t need to be long long and elaborate to have power. Short, simple stories can also carry a powerful message, like the one in the gospel a few weeks ago: Jesus is walking by the Sea of Galilee and comes upon two brothers, Simon and Andrew, who are fishermen. Follow me, he says to them, and I will make you fishers of people. In this very brief retelling of Simon and Andrew s story, the first disciples answer the call and set out to do things they had never even dreamed F E B R U A R Y of. And, their stories do not end here but continue throughout the gospel accounts. This is an important aspect of our stories as well. We are not done, there are new stories coming, yet to be told. Our stories of God at work here are living stories; inspiring stories that often call us out to do things we never dreamt of, or imagined, doing. Jesus called Simon and Andrew to move beyond the familiar and to risk doing something they didn t know how to do, to become someone they re not sure they knew how to be. And Jesus is calling us to take this risky step, as well. And this can be a problem for us good Lutheran story tellers because, as a group, we often struggle to see God at work now. We re really good at the past and the future of God s work, but we re not as confident about saying what God is doing right now. But this is the focus of Jesus ministry, and he spends much of his time teaching us to spend less time thinking about the past and worrying about the future so that we can engage more in the present. This is the Good News, the story continues. Follow me, says Jesus And I will send you out to do things you never before dreamed of. I will make it possible for you to follow, to invite, to tell Good News stories, not only in church but also to your

2 V O L U M E 1, I S S U E 1 P A G E 2 neighbor, your co-worker, your spouse, a stranger. I will make it possible for you to fish for people. I can do this. It s scarey, but if God is the one doing the calling then our stories will always draw us together, towards the kingdom, as God makes possible that which we never even imagined. More Prayers are needed A request from Diane Truax Here is Diane Truax s update on Jocelynn Gill. She is doing better. The MRI results came back and they could hardly see her tumor. She is going home tomorrow. She will need one more treatment later on. She would like prayers of thanks for Jocelynn's progress.

Worship Servants for 2014 Date Assisting Minister Lector Cantor Communion Assistant Altar Guild 2 Beverly Olson Rich Keegan Mark Heimlich Mary Wudel & Hilda Deterville Barbara Hansen & Hilda

3 Worship Servants for 2014 Date Assisting Minister Lector Cantor Communion Assistant Altar Guild 2 Beverly Olson Rich Keegan Mark Heimlich Mary Wudel & Hilda Deterville Barbara Hansen & Hilda Deterville 9 16 Judi Phelps Nelson Predoehl Judi Phelps Bodil Drucker & Lucy Taylor Lucy Taylor Bodil Drucker & Bodil Drucker & Bodil Drucker & 23 Doug McGill Mark Heimlich Eileen Larson & Dolores Hull Flowers Counters Barbara Hansen To the Glory of God Open 16..Laudy & Joyce Moss In Honor or their 25th Anniversary 23..Ed & Joyce McColgan In Memory of Wes McColgan 2014 Flower Chart has arrived!! Lots of dates available!! Birthdays Michael Borgg & Doug McGill Judi Phelps & Lucy Taylor Mary Wudel & Phyllis Ransom 23 Hilda Deterville & Barbara Wildrick Rich Keegan Estella Winch.. 15 Janice Schwartz 16 Joyce Moss. 22 Spaces available to sign up for flowers, lectors, and coffee hour refreshments for

Winter Sanctuary March 18, 2014 Each year, Atonement Lutheran teams up with St. Paul Lutheran to provide a hot meal and a warm place to sleep for some of the homeless people of Sacramento.

4 Winter Sanctuary March 18, 2014 Each year, Atonement Lutheran teams up with St. Paul Lutheran to provide a hot meal and a warm place to sleep for some of the homeless people of Sacramento. Last year, groups of guests ranged from Both food donations and volunteers are needed for both dates. Sign ups for food will be circulated on the Sundays prior, and food will need to be at Atonement by 3:00 on the day of the dinner. Volunteers are asked to be at St Paul s by 4:00 as dinner is served at 6:00. Typically, we are done and cleaned up by 7:45 8:00 Please help out if you can. Many hands make for light work and happy guests. St. Paul Luther an Church th St. Sacramento, Ca Food Basket Update Beginning in, the food basket will be on the third Tuesday of each month. 18 March 18 April 15 Volunteers are always needed! 8 am Noon

5 13 Men s 12 step study group ( AA ) Meets in the Luther Room Mondays 6:30 7:30 pm Do you have a favorite story? Joke? Life Lesson? Something you d like to share? The Voice is always in need of fun, interesting, and / or Life Enhancing additions.

6 Did You Know By Doug McGill Valentine s Day has a religious context and includes Lutherans? Saint Valentine's Day, also known as Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, [1] is observed on 14 each year. It is celebrated in many countries around the world, although it remains a working day in most of them. St. Valentine's Day began as a liturgical celebration of one or more early Christian saints named Valentinus. Several martyrdom stories were invented for the various Valentines that belonged to 14, and added to later martyrologies. [2] A popular hagiographical account of Saint Valentine of Rome states that he was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for ministering to Christians, who were persecuted under the Roman Empire. According to legend, during his imprisonment, he healed the daughter of his jailer, Asterius. An embellishment to this story states that before his execution he wrote her a letter signed "Your Valentine" as a farewell. [3] Today, Saint Valentine's Day is an official feast day in the Anglican Communion, [4] as well as in the Lutheran Church. [5] The Eastern Orthodox Church also celebrates Saint Valentine's Day, albeit on July 6th and July 30th, the former date in honor of the Roman presbyter Saint Valentine, and the latter date in honor of Hieromartyr Valentine, the Bishop of Interamna (modern Terni). In Brazil, the Dia de São Valentim is recognized on June 12. The day was first associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. In 18th-century England, it evolved into an occasion in which lovers expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). Valentine's Day symbols that are used today include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards. [6] Presidents Day started off as a day to honor George Washington Presidents Day is an American holiday celebrated on the third Monday in. Originally established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington, it is still officially called Washington s Birthday by the federal government. Traditionally celebrated on 22 Washington s actual day of birth the holiday became popularly known as Presidents Day after it was moved as part of 1971 s Uniform Monday Holiday Act, an attempt to create more three-day weekends for the nation s workers. While several states still have individual holidays honoring the birthdays of Washington, Abraham Lincoln and other figures, Presidents Day is now popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents past and present.

7 V O I C E O F A T O N E M E N T P A G E 7

Inmate Newsletter. Valentine's Day SHUTTER CREEK CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION

Inmate Newsletter. Valentine's Day SHUTTER CREEK CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION SHUTTER CREEK CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION Inmate Newsletter February 2016 Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also known as Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is a celebration observed on