January First Lutheran Church, 132 Auburn St., Portland, ME (207) FLC Website Facelift!

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1 January 2018 First Lutheran Church, 132 Auburn St., Portland, ME (207) FLC Website Facelift! We are very pleased to announce that First Lutheran Church has a brand new online home at FLCME.ORG! We hope the new site will especially appeal to those searching for a church home you'll find a brand-new I'M NEW page as well as a clearer statement of who we are as a community of faith, more streamlined menus, and a brighter color palette. No worries... we haven't forgotten about you! Click on MY FLC from the top menu of any page to find a new landing page to make finding what you need easier than ever! Here, you will have easy access to: Announcements Weekly calendar Subscription options News Contact form And more! Our website focus group Pastor Anne, Kailina Mills, Karen Johnson, and web administrator, Debi Curry have been busily planning, re-designing, and re-imagining the updated "look & feel" of the FLC website for months. We hope you are as excited about the update as we are! So stop by and get acquainted! Semi-Annual Meeting Our Congregational meeting will take place on Sunday, January 21st, following the 10:30 service. We will discuss and vote on the new budget, and hear updates on the Call process and the Sanctuary Renovation project. Please plan on attending this very important meeting.

2 Due to inclement weather, the regularly scheduled Council meeting was postponed in December; therefore we missed the deadline for submitting an update for the newsletter. Things to look forward to in January: From the Council The Semi-Annual Congregational Meeting will be on Sunday, January 21 st, following the 10:30 service. We will be approving our annual budget at this meeting along with updates from the Call Committee and the Renovation Committee. The Council will be going on a weekend Retreat on January 26th and 27th. This will be a time of reflection, fellowship and planning. Steve Barmore Church Council President council@firstlutheranportland.org Financial Update FLC had a net operating profit for November 2017 of $644. The monthly offerings were not strong, but several expenses were delayed and allowed us to be profitable. We had budgeted for a large loss in November so this small profit compared favorably to budget. The profit reduced our operating loss year to date to $16,980, $7,619 less than our budgeted loss for the period of $24,599. We are hoping for a strong December, which should help reduce the deficit, but it is unlikely that we will be able to offset it completely. Our cash position remains adequate. If you have questions, please contact me by or on my cell phone, Ed Daggett, Treasurer treasurer@firstlutheranportland.org Actual Performance November 2017 Actual YTD Operating Income $25,854 $318,099 Operating Expenses $25,210 $335,079 Net Operating Income $644 ($16,980) 2

3 From Our Intentional Interim These words from Isaiah 60:1 are favorites of mine for the Epiphany season, which begins on January 6 th. One of the blessings of travel between Portland and New Hampshire has been all the sunrises and sunsets I have experienced. I am usually an early riser and like to get things done as soon as I can in the morning. As I write this, I am awaiting the dawn, one of my favorite times to write. This time of the church year emphasizes the spreading of Christ s light, the good news, to the world. We who have been claimed in baptism as God s beloved are encouraged to invite others to converse about faith, whether they are church members or not. As we are reminded of our baptism into Christ, can we invite others to consider the blessings of a community where God s love is central? The words come and see can be a simple invitation to others. Come and see what our community of faith is all about. Come and see the people, the music, the words, the meal which defines who we are as God s people. Just try it out. Just come. In a new year, there are many who question their lives and priorities. Your words to come and see may be the start of a new journey into realizing God s presence in someone s life. A simple invitation. That s all it takes. I have some long-time friends in Portland who have an open-door policy for me to stay with them whenever I wish to. I always ask if a certain day would be okay. They always say, just come. These are simple words we can use. Just come. Come to hear God s mercy given freely for you. Come to taste the meal that takes away all hunger and want. Come to share in God s compassion for the world. Come, and see this new life that touches and heals and transforms. Just come. If you can t say it in person, write a note. Send an . Call someone. Spread the good news of great joy. Arise and shine with Christ s invitation to spread the love and light of Christ. With blessing and joy, Pastor Anne pastor@firstlutheranportland.org 3

4 Our Community Involvement Many Opportunities to Serve your Neighbors: If you are looking for an opportunity to help serve your neighbors here and globally, then the Outreach Committee might be your answer. We are meeting on Sunday, January 7th following the 10:30 service (Snow date: Jan. 21st) to discuss and plan our upcoming events. We welcome new members to join the committee or just come by to see what we are all about. There will be lots of different opportunities to help with the projects that interest you. If you have any questions, please contact Wendy Barmore at Hope to see you on the 7 th! Greater Portland Family Promise: Our second week of teaming up with St. Ansgar and hosting 3 Family Promise families was November We had a great week and it was so rewarding to interact with the families. Thank you so much for your help and support--from buying much needed food and diapers, providing delicious meals, eating and hanging out with the families, and staying overnight. The families in the program, Yvonne and I were very appreciative of all the support! Each time we learn and tweak some things. Please let us know if you have any suggestions to help make your volunteer opportunity better. If you would like to be a part of this wonderful ministry, please call Yvonne at or Wendy at There will be another training session in January for those who are interested. We will let you know when GPFP schedules a date. If you want more information about Greater Portland Family Promise, check out their website: greaterportlandfamilypromise.org. Mark your calendars: our next week to help host the families is February 4-11, Thank you, Wendy Barmore for the Outreach Committee outreach@firstlutheranportland.org 4

5 Youth and Family Ministry News The Cookie Walk raised $679 towards the Campership fund. Many, many thanks to those who baked all the cookies, and to all of you who purchased a tin or two. The Candy Cane Guessing Game raised $143, which will also go towards the Campership fund. The winner was Garrett Thees (who also won the Candy Corn guessing game in Sunday School last year). The Sunday School Christmas pageant was wonderful it was great seeing the children act out the nativity story. Thanks to the Sunday School staff and parents who worked so hard with the kids. A special thanks to Creative Studios, which very kindly recorded the pageant and are editing the video for free. Once the video has been edited, there will be information on how you can view it through the church website. The website for the videographers is Mark your calendars for the Family Fun Day on January 28 th. There will be a sledding party, weather permitting. More information will be on the church website, as well as announcements on Sunday mornings. Remember that Sunday School and Confirmation Classes resume on January 14 th, and Camp Sunday will be February 11 th! kailina.mills@firstlutheranportland.org 5

6 May your 2018 be filled with God s wonder and love. Thank you for your generous support of the Give a Child a Chance ministry at First Lutheran this past year. Because four children needed tuition support this year, the team committed $12,000 to be used for that purpose. We have been offering the Scrip Shopping/Gift cards since the end of June. In the first six months of sales, we have gained over $700 in rebates. Additionally, the Panera Bread fundraiser will be adding some money from our September 20 th Dine-Out fundraiser. Panera Bread tells us the check is in the mail. Thank you to all who have contributed to the fund over the year, as memorials, direct donations, monthly contributors and your Thrivent Dollars. Every bit helps us support our church neighborhood children, in need, to attend preschool at First Lutheran Children s Programs. Our Plans for 2018 include: A February or March Fighting the Winter Doldrums dine-out fundraiser. The restaurant is TBD, but we are thinking Ricetta s in Falmouth. If you have suggestions of other places to hold a fundraiser dine-out, please let us know. We re open to suggestions where we can enjoy fellowship and delicious food while contributing to a good cause! Continue the Scrip Shopping/Gift card program, where Give a Child a Chance will receive money from the Scrip Program for those cards purchased. We have offered the Scrip program for six months now, and will be evaluating its operation. Currently, we sell Scrip cards the first two Sundays of the month, with purchases submitted right after the Second Sunday if there are enough purchases to cover the cost of the mailing of the cards to us at First Lutheran. That cost is $8.50, whether 1 card or 20 cards are mailed to us. Because of the shipping cost, we may delay submitting an order until there are enough cards ordered to cover the mailing costs. Hold our third ewaste Recycling event in June. More information and request for help will be coming closer to the date. Other fundraising efforts to be discussed. Please keep our Give a Child a Chance ministry in your prayers this year. Help us help them it means so much for the children and their families who benefit. It s hard to imagine helping all the children in need of preschool experiences. But helping a few children? That s something we can do. Team Members: Wendy Carey, Ann Brown, Karen Johnson (Chair), Lynn Macken, Chris Mills, Joan Mills, Mike Pleacher, Colleen Taylor ec-fund@firstlutheranportland.org 6

7 Call Committee Update The Call Committee is continuing the process of finding a pastor for First Lutheran. We have an interested candidate and scheduled an interview for the 20th of December. If all goes well we will be scheduling an opportunity to see the candidate lead a worship service. This will hopefully take place in early January. There will be more current updates at the end of worship services and in the church bulletins as these events take place. Please continue to pray for the committee as this process continues. Once Upon a Holiday Guidelines for obtaining help with heating expenses this winter for you, your family member or friend. Submit the following information to Pastor Anne Roser, directly or via her anne.roser@firstlutheranportland.org. Name, address and telephone number. Name and account number of the fuel supplier. A check is issued in the name of the oil/gas/electric company. We are blessed to be able to provide this support, again this year, thanks to all of the efforts of so many involved with the 2017 Once Upon a Holiday Christmas Fair! Laura Page, Phyllis Kilfoil and Mary Beaudet, Fair Co-leaders fair@firstlutheranportland.org There are still many opportunities to sponsor the flowers in the sanctuary in The Flower Chart is up in the Fellowship Hall. You can do this in memory or in honor of loved ones, or simply to the Glory of God. The price is $20 per Sunday; this cost can be split if two people wish to choose the same Sunday. If you have any questions, please contact the church office. 7

8 Hedy & Ann Ertman Ken Carr Tom Allen Carol Adams Lois Mitchell Tom Allen Nancy Norm John Colton The Call Committee Prayer is such an important part of our daily Christian lives, and sometimes extra prayers are needed. If you have any special prayer requests and you would like to have our Prayer Warriors praying, too, or to join the prayer chain, please send an or call Coleen Walther at Many thanks to everyone who helped to decorate and beautify the sanctuary for the Christmas holiday, including Bill & Katie Lamb, Lorna Leo, Barb Daggett, Colleen Taylor, Brenda Morneau, Phyllis Kilfoil, and Bill Mills. Special thanks to Eric Berry, Alan Berry, Ryanne Berry and Dhearick Ponomarenko for providing the Christmas tree. 8

9 Coffee Fellowship Sunday Coffee Fellowship is an important part of the Christian life of First Lutheran. Many of us enjoy stopping in the Fellowship Hall to have a cup of coffee and a quick snack, graciously provided by the coffee hour volunteers. Another aspect of our coffee hour enjoyment is the nice way the tables have been set-up in a welcoming and comfortable manner. We have been very fortunate the past several years to have Phyllis and Fred Kilfoil coming in on Saturdays to set up the Fellowship Hall with tablecloths and season appropriate center pieces. Unfortunately after the last Sunday in January, Phyllis and Fred will be retiring from this responsibility for Sunday morning coffee hours. If you would like to be responsible for set up of the Fellowship Hall for coffee hour, or sharing the responsibility with someone, please contact Barb Daggett at barbdaggett@ gmail.com or call her at Thank you for your willingness to provide a welcoming atmosphere for members, guests, and visitors. A huge thank you to Phyllis and Fred for their many years of dedication to this part of our ministry, making our coffee hours comfortable and inviting for all. 9

10 January 2018 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 New Year s Day 12:00 pm Local Clergy 6:30 pm Worship Committee 7:00 pm Property Committee 7:00 pm Quilters 3 4 9:30 am Bible Study 6:15 pm Choir Rehearsal 5 6 Epiphany of our Lord 7:30 am Men's Breakfast & Bible Study 7 Baptism of our Lord Worship 8:00, 9:15, 10: :30 pm E-Board 7:00 pm Council :30 am Bible Study 6:15 pm Bell Choir Rehearsal :30 am Men's Breakfast & Bible Study Scrip Sales after each service 14 Worship 8:00, 9:15, 10:30 9:15am Sunday School Scrip Sales after each service 4:00 pm Confirmation 21 Worship 8:00, 9:15, 10:30 9:15 am Sunday School Semi Annual Meeting 11:30 15 Newsletter Deadline 16 7:00 pm Quilters Confession of Peter 9:30 am Bible Study 6:15 pm Choir Rehearsal Conversion of Paul 9:30 am Bible Study 6:15 pm Choir Rehearsal :30 am Men's Breakfast & Bible Study :30 am Men's Breakfast & Bible Study 28 Worship 8:00, 9:15, 10:30 9:15 am Sunday School First Communion Classes begin Family Fun Day!!

11 January Altar Care Joy Carr Lorna Leo Barb Daggett Celeste Heber Council Person Barb Daggett Barb Daggett Barb Daggett Barb Daggett Counters Joy Carr Lauretta Nielsen Joy Carr Jake Brown Abbott Knowles Kris Conant Abbott Knowles Bill Mills 8:00 Assisting Minister Ken Conant Celeste Heber Celeste Heber Kathy Sensecqua Intinction Assistant Bill Bennett Bob Ahlquist Wendy Barmore Kay Ahlquist Reader Kitty Chadbourne Nancy Houlihan Jan Bennett Laurie Sutherland Coffee Barb Merritt Deb Heald Cheryl Cyr Wendy Barmore 9:15 Worship Leader Doug Dressel Doug Dressel Ken Conant Ken Conant Intinction Assistant Steve Santiago Debi Curry Owen O Donnell Doug Dressel 10:30 Assisting Minister Abbott Knowles Mary Beaudet Lorraine Taylor Fred Walther Intinction Assistant Gene Kucinkas Kathy Sensecqua Mary Tourangeau Lauren Cormier Reader Mary Beaudet Lauren Cormier Ann Brown Mickie Kucinkas Ushers Fred & Coleen Walther Fred & Coleen Walther Fred & Coleen Walther Fred & Coleen Walther Greeters Barb & Ed Daken Sue & Michael McIver Ann & George Johnson Kay & Bob Ahlquist Coffee Barb Daken Irene Nelson Kathy Sensecqua Sue McIver Marlene Christensen Francie Conley Ann & Jake Brown Jen & Brian Hazelwood Thank you for your willingness to serve the Lord in this way. REMINDER: If you are unable to keep your assignment on any given Sunday, Please make every effort to change with someone on the list. Please call the church office when you have made changes so reminders will be mailed to the correct person.

12 FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH 132 AUBURN STREET PORTLAND, MAINE January 2018 Non-Profit Org U.S. Postage PAID Permit #65 Portland, ME CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED Find First Lutheran Church, Portland, ME on Facebook or click on the Facebook logo on the church's website. First s News is a monthly publication of First Lutheran Church. Articles can be submitted to the church office, or by to flcnews@firstlutheranportland.org. The deadline is the 15 th. The newsletter is mailed on the fourth Tuesday of the month. Worship Services are at 8:00, 9:15 & 10:30 am Sunday School for all ages is at 9:15 am Church Office Hours are Monday thru Friday 9:00 am - 3:00 pm ( ) STAFF Intentional Interim Pastor... Pastor Anne Roser (pastor@firstlutheranportland.org) Church Secretary... Joleen Knowles (FLC-admin@firstlutheranportland.org) Director of Youth and Family Ministry... Kailina Mills (kailina.mills@firstlutheranportland.org) Director FLC Children s Community Ministry... Jackie Nelson (flckids@firstlutheranportland.org) OFFICERS President... Steve Barmore Vice-President... Kendall Conant Secretary... Barb Daggett Treasurer... Ed Daggett Financial Secretary... Cheryl Cyr