The Friend. Our Savior s Evangelical Lutheran Church January 2013

Transcription

1 The Friend Our Savior s Evangelical Lutheran Church January 2013 Contact Information Phone Numbers Office: Pastor Chris (c): Web Page oursaviorsduluth.org Addresses: Pastor Christine Anttila pastor@ oursaviorsduluth.org Secretary secretary@ oursaviorsduluth.org Music/Media jennifersimonson@ oursaviorsduluth.org Custodian erdahl@ oursaviorsduluth.org Custodian Hours Mon Fri 9-2 Office Hours Mon Thurs 10-4 A very merry Christmas And a happy New Year Let's hope it's a good one Without any fear. --John Lennon Let's hope. In a world where six year olds are gunned down at school, hope without fear is surely something to dream about. John Lennon, too, was gunned down on a day that began in an ordinary way. Although these words of his are not scripture, they have gospel ring to me these days, and so his legacy lives. What kind of legacy do we want to leave for our children? The neighbor's children? The children of our congregation? The world's children? And what is it that children give to us? Certainly children are one of God's greatest gifts; perhaps the greatest, if we recall God chose to come to us as an infant. Children impart hope, joy, innocence, a new beginning in short, they embody our future. It is vicarious delight that drives us to preserve holiday traditions that center around the kids. It is the pure uncluttered innocence of childhood that prompts us to work so hard at getting in touch with our inner child. Childlike faith is the single best reason I can think of for hanging out with children when conditions around the world become suitable for adults consumption only. Any parent or grandparent can tell you that questions from kids who haven't yet learned to silence their curiosity requires theological agility you won't get from a book. And a game of tag is probably as From Pastor Chris s Pen effective an antidote to stress as any fitness club membership. So maybe the best we can do for this world and the people who'll come after us is to simply consider the kids. When you open your mouth, speak as though young impressionable ears may be listening. Whether driving a car or a grocery cart, behave as though little people might follow your example. If we really believe a civilized nation should look out for the needs of the elderly, the poor, the sick, the lonely and the mentally ill, then we ought to begin by looking in on our neighbor, and we ought to continue by letting our elected officials know what we expect from them. And when our congregation gathers on a Sunday morning, we can make a powerful difference in our community just by saying hello and getting to know a young person or child. If Christmas teaches us anything lasting at all, it is that God cares about children. If Jesus' words have any lasting impact, it is because he addresses us as little brothers and sisters. And if the words of scripture touch any spot in the core of our souls, it is our inner child the fresh little person God created who longs to be joyful, fearless and full of hope again. Beloved, how blest we are to be called children of God, for that is what we are. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to play Candyland with my granddaughter. She thinks it's hysterical when I draw the card that sends me to Grandma Nut's house. Pastor Chris

2 Welcome Westminster At the December 9 Congregational meeting, members present in an unanimous vote, gave support to the Parish Planning Council to move forward with signing a lease with our neighboring church. The specifics of the forthcoming lease were highlighted in last month's Friend with copies still available in the office. In short, the Martin Luther Room, along with a subbasement classroom, will become their exclusive domain...in essence, a church within a church. A lease payment of $900 per month was proposed by representatives from Westminster and was favorably received by an "ad hoc" committee from Our Savior's. Current plans call for their services to begin January 6 at their regularly scheduled 9 a.m. time. The Tough, the Willing, the Able--Well, that might be a "little much" to describe those in the coming weeks who willingly park on Grand Avenue or in the Faith Haven overflow lot to accommodate those less able in the coming weeks. One clear concern expressed in accommodating Westminster was our limited parking. However, the spots allotted to their congregation on the northeast side of the property can be offset by utilizing these other spots, seldom used, and allowing those more physically challenged to park nearer the building. It's just another facet of Stewardship. Meeting Reminder--If you're planning a meeting and intend to use to Library (or any other space for that matter,) please inform the office and have it placed on the calendar. While the number of times are thought to be minimal, we have offered this additional meeting space during the week to Westminster should the need arise. New Windows Our new windows have been installed in the office wing of the church, both main floor and basement floor, thanks to many generous donations. We are still a bit short of being able to pay the complete bill. If you made a pledge toward this capital improvement project and haven t paid it yet, please do so. If you haven t pledged, please consider a donation to help us close the books on this project. Thank you!! CHILI FEED The Best Tasting Chili contest will be held at Our Savior s on Tuesday, January 22 from 4:30 to 6:30. There is need for people to supply sour cream, milk, shredded cheese, chili powder, corn or regular baked bread, crackers, pies or other desserts. There is also a need for people to make chili for entry in the contest. All entries will be judged the night of the chili feed and the best tasting chili entry will receive all the proceeds collected with the entry forms. Entry forms are available in the church office and on the greeters table near the library. The entry fee is $20. Tickets for the event are $6 for individuals and $15 for a family of four or more. The proceeds from the ticket sales will benefit the local food shelf, Salvation Army, and our church s work in Honduras. The tickets are available in the church office, at the Welcome Desk Sunday mornings and from Dave Thornton. If you can help out with this event contact Dave Thornton or Alice DeLawyer. Quilting Retreat Mark your calendars for Saturday, January 12 for a day of quilting or sewing in the church library. We will gather at 10:30, and sew, eat, and laugh until we are spent (about 5 pm). The quilting group will be finishing the quilt we began earlier in the fall, and also learning how to make a table runner. Bring a snack or dish to share. If you want to sign up, let Roxanne Bijold know before January 12 (roxanne23@charter.net or ). New Funeral Luncheon Policy For funeral luncheons Our Saviors Lutheran Church offers three options: 1. Cake, coffee, nuts and punch. 2. Ham and turkey sandwiches on a bun, cheese tray, Lutheran jello, pickles and olives. 3. Hot meals catered by G.B. Schneider's, Sara May's or a caterer of your choice. The ladies of Our Savior's will no longer prepare hot meals for funerals. More information will be coming later this month. Patsy Lehr, Funeral Luncheon Coordinator

3 Daily Discipleship Studies We have two new Bible study opportunities to choose from, beginning in January, using the Daily Discipleship study. We will meet Tuesday mornings at 9:30 am and Thursday evenings at 7pm. Both groups will meet in the library. The studies will be led by church members. Coffee will be available and everybody is welcome. We hope that many will take advantage of studying together. Length of study: approx 45 minutes. If you wish to have the Daily Discipleship study sheet before the group study, they are available for pick-up on the Welcome Desk. Hat, Mitten, Scarf Tree WOW! We donated 29 hats, 21 pairs of mittens, 16 scarves, 7 mitten/cap sets, 5 pairs of socks and 1 hat/scarf sets for a total of 80 items on our hat and mitten tree! These gifts from our congregation were donated to the Salvation Army and the Bethany Crisis Shelter. Thank you: To Andre Bijold, Joanne and Ray Ahlgren for donating the tree, and for shepherding these gifts to their destination; To everyone who so generously donated their gifts of warmth and love! SENIOR DINING Members Bulletin Board Change of address Derek Defrang is in Marine Basic Training. Please keep him in your prayers. His address: RCT Defrang, Derek J 3 rd BN India CO PLT Midway Ave. San Diego, CA Baptism Alora Grace Schnorr was baptized into the family of God on Sunday, December 2nd. Alora, born on May 18th, is the daughter of Tasha and John Schnorr. Member death Allen Larson, died Sunday, December 9th.His funeral was held Saturday, December 15th Bob Thompson, long-time member, died November 21, 2012 in Florida. We offer our prayers and condolences. May God grant these families comfort and peace at this time of their loss. Shut ins Please pray for our members unable to attend services at this time: Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota (LSS) serves a hot, nutritious meal to nearly 5,000 older Minnesotans each day. Working as a team with caring neighbors and volunteers in small towns across Minnesota, we help older adults maintain independence and have improve quality of life. LSS invites you to be the neighbor this holiday season. Many seniors could not live in their own homes without the gracious help you and other friends provide.every gift given, up to $5,000, between November 15 and December 31 will be matched. Together we can spread the word and support another year of caring for our neighbors. Elsie Benson Alice Botsford June Brooks Pat Erickson Kay Evanson Dora Hughes Thelma Kortkamp June Lindberg Bob & Bev Moe Marilyn Olson Julia Pugliesi Eldora Swenson Grace Vittorio Pearl Wang Wesley Winter Alice Zimpel

4 MISSION AND SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES Sunday School Paper Fundraiser: We are collecting magazines, shiny paper and plain white copy paper. There are special white bags on the coat rack shelves on first floor for you to take home to fill and return. The full bags are taken to New Page Paper who weighs it and pays us for recycling. We have earned $500 so far this year for our S.S. program this year! Thank you for your support and keep that paper coming! Contact Roger Lofald if you are willing to help load the paper to take to New Page. Abundance Table: If you have new or next to new items that you no longer wish to keep, bring them to church for the Abundance Table located in the Fellowship Hall. Please no clothing. Members and food shelf participants may take from the table at any time. If you are able, a monetary donation of any amount will be gladly be accepted (place in the container on the table). This is a project of Care in Action / Lay Ministry Team and will be on going. In addition, please feel free to donate to the magazine cart but remove your name and address label. Be a Foster Grandparent: The Foster Grandparent Program is recruiting new volunteers! To be a Foster Grandparent, you need to be at least 55 years old and be available to volunteer at least 15 hours per week. You would work with children with special needs, tutoring them in reading and math while forming meaningful relationships. In exchange for volunteering, you receive a tax free, non reportable stipend, mileage reimbursement and monthly training. Call Soup for Seniors Members and families of Our Savior s Confirmation Class will be serving Soup for Seniors at Faith Haven Apartments on Saturday, January 26 at noon. The meal is free to Faith Haven Residents. Freewill donations will be applied to the Confirmation Class s summer mission trip. Volunteers are needed to help make the soup. We ll start in the kitchen at 9am. Pastor Appreciation You are cordially invited to a special coffee fellowship Sunday, January 20, 2013 in honor of Pastor Christine Anttila s 3 rd Anniversary of serving Our Saviors Thank You --to the confirmation students and adults for decorating the sanctuary for Christmas --to Shari Mlodozyniec for updating the Constitution, By Laws and preparing the Continuing Resolutions --to the Adult Choir, Grace Notes, Heavenly Metal (youth bells), Northern Bell Chimes, Confirmation Students, Sunday School Students and all the volunteers for the Christmas program on December to the Care in Action team for providing the Abundance Table. --to the Visitation Team members for visiting the members unable to attend services and to Pastor Chris for visiting them in December. Thank you to everyone who donated flowers for our Christmas services. Rebekah Circle Rebekah Circle will NOT have a regular meeting in January. Instead we will help with the Chili Feed on January 22nd as our mission project for CHUM. Naomi Circle Naomi Circle meets the second Thursday of every month at noon in the church Library/Lounge Dorcas Circle Dorcas Circle meets the second Thursday of every month at 9:30am at Thurley Ling s House. 55 Plus Join us on Monday January 14 at 9:30am for a presentation by area naturalist and Duluth News Tribune writer Sam Cook.

5 PRAYER OPPORTUNITIES The Sunday bulletin includes the names of members, family, and friends who we are invited to remember in our prayers. In an effort to keep current, we will print the names in the bulletin for 4-6 weeks followed by 1-2 months in The Friend. Please use the form in the weekly bulletin or in this newsletter to request prayers or to update a person s information who is on our prayer opportunity list. Thank you! Please remember these people in prayers: Alice Zimpel - recovering from a fall Julia Pugliese recovering from a fall Steve Olcott recovering from surgery Glenn Tridgell recovering from surgery Bill Ellingson health concerns Bob & Bev Moe health concerns Dan Nilsen prostate cancer Phill Janzig ALS Brenda Choate (Randy & Pam Nelson) cancer Palesa Buthelezi (Pam Nelson s cousin) health concerns Victor Nelson (Randy Nelson s uncle) prostate cancer Michael Nyberg (Lisa Smith s uncle) recovering from stem cell transplant Barb Ammerman (Jennifer Simonson s sister) cancer Travis Hanson (friend of Teri Hagadorn) health concerns Ethel Thomas (friend of Glenn Tridgell) health concerns Gordon Gladden (friend of Glenn Tridgell) health concerns Sandy Lund (Lenny Lund s daughter) health concerns Aimee Anderson (Beth Anderson s mom) recovering from surgery Ruth Thornton (Dave Thornton s mom) healing broken legs Theodore Hein (Kathleen Hein s great-nephew) recovering from heart surgery Bill Murto (Jill Lofald s brother-in-law) pancreatic cancer Jon Donahue (friend of Steve & Cheryl Reynolds) health concerns PRAYER REQUEST/PRAYER UPDATE FORM: Please return to the church office or place in the offering plate. Date of request/update: Your Name Your Phone Prayer/Update for (name) Prayer Request/Prayer Update

6 Parish Planning Council Meeting Summary DATE: Tuesday, November 6, 2012 The minutes from the October PPC meeting were approved. The checkbook balance is $5, and all bills and benevolences are current!! Discussion on the church budget was tabled until the next PPC meeting on Nov 18 th. The congregation will vote on the budget on Dec 9 th. The agenda for the congregational meeting was set including approval of the minutes from the June 3 rd meeting, presentation of the 2013 budget, presentation of the updated constitution and bylaws. The council received an update on discussion with Westminster Presbyterian Church on renting space in our building. No decisions or agreements have been reached. Our Sunday School is averaging 10 to 12 students per week, mostly in the younger grades. The meeting adjourned at 7:55. The next meeting of the PPC will be November 18 th to finalize the budget. NEW OFFICE HOURS Until we can hire a new secretary, Jennifer Simonson is filling in as interim secretary. Her office hours are Monday through Thursday from 10am to 4pm. A volunteer will answer phones on Friday from 10am to 2pm.We ask everyone to have patience with the office while we are in this transition. FAIR TRADE COFFEE We have a lot of coffee available in the Fair Trade Store at church. There are many coffees to choose as a gift for someone or yourself. If you like flavored coffee, there is are a lot of Hazelnut Crème coffee in supply. Both ground coffee and whole bean coffee are included in the Fair Trade Store inventory. There is one new coffee which is a blend of East African coffees balanced with rich chocolate, sweet vanilla and brown spices. This coffee is part of the Congo Coffee Project which sends $1.00 for every 16 oz. bag of coffee sold to Panzi Hospital in the Congo. To find out more about this project you can go to congocoffeeproject. Because of coffee prices have gone up, we will need to raise the price on the coffee to $7 per 12 oz. bag. The Congo Coffee Project 16 oz bags will sell for $8 per bag. HONDURAS MISSION TRIP Dave Thornton is returning to Honduras this February from 2/18 to 2/27. He will be working at the same Bible camp that he did last year. Please include this mission in your prayers and consider giving some financial support to this mission project. If you have any questions about this mission opportunity, contact Dave Thornton. Youth Team Update December brought about an overnight at the church for the Youth. The evening started with a trip to Bentleyville, followed by pizza party, cookie baking and games. By the time you are reading this, hopefully you were able to enjoy some of the cookies that were made and then sold by the Youth. The next project for the Youth will be selling and making Super Bowl subs in February.

7

8 Parish Planning Council January Birthdays Officers Jon Thornton, President John Jacobson, Vice President Shari Mlodozyniec, Vice President Jan Thornton, Treasurer Roxanne Bijold Secretary Ministry Teams Stewardship: Sherm Carlson Education: Roger Lofald Lay Ministry: Anita Fraundorf Worship & Music: Robyn Lunke Evangelism/Soc.Ministry: Alice Delawyer Youth: Bob Jenko Parish Fellowship: Cathy Hannan Property: Mike Simonson Public Relations: Theresa Jacobson Vacation Bible School: Jen Conboy Other Leadership Financial Secretary: Dodo Erickson Camp Delegate: Pam Merrier Bell Choir: Anita Fraundorf Chum/Thrivent Delegate: Jen Conboy Alice DeLawyer Staff Pastor: Rev. Christine Anttila Music Director: Jennifer Simonson Web Page: Jennifer Simonson Interim Parish Secretary and Editor of The Friend: Jennifer Simonson Custodian: John Erdahl Unpaid Staff Parish Nurses: Kathy Janzig Jan Thornton Kris Benson Lenny Lund Jan 1 Sharon Larson Jan 2 Susan Modean Jan 3 Bobbie DeFrang Jan 4 Hailey Ettestad Jan 4 Anna Pozniak Jan 4 Trevor Erickson Jan 5 Brayley Merrier Jan 5 Adrianna Bail Jan 6 Christina MacDonald Jan 6 Diane Olson Jan 6 Tim Mlodozyniec Jan 7 Sophia McKillop Jan 8 Paul Danielson Jan 9 Drew Nelson Jan 9 Jennifer Conboy Jan 10 Dreydin Hill Jan 10 Allison Jerde Jan 11 Jim Unden Jan 11 Phillip Janzig Jan 13 Dawn Janzig Jan 15 Darlene Ketchum Jan 15 Daniel Buetow Jan 17 June Lindberg Jan 17 Keely Lofald Jan 17 Eryn Mlodozyniec Jan 21 Cheryl Reynolds Jan 22 Carol Fike Jan 24 Kathy Janzig Jan 24 Derek Merrier Jan 24 Kelsey Mlodozyniec Jan 25 Jennifer Levy Jan 26 Thinking of a memorial gift? Think of the Foundation

9

10 Our Savior s Lutheran Church 4831 Grand Avenue Duluth, MM Non Profit Org. U.S. Postage Paid Duluth, MN Permit No Tel: Fax: s addresses: secretary@oursaviorsduluth.org pastor@oursaviorsduluth.org jennifersimonson@oursaviorsduluth.org erdahl@oursaviorsduluth.org Simonson Frame Design Open by appointment Call Jennifer Simonson for your custom framing needs