In June we heard the results of our church assessment, and had

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1 Volume 67, Number 7 September 2015 Internet Web Site: (Mark 6:31, NIV) Welcome back! From Our Pastor Then, because so many people were coming a going that they did not even have a chance to eat, (Jesus) said to them, Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place a get some rest. Follow Up on our Church Assessment In June we heard the results of our church assessment, a had the chance to reflect on the direction we have said we want to go as a congregation. There are four areas we raised as our foci: to do what is necessary to make youth a young families feel welcome, to make deeper connections with each other a those who are new to our fellowship, to deepen a expa ways to reach out to help those in difficult life situations, a to develop spiritually generous givers to support our ministry. Asummer of vacations a travel is coming to an e, a the normal routine of school a work schedules is about to resume. In the church, Suay School is gearing up, our Nursery School is filling with children, a all the programs a ministries we share are beginning again. I know that January is the first month of the year, but it always feels to me as though the year s true beginning is September. I hope you had a restful, rejuvenating summer. It is important to have time away with family, away from the pressure a the gri of life. Summer can be a time of rest, an exteed Sabbath, where we revel in the gift of each other that God has given us. As we return, I hope we can see our time together each Suay as Sabbath. Taking time together with the Lord a each other is meant as a time of rest a rejuvenation each week. Too often people see this as a chore, but it is always my hope that we will see Suay as an opportunity. We are given the chance to step away from the pressures a gri of life as we enter the presence of Jesus, putting down the s a the deadlines for just a bit of time at the beginning of each week. Now that we are returning to life as usual, let us make time for Sabbath a part of our normal routine. Perhaps especially in the busiest times Jesus continues to invite us to come away a rest. Welcome back to school, to work, but especially to worship with Jesus a each other. Pr. Karl M. Richard At its workshop in July, the Council discussed ways we can make progress in these areas. In the area of youth a young families, we agreed that we need to move forward with the search for an additional staff person. If we are going to be able to provide programs a connections for the youth, we need more than one person to be coordinating this part of our ministry! In the area of making connections with newer a existing members, we realize we do not have a regular plan to get together for fellowship opportunities. Such events do happen, but not with regularity or intentionality. To this e, the Council has decided we need a Fellowship Team which will plan four events each year, roughly quarterly, which would give us a chance to get to know one another in a more personal way. This Fellowship Team will also try to have regular opportunities of a smaller scale throughout the year, perhaps occasional coffee times, where we can gather a chat with each other, but which are not large-scale programs. Holly Perlingiero has agreed to help coordinate such a team. If you are interested in helping with this, please speak to Holly. Council also discussed a simple way we can make such connections: each member can make a personal commitment to come to worship regularly, a intentionally introduce ourselves to someone we may not know. Starting with I don t believe I know you; my name is... is an easy way for us to make connections with our sisters a brothers at Saint Matthew. With regard to the desire to reach out to those in need, we recognize we do much in this area. However, we are not always good at identifying what we do, nor do we clearly or personally invite people to be a part of such personal ministry. As we listen for what new ways we may want to serve going forward, we want

2 to do better at highlighting many of the things we already do with the goal of including more people in these ventures as they are able. In order to make our ministry happen, we need to increase our overall giving to the congregation. This giving certainly has to include gifts of time a talent, that is, an offering of ourselves, but it also needs to be an increase in our financial support. One of the things we learned from our self-assessment is that we are a congregation blessed with resources. We want to fi ways to teach each other that true generosity grows out of our spirituality, that is, out of our relationship to God through Christ. As we share some of what God has blessed us with, we are able to make Christ known in our congregation a community as we seek to help people connect with Jesus. As we move forward, we ask that each of our members engage in an exercise of prayer a reflection on how we have been blessed, a how God might be urging us to share regularly a consistently for the work of the Church. Moving forward on these goals will be a process over time. We are excited about the ways in which we can make ministry happen. We look forward to having all our membership become involved in some aspect of our future, as we live into the directions we ourselves have set for our work for Jesus. Financial Update A let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which ieed you were called in one body. A be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach a admonish one another in all wisdom; a with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns a spiritual songs to God. Colossians 3:15-16 July 2015 Year to Date Giving/Income: $37, $273, Expenses 37, , Plus/Minus (574.00) (10,952.00) Summary: As you can see above for July we were in the red for the month - by -$574, while for the year we are in the negative by close to -$11,000. The actual budget which was approved at the annual meeting for the year shows a negative for the entire year of $27,000. If we compare where our giving a expenses are to budget, we are actually ahead of the proposed loss of -$27,000. Our actual income is $4,700 higher than budget while our expenses are slightly lower by $1,750. This means that our loss may be less than we predicted. We need to continue to support the Church in all ways as we come out of the summer a for the rest of the year. Thanks to all of you for your support! See you in Church! Update on Giving Opportunities: We wanted to give some feedback on how we respoed to the many giving opportunities that we have highlighted over the first part of the year. We spoke about opportunities for giving for 1) The Lutheran Magazine, 2) Snow removal, 3) Sponsor for Altar Flowers a Worship Bulletins, 4) Lawn Care a Maintenance, a 5) VBS. Here are the results on that response for Snow Removal a Lawn Care. If you would like to join the families below in supporting the work of the Church in addition to your regular giving, please place an envelope in the offering plate noting the reason. We truly are the church! Snow Removal: 10 families supported by donating $1,950. Lawn Care: 12 families supported by donating $1,385. Your Finance Committee Rally Day - God s Work, Our Has All parishioners are invited to our Rally Day kickoff program on September 13, 2015 in the sanctuary at 9:00 a.m. At this time the youth will hear a heartwarming story about a fancy china teacup that es up in a thrift store after getting chipped. Rescued by a friely man, the teacup gets to help the homeless a learns a valuable lesson about giving to others in the process. The book, Charles T. Cup by Dalen Keys, supports what the ELCA is encouraging us to do with the God s Work, Our Has theme. In May we learned from The Revere Violet Little of The Welcome Church in Philadelphia that this ministry is in constant need of adult socks, especially large ones for males. We will be setting up a box in the narthex for donations. The youth will package the socks with hamade cards that will be taken to The Welcome Church to be distributed by Revere Little. In addition, youth will be assembling breakfast bags for Aid for Fries a packaging homemade trail mix for The Welcome Church.Christian Education Committee Vacation Bible School - What a success this event was! Thanks to Julie Cirillo a the numerous volunteers who helped to organize a run this week-long event in July for 92 children. Our sanctuary was transformed into Mount Everest a the children enjoyed being together as they heard the word of God, sang songs, made crafts, a enjoyed snacks a games. A special closing program was held on the last day for the families of the children. Soft pretzels a lemonade were served on the front lawn. An appreciation luncheon was held for volunteers after the closing program as well. Suay School Teacher Meeting/Luncheon - On August 30 a Suay School Teacher meeting a luncheon was held. Materials were distributed a business related to the 2

3 upcoming Suay School year was discussed. Rally Day - September 13 - To kick off our Suay School program this year, all children a adults are invited to the Rally Day Celebration in the sanctuary on September 13, 2015 at 9:00 a.m. Children from ages 3 to high school will have the opportunity to meet their Suay School teachers a engage in activities arou the theme God s Work, Our Has after a short worship opening that will include offering. Parents may accompany their children to the Suay School classrooms if they wish to do so. Children will be dismissed from their iividual classrooms arou 10:00 a.m. Light snacks will be provided. Suay School teachers will be installed at the 10:15 a.m. service. We look forward to seeing you! Can you help? As I write this article, we are in need of th th teachers for our 7 a 8 grade Suay School classes. Also, we are always in need of substitute teachers for our Suay School. If you think this is something you could help us with, please talk to Carol Penjuke, Dave Krauter, or Pastor. We can provide you with information regarding these opportunities. Carol Penjuke Christian Education Committee Children s Corner Dear Children, Perhaps you remember reading last month s Children s Corner as I wrote about giving thanks. I am sure that as fall approaches, you have fou many things for which you are thankful - perhaps a woerful a safe family vacation, learning how to ride a bike, a new pet, visits with far-away relatives, etc. Usually the season of autumn fis Mr. Yost a me heading somewhere on a day-long trip - we see lots of Farmers Markets laden with fruits, vegetables, jellies, honey, flowers, shrubs, bulbs, etc. All of these things remi me of the hymn Come Ye Thankful People Come. On one of our stops I fou a lovely placemat titled Let Us Give Thanks. The prayers of four major faiths were printed on this placemat a I would like to share them with you. I know that you will fi them useful as you pray before your meals. Catholic - Bless us O Lord a these Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. Orthodox - O Christ Our God. Bless the food a drink of Thy Servants. For Thou art Holy always, now a ever a unto the age of ages. Amen. Jewish - Lift up your has toward the sanctuary a bless the Lord. Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe who bringest forth bread from your earth. Amen. Protestant - Bless O Lord this food to our use, a us to Thy service a make us ever miful of the needs of others. In Jesus name, Amen. Dear Parents, It might be fun for you a your youngster(s) to write a special family prayer to use on special days - birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, etc. Having a thankful attitude makes one navigate all the bumps in life s road so much easier. Sylvia Yost Saint Matthew Christian Nursery School We hope everyone has had a woerful summer. Although we appreciate having time to enjoy with our families a fries, we always look forward to all of the new events we will share with the children for the new school year. I am honored to return as the Director of Saint Matthew Christian Nursery School. As we begin our new school year, I would like to give a warm welcome to our returning staff as well as some changes that have been made within our teaching teams. It is my pleasure to announce Mrs. Denise Barber st as our new Teacher in our 2 Day 1 floor classroom; Mrs. Gillian Emch as Teacher Assistant in our 3 Day PM 2 floor classroom; a Mrs. Patricia Treude as Teacher Assistant in our 3 Day PM 1 st floor classroom. Also, we would like to announce Mrs. Kara McCann as our new 5 Day teacher a Mrs. Dale Phillips as Teacher in our 3 Day 2 floor classroom. Mrs. Dale Phillips will also remain the Teacher in our 2 Day 2 floor classroom. Last, but not least, Mrs. Marian Doughty will now be the Teacher Assistant in our 3 Day AM 2 floor classroom as well as our 2 Day Teacher Assistant in the 2 floor classroom. I can assure you the children a our school are in good has as we make these changes to our staff. We wish Mrs. Say Dunbar a Mrs. Maureen Curran many blessings as they leave our school on to new eeavors. We look forward to an exciting new school year filled with frieship a learning. Our school will open for orientation on Moay, September 14. During orientation, our staff, parents a children come together to become acquainted with their new teachers a classmates. The staff a I will have classroom set-up a teacher orientation starting the week of September 8. As the school year begins, we ask for God s blessing a guidance as we nurture the children a families of Saint Matthew Christian Nursery School. Lia M. Maylie 3

4 Blessing of our Nursery School This fall we will begin another exciting year for Saint Matthew Christian Nursery School. We are blessed to have a dedicated a caring staff for our school. We are blessed to be able to serve so many families in our community, as we offer learning in a Christian environment to approximately 170 three, four a five year old children. Please join us on Suay, September 20, as we offer a prayer of blessing a dedication for our school a our staff as we begin a new year of Frieship a Learning. College Student Addresses Every fall we like to update our Saint Matthew member addresses of those who are commuting or are away at colleges a universities. Students, moms, a dads: we need your help! Give the church office a call or drop us a card with your school year address on it. Surprises await you! Choir Season Kicks Off with a Choral Workshop On Thursday, September 17, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m., we are kicking off the choir season with a choral workshop led by Sue Descano, longtime vocal a choral director (now retired) from the Springfield School District. Sue will coach us in proper vocal techniques as well as work with us on ensemble skills. The workshop is open to all singers - whether or not you currently sing in the choir, those who sing with us occasionally, those who sang in their younger days, as well as those who sing in the shower. This is a great opportunity to work on some vocal skills as well as have some fun a fellowship. Bell Ringers - Remember how much fun this is? I was recently at a workshop a was introduced to an amazing collection of music that only requires six (6) ringers. Are there six of you out there? No experience necessary. You need to be able to read music, have some coordination, a be able to laugh. The laughing part is essential. The time commitment is to be determined based upon the response - whether it is just a couple of times a year or on a more regular basis. Instrumentalists - We have an instrument ensemble at Saint Matthew a are always looking for more instrumentalists. This is a multi-generational group consisting of students a adults a even includes some parents/kids combinations. The group is led by our very own professional musicians, Chris a Karen DiSanto. Students, this is a great way to get some ensemble experience. Adults, this is a great reason to pick up that instrument from your high school days. The time commitment is flexible, but we need to know you are out there so we can let you know about rehearsals a upcoming events. If you have an interest a/or questions on any of these activities, please see me on Suay. Pat McHugh Family Ministries Family Ministries invites children of all ages to a Fall Crafts a Games Night on September 25 from 7-8 p.m. There will be craft projects, fun games, a yummy treats! Please RSVP to Heather Markla by September 16. Men s Breakfast Our monthly Men s Breakfast will resume in September. The September breakfast will be held at The Court Diner, 140 E. Baltimore Pike, Media, on Saturday, September 19, at 7:15 a.m. All men are invited to join us for morning devotions, a great speaker, an excellent breakfast a good fellowship. Please come a enjoy an excellent way to start the day. Library September already! Where did the summer go? Back to school a the beginning of all other activities. This month s book is If Jesus were a Senior by Bruce Main, Shelf MAI. Last-minute preparations for post-college life - the final years of college can be a difficult time for students committed to a life of Christian discipleship. How does a student begin to prepare for the real world so it will not e in a collapse of faith or a slow series of compromises? Noted youth leader Bruce Main suggests that students should imagine how Jesus might have used his final years of college. This, he argues, will assist readers in making the necessary preparations for post-college life. Barbara Kinsey Social Ministry Thank you to all of our members who so generously donated school supplies for the children who atte Faith Immanuel Lutheran Church. Your gifts will go a long way in helping the children get off to a good start in school this year. Once again, we will be sponsoring the pajama gifts for these children at 4

5 Christmas. Watch the newsletter a the Suay bulletin next month for more information. We also want to thank those of you who continued to donate to the Loaves a Fishes Food Pantry over the summer. There is even a more critical need during the summer months when the children who receive free or reduced lunches at school no longer have access to these meals. Cheryl Morrell First Thursday Fries ( FTF ) The First Thursday Fries will be gathering at Bertucci s for lunch a fellowship on Thursday, September 3, at 11:30 a.m. Bertucci s is located at 965 Baltimore Pike, Springfield, PA. Contact John Stefl for more information. Everyone is welcome. John Stefl Ronald McDonald Quilting Group The ladies in the Ronald McDonald Quilting Group will be resuming their monthly meetings on Wednesday, September 16, 2015, at 10:00 a.m. in the church parlor. We would like to invite anyone who can sew, knit, crochet, help tie quilts, or stuff pillows to join us in this worthwhile ministry. The families staying at the Ronald McDonald House really appreciate the donations they receive from us. If you are able to help or want to learn more about what we make, please consider joining us at one of our meetings. We would also like to thank the congregation for the ongoing monetary support of this ministry. Silver Springs/Martin Luther School News The people of Saint Matthew have been invited to join the staff a other churches to help with this year s Fun Day at Silver Springs. We are needed to help with the food presentation a work at the prize table. The date is Thursday, September 24. We will leave Saint Matthew s parking lot arou 2:00 p.m. a return arou 7:00 p.m. Dinner will be provided by Silver Springs. It is a fun time to get to work a be with the children. There will be a sign-up sheet in the hallway. Any questions, please contact Nancy Regan. Nancy Regan Women of the ELCA News Greetings from Women of the ELCA! We hope you had a fun-filled summer break a are now looking forward to the activities within our circles to begin anew! We always look forward to the start-up of the new year - it s great getting back into the swing of things. Are you looking forward to those beautiful autumn days coming our way? God s world in autumn is so colorful - it s a sight to behold! Thanks be to God! We would like to introduce the Saint Matthew Lutheran Church Women of the ELCA Board for the term. If you have questions about the circles a/or the quilting groups, etc., please feel free to ask one of these Board Members. Ladies, we exte to you a sincere welcome to join us at our Women of the ELCA functions - the welcome mat is always out. Will you give it a try? We share fellowship a at the same time we work together doing good for those less fortunate. Hope to see you join us! Our unit of the Women of the ELCA Board for the term follows: President - Joan Krauter Vice President - Marjorie Kobasa Secretary - Carol Penjuke Treasurer - Joanne Castagna Silver Springs/Martin Luther School Liaison - Nancy Regan Esther Circle Co-Leaders - Marjorie Kobasa/Dee Bratz Esther Circle Projects Leader - Pat Daniels Sarah Circle Co-Leaders - Marie Miller/Nancy Regan Immediate Past President/Newsletter Article Writer - Dee Bratz The Delaware Conference Fall Gathering of the Women of the ELCA will be held on Saturday, October 3, Registration 10 a.m., Brunch 10:30 a.m., followed by the meeting a speaker, The Rev. Dr. Jennifer Ollikainen, Executive Director of Lutheran Congregational Services/Liberty Lutheran. This gathering will be at Faith Immanuel Lutheran Church, East Lansdowne, PA. We hope to have a good representation from our church. A sign-up sheet on the table in the hallway will be available for those wishing to atte. There will be carpooling. September schedule: Sept. 9-9:30 a.m. - Board Meeting - Library Sept :30 a.m. - LWR Quilting - Parish Education Bldg. Sept :00 a.m. - Ronald McDonald Quilting - Parlor Sept. 22-7:30 p.m. - Sarah Circle - Parish Education Bldg. 5

6 Dee Bratz for the Executive Board Sept :00 a.m. - Esther Circle - Parlor Wednesday Bible Study Returns! On September 9, Wednesday Bible Study will resume. This fall we will look at Paul s seco letter to the Corinthians. This letter records some of the highs a lows of Paul s ministry with this congregation, one of only two churches of which we have multiple pieces of correspoence. In this letter we see issues with which the early church struggled, a which are still issues for the church today. Please join us at 6:30 a.m. in the library or 12:00 noon in the parlor to see how this ancient letter speaks to us today. We look to gain insights as to how we are called to respo as Christians to age-old struggles which never seem to go away. Pastor Karl Wednesday Prayer Group Beginning September 9, the Wednesday Prayer Group will meet at 1:30 p.m. following Bible Study. If you are interested in a brief mid-week time of prayer of approximately 50 minutes, you are invited a welcome to atte as your schedule allows. With Thanksgiving to God We have gratefully received a disbursement from the estate of our fries Bob a Barbara Bowlby in the amount of $25,000. Bob was our financial secretary for many years. He a Barbara were very devoted to the ministry of Saint Matthew a wanted to help ensure the long-term financial health of their congregation. To this e, they designated a gift to be made to the Eowment Fu at the time of their passing from this life to the life to come. Added to the amount given from the estate of Tom a Helen Owens, we are rebuilding the principle of our Eowment, much of which had been used to complete the renovations during our Restoring, Rebuilding, Renewing building project. If you are interested in following the Bowlbys example to make a planned gift to help the ongoing ministry of our church, please speak to Jim Snyder, chair of the Eowment Fu Committee. Monthly Mailbag Dear Saint Matthew Lutheran Church, Greetings from Lutheran World Relief! We re so thankful for your partnership, a for your energy a enthusiasm as we roll out the new Quilt & Kit Tracker. I m excited to be able to share some details about where some of your items traveled in the last year. You may already have spotted in your online Tracker record that your School Kits went to Lebanon, departing our warehouse on January 8, LWR s partner in Lebanon is American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA). Working closely with local groups a communities, ANERA respos to economic, health a educational needs with sustainable solutions, a also provides emergency response when needed in Lebanon, Jordan, West Bank a Gaza. ANERA s current programs in Lebanon include health a medical services to hureds of thousas of people who have fled the ongoing violence in Syria. Of the nearly 340,000 refugees, an estimated 70% are women a children, who are particularly vulnerable. As part of this response, ANERA will distribute Mission Quilts, Personal Care Kits, School Kits a Baby Care Kits to 12,000 refugees in the greatest need. These precious gifts will support families during this tense a difficult time, helping them to stay healthy a warm, a increasing school atteance for children so they do not fall too far behi during their displacement. To learn more about this shipment, visit quiltmap.lwr.org, a click on the country to view a report. We will provide updates as we receive information from ANERA. Thank you so much for your partnership in bringing hope to our neighbors in Lebanon. We thank God for you! Continued blessings on your ministry! Melanie W. Gibbons Quilt & Kit Ministry Manager Lutheran World Relief * * * Dear Saint Matthew Lutheran Church, Thank you for your recent gift of $ to Nepal Area Earthquake. Gifts like yours make it possible for our church to continue its effective a efficient response to disasters. Your support helps families a communities get back on their feet again after they have been harmed. Your gifts also provide resources for preparedness a risk reduction programs. To neighbors who can feel alone a in despair, your gift brings immediate help a hope for the future. We will partner for as long as it takes to rebuild, reclaim a recover. 6

7 As Lutheran Disaster Response, we support a pray for the well-being of people all over the world who are recovering from a disaster, a for our partners a volunteers who assist them in their journey to renewal. Thank you for providing help, hope a healing. In Christ s service, The Rev. Daniel Rift Director, ELCA World Hunger a Disaster Appeal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Dear Saint Matthew Family, * * * I want to thank everyone who helped make our Everest Vacation Bible School the best ever! We had about 90 children a over 40 adult/youth helping. Thank you for sharing your children with us! Also thank you to all the people who spent some time with us this week. I hope you enjoyed climbing the mountain a holding on! Thank you to the many people who helped keep snack cost down a donated snacks. All of the snacks were enjoyed by the children a adults. A special thank you to all the painters, the characters were awesome! What an awesome part of the program! Also, thank you for the flowers from the altar - they are so beautiful! Saint Matthew people are truly amazing! Love, Julie Cirillo Dear Saint Matthew s Members, * * * Health a Healing We ask you to remember all those who are ill, as well as those who mourn the loss of a loved one, in your thoughts a prayers. We also remember a pray for the homeless, the hungry, a all the men a women in our armed forces. We are back a ready to keep providing you with information about all the happenings taking place here at Saint Matthew Church. If you have something to share, please notify Janice Gardner in the Church Office. - C.E.A. The Good Newsletter, a congregational newsletter, is published monthly, September through June by Saint Matthew Evangelical Lutheran Church, 400 Lynbrooke Road, Springfield, Pennsylvania Please direct all correspoence pertaining to this publication to the Editor, Dr. Carl E. Aronson, at the above address. The deadline for submitting copy is 12 noon on the 15th of each month. On Suay, August 2, I was surprised with a lovely bouquet of altar flowers from Jeff Wesley a Maureen McCleary. They are so beautiful, a we are enjoying them. Sincerely, Nancy Regan Vital Statistics Death: Mrs. Dorothy Patterson Died August 3, 2015 Funeral August 7, 2015 Mrs. Barbara Lafey Died July 18, 2015 Funeral August 27, 2015 th 60 Wedding Anniversary: Robert a Anna Potter September 10,

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