Connection. Inside This Issue Champion Forest Dr. Houston, TX (P) (F) Inspiring Worship 2 4

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1 Connection W W W. K I N S M E N LU T H E R A N. O R G Champion Forest Dr. Houston, TX (P) (F) Inside This Issue Inspiring Worship 2 4 Experiencing Family 5 7 Sharing Grace 8 9 Kinsmen Budget Update 10 Birthdays 11

2 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, What an amazing year 2018 was at Kinsmen Lutheran Church! God is working through our church (the building and people) in wonderful ways to be a blessing to others. We are living out our mission of Inspiring every generation to experience and share God s grace in Jesus Christ. Here are just a few of the many highlights from Inspiring Worship, Experiencing Family and Sharing Grace. Together we Journeyed through the Bible together using nine different sermon series to focus our learning and study. Celebrated 17 baptisms (children and adults) and welcomed an additional 29 for a total of 46 new members. Welcomed 1077 people to worship on Christmas Eve. (Compared with 1052 last year.) Welcomed a new Alleluia choir director, Joey Bansuelo. Facilitated a group trip to Germany for the 500 th Anniversary of the Reformation. Provided the opportunity for 129 campers to participate in Camp Hope (that was a total of 268 camper weeks!) learning 15 different bible stories over the 3 weeks. Hosted Financial Peace University once and Paz Financiera twice for the congregation and community. Provided a loving preschool learning environment to a record 80 children and welcomed 19 youth in the KCA Before and After school program for a total of 99! Made 10 stops to homebound members for Christmas caroling with 27 people and sang with 60 people at the caroling event at 11 Below Brewery. Hosted 65 youth for the third charity dodgeball tournament benefitting Klein ISD. Hosted a fun community event for 185 who attended the Crawfish Boil Served a record 1005 meals at the Community Thanksgiving Feast and had 127 registrants for the Run/Walk for your Turkey. Collected 131 holiday bags to give to Northwest Assistance Ministries. Launched a $1.5 million Capital Campaign with over 179 turning in commitment cards. Paid off the debt on the roof replacement project, so that Kinsmen is now debt-free. Collected a total of $14,361 in Noisy Offering support for mission partners like Living Water, Lutherhill, The Krause Center, Northwest Assistance Ministries, literacy at HISD, Pastor s word 1960 Hope Center, the church in Central African Republic, Lutheran Campus Ministry, Bright Stars of Bethlehem, Home Place of Texas, and Habitat for Humanity. (This does not include other donations designated to mission partners throughout the year.) We also made significant progress on our 2018 priorities by focusing on the Long Range Vision to Seek love and embrace all in our community by building relationships, sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and communicating our faith stories. Together we: Launched a pilot group training leaders for the Alpha evangelism outreach strategy. Provided mentoring for two seminarians working on engaging young adults (Cody Miller) and involving community children and youth (Rudy Flores). Formed a call committee and recommended Deacon Einstein Gonzalez to be a new Spanish-speaking minister. Trained 17 new Community of Hope lay chaplains. Launched a Kinsmen app for mobile phones. Created three devotion booklets (Lent, Advent and Generosity Stories), group materials, and over four videos where members shared a specific part of their faith story. Hosted Palestinian dancers from Bethlehem for a week where they spoke, performed, and promoted cultural understanding. Began offering English as a Second Language classes and hosted Citizenship classes for the community. You also gave generously during Thank you! Year-end income for 2018 was $1,699, (budgeted was 1,653,376). That means that we were $46,378 over budget this past year! In addition to that, we are a third of the way to our In the Community for Good Capital Campaign goal of $1.5 million. So far you have contributed $523,402 toward the 3-year campaign. Wow!! Thank you for your generosity and thank you for trusting in God s abundance. Together we are following where God is leading us. It is a privilege to be in mission and ministry with all of you! We get to do this because you generously invest your time and finances to this incredible mission God s mission. Thank you for being such a vital part of God s mission at Kinsmen Lutheran Church! Grace and Peace, Beth Warpmaeker Senior Pastor 2

3 NEW SERMON SERIES Have you experienced a moment when assistance comes when you needed it most? Have you felt unexplainable peace and strength when you should have been scared to death? Or have you ever experienced abundance when you thought there was only scarcity? We often call moments like these coincidences. But what if that is how God works. We certainly see evidence of this in the Bible. New wine is brought out at a wedding when the jars were empty. A net full of fish is caught after an entire day of fruitless fishing. Forgiveness is extended when anger was expected. Join us during this sermon series as we deepen our faith and trust in God. Hear ancient and current stories of how we can expect to be Surprised by God. February 3 Surprised by God s Word Jeremiah 1:4-10; Luke 4:21-30 February 10 Surprised by God s Call Isaiah 6:1-8; Luke 5:1-11 February 17 Surprised by Healing Jeremiah 17:5-10; Luke 6:17-26 February 24 Surprised by Forgiveness Genesis 45:3-11,15; Luke 6:27-38 If you or your friends or co-workers are not able to join us for our Ash Wednesday worship, drive through ashes will be available in the front parking lot from 3-6 PM. Rudy Flores Begins Internship Drive Through Ashes As many of you know, Rudy Flores is one of our seminarians through the Collaborative Learning Program at Wartburg Seminary. As part of his seminary education, Rudy will now begin the Internship phase of his education. This means that he will have more opportunities to preach, be involved in pastoral care, and be involved in other ways in life at Kinsmen as he prepares for the ordained ministry. He will also continue in his role at Kinsmen Children Academy and in youth ministry. We will recognize and celebrate the beginning of his internship during worship on February 16 & 17. 3

4 Mark your calendars for our next Abendmusik event! Please remember to recognize our scouts on February 3, which has been designated as Scout Sunday. A scout is reverent. We give thanks for the scouts in our congregation and for the gift of scouting. If you would like to learn more about how to earn a scouting religious award contact Rudy Flores at rflores@kinsmenlutheran.org. Classes are beginning soon. Installation of Deacon Einstein on March 10 Save the Date! Kinsmen voted to call Deacon Einstein Gonzalez to be the Mission Developer for a Spanish-speaking ministry on January 13. His first day at work was January 22. We are now planning his Installation date. Please save the date and plan to come on Sunday, March 10 at 3 PM. Wedding Shower on February 10 for Cody and Jillian Miller Cody and Jillian were married on January 5. To celebrate this event in the life of a Kinsmen staff member, we will be doing a low-key shower in the narthex on February 10 (all morning.) There will be cake served and a basket to receive cards and cash gifts. It will also be a time to congratulate them in person. 4

5 Communion Retreat February Kinsmen Children s Academy Early Learning Open House February 20 at 6:30 PM Meet your teachers and get a discount on registration! 3 rd -5 th graders and their caring adults are invited to a retreat to learn about the sacrament of Holy Communion. We will be traveling to Lutherhill s Zion Retreat Center in Galveston for February Contact Sara if you d like to join us! Many classes in school year filled up, so make sure you register early to save your spot! l u t h e r h i l l O P P O R T U N I T I E S Lutherhill Summer We are going to Lutherhill June 9-14 with our 1 st through 5 th graders. Kinsmen has reserved spots, so please use our code: kinsmen when you regsiter and then pay $100 deposit to Kinsmen and the balance to Lutherhill. Contact Sara (sray@kinsmenlutheran.org) with any questions and to let her know you registered! Lutherhill Retreat 1 st -5 th graders are going to Lutherhill March Contact Sara if you re interested! 7 th Grade Relationship Milestone What does our faith have to do with the relationships we form? Our 7 th grade youth and their families will be exploring our relationships with our family, with friends, in dating, and in Jesus. We will also serve during the Marriage Milestone as a part of our Relationship Milestone. Look for more information in your weekly Youth and Family News. If you are a 6 th, 7 th or 8 th Grade youth and have not signed up for summer at Lutherhill, look for details in the weekly Youth and Family News. Also in the weekly Youth and Family News you will find details about High School Bible Studies, Service Projects, and other opportunities to grow deeper in faith and closer in friendship. If you re not receiving the Tuesday or the Remind youth ministry text, please notify Pastor Mark at mengland@kinsmenlutheran.org 5

6 S a v e t h e D a t e J u ly 8-1 2, , Throughout the school year on Wednesday evenings, Kinsmen offers a hot meal that includes salad and dessert. The meals are served from 5:45-6:45 PM. The suggested donation is $5 for those 13 and over; $3 for those 4-years-old to 12-years-old and free for those 3 and under. Empty Nester Milestone Takeout meals are available. FEBRUARY Menu february 6 Meatloaf february 13 Chicken Alfredo february 20 Braised Beef february 27 Smothered Chicken Is your nest empty? We will meet to discuss this new Adult milestone on February 24 at 9:30 AM in the Community Room. The milestone will be recognized during 11 AM worship on the same day. Contact Lynnae Schatz (lschatz@kinsmenlutheran.org) for more information. Holy Land Trip Interest Meeting: March 3 at 12:15 PM Are you interested in traveling with Pastor Beth to meet our Lutheran brothers and sisters in the city of Bethlehem? Pastor Beth has led seven trips for seminary and church groups. Are you interested in visiting biblical and archaeological sites that will deepen your understanding of the Bible? Some unique features of this trip will be: Experiencing the 5 th Gospel The Land by visiting key sites from the Biblical narrative and learning about their history and current relevance. Forming a relationship with our mission partner in Bethlehem (Bright Stars of Bethlehem). Learning how Christians living in the West Bank foster hope. Engaging in the arts and culture focus as well as the health and wellness focus of the ministries of Christians in Bethlehem. Meeting and learning from Christian, Muslim and Jewish peacemakers. Come to the Interest meeting on March 3 at 12:15 OR contact Pastor Beth at bwarpmaeker@kinsmenlutheran.org if you are interested in this journey of faith, learning and relationship building. 6

7 Kinsmen s annual Marriage Milestone, Love Letters, will be held on Saturday, February 9, 2019, in the Community Life Center. Come for the appetizers and a catered dinner that begins at 6:30 PM. Bring a bottle of wine to share at your table. Tickets are $20 per person. Tickets are available in the narthex and online. Tickets must be pre-purchased by February 6. Childcare is available for children through grade 5. For more information contact Lynnae at (lschatz@kinsmenlutheran.org.) A Message to Kinsmen Thrivent Members Did you know that Thrivent has a program to help us raise money for our church and community activities? It is called Thrivent ACTION TEAM. You can find out more about it by visiting Thrivent.com/actionteam, but here is some initial information about the ACTION TEAM opportunity. Does your small group or others you are involved with want to raise money for a worthwhile cause? If you just need a little seed money to get your idea going, then a Thrivent member is eligible for $250 to get your project going. Only one action team for each project in other words you can t have more than one $250 award for the same project. There are so many ideas at the website mentioned above. Not all ideas will be accepted and the one requesting funds MUST be a Thrivent member. If you and your husband are both Thrivent members you are eligible for two awards, but they cannot be combined for the same project. You need to apply at least 21 days in advance of your project, and complete a post project report. The list is extensive so visit the website and learn about this wonderful gift that Thrivent provides for people of faith. Contact Dolores Wendt (dnlwendt@gmail.com) or Lynnae Schatz (lschatz@kinsmenlutheran.org) if you have questions. Let s Go to the Movies!! February is Black History Month! To celebrate, the Long Range Vision team is planning a movie night! On Sunday February 24 at 3 PM we will be watching and discussing the movie Green Book which has received many awards, but also much criticism. We will discuss all. If you want to watch the movie, come at 3 PM. If you have already seen the movie and you want to join in the discussion, come at 5:15 PM. An RSVP is required for this event as we will change the location depending on the number who sign up. Sign up at kinsmenlutheran.org The story of Green Book reads: "Tony Lip (Mortensen), a bouncer from an Italian-American neighborhood in the Bronx, is hired to drive Dr Don Shirley (Ali), a world-class Black pianist, on a concert tour from Manhattan to the Deep South. The two must rely on The Green Book to guide them to the few establishments that were then safe for African-Americans. Confronted with racism and danger, as well as unexpected humanity and humor they are forced to set aside differences to survive and thrive on the journey of a lifetime." 7

8 noisy FEBRUARY 9 & 10 offering As is our custom, the second weekend of the month we collect a Noisy Offering for a Mission Partner. February s Mission Partner is Interface-Samaritan. Interface-Samaritan is a non-profit organization that encourages human development by providing professional counseling and education services from a Christian perspective to anyone who asks. Founded in 1972 by a group of ecumenical pastors, Interface provides faith-sensitive services across all religious affiliations, determined by client preference, and across socio-economic levels of the broader Houston community, regardless of the individual s ability to pay. Based on the belief that physical, mental, and spiritual Lutheran Wo rld Relief Quilting health are interdependent, Interface helps children, adolescents, families, and adults realize their potential for full and productive lives by caring for mind, body, and spirit. In addition to providing services out of its main office in central Houston, Interface brings quality behavioral health services to under/uninsured communities throughout greater Houston through five community locations and through partnerships with area schools, shelters, churches, and veterans support organizations. New partners are added each year. Church Council News Blest be the ties that bind our hearts in Christian love. The work continues. You can help! No experience is required and training is provided. The quilters will meet February 2 and 23 from 9 AM 1 PM in the Community Life Center. Another way to help is to simply drop a check in the offering plate and note quilting on the memo line. Financial gifts are used to purchase supplies such as sheets for quilt backs, filler, needles and thread. Questions? Contact Connie Jackson or Lynnae Schatz (lschatz@kinsmenlutheran.org.) 2019 Church Council This year s Council members are: President, Floyd Blackwell; Vice President, Eric Turnquist; Treasurer, Keith Cook; Secretary, Julienne Burton; Peter Abt; Kelly England; Pastor Mark England; Eric Fidler, Kathy Hanson; Deanna Porter; and Pastor Beth Warpmaeker. 8

9 Community of Hope Lay Chaplains Commissioning Kinsmen is a Community of Hope International Center. Community of Hope awakens us to the awareness of God in our lives and in our communities. Community of Hope offers a school for Lay Chaplain training. The school is comprised of a 14 week training course (42 hours) where the Lay Chaplains come to recognize and understand their spiritual gifts and the value of relationships. As the chaplains grow together they experience the unfolding of pastoral identity as the ministry of presence begins. The ministry of presence is a gift to both the care receivers and the care givers. This month, we celebrate the commissioning of eight new Lay Chaplains during worship on February 16 and 17 as they have completed the 42 hours of training and a period of internship. The newly trained Lay Chaplains are: Bernie Brown, Rudy Flores, Ken Loudermilk, Sue Loudermilk, Mike Prejean, Lisa Pruitt, Michele Sabino, and Marianne Timmerman. TOOLBOX BASH GALA 2019 April 13 HEALING HEARTS GALA Benefiting Saturday, March 2, p.m. The Houstonian Hotel 111 N Post Oak Ln Houston, TX Upbring invites you to join us for Healing Hearts Gala 2019! Proceeds support programs and initiatives at Krause Children s Center. Want to get involved? Get a table of friends together, create a basket or donate an item for the silent auction! Register online at Upbring.org/HealingHeartsHouston. For more information, call or Events@Upbring.org. The Toolbox Bash annual gala benefits Habitat for Humanity Northwest Harris County. Each year, supporters gather for a formal reception where cocktails and hors-d'oeuvres are enjoyed while bidding on silent auction items. Guests will enjoy a three-course meal. At the conclusion of the event, guests are invited to enjoy live music. All proceeds are used to build affordable housing for families in our community. Event Details: The Omni Houston 4 Riverway Houston, TX PM - 9 PM Formal Attire Required Tickets & sponsorships may be purchased by mailing a check to PO Box Houston, TX We have received thank you notes from Eiland Elementary, Habitat for Humanity, Texas Lutheran University and Treehouse Ministry at Texas A&M and Blinn. All thank you notes are posted in the hallway by the church offices for viewing. 9

10 Glimpses grace KINSMEN BUDGET UPDATE - CHURCH ONLY Operating Highlights for DECEMBER 2018 Budget Actual Variance Total Income 191, ,258 (2) Total Expenses (171,897) (155,370) 16,527 Net 19,364 35,888 16,525 Year-to-date Total Income 1,653,376 1,699,755 46,379 Total Expense (1,653,376) (1,649,529) 3,848 Net 0 50,226 50,226 Giving Update Thankoffering Budget Actual Variance Month-to-Date 157, ,435 (5,755) Year-to-Date 1,279,876 1,238,214 (41,662) Total Pledges 108 GLIMPSES OF GRACE DECEMBER 2018 GLIMPSES OF SHARING GRACE: CARE MINISTRY JANUARY 2018 Flower Delivery 76 Prayer Shawl 1 Noisy Offering Habitat for Humanity $ General Mission Support $14, Designated Mission Support $ KCA Scholarship $1, Life Center $ World Hunger $35.00 Good Samaritan Fund $ DECEMBER TOTAL $18, Y-T-D TOTAL $156, Against Pledge 104 Over Paid Pledge 43 Non-Pledged 269 Total Households Giving

11 Cook, Kinsey 2/1 Edwards, Gregory 2/1 Reder, Luke 2/1 Sutter, Anika 2/1 Thompson, Ruth 2/1 Best, Garrett 2/2 Swerdon, Sylvia 2/2 Bratsven, Randy 2/3 Cutbirth, Kailey 2/3 Johnston, Sarah 2/3 Schertle, Jakki 2/3 Bair, Parys 2/4 Monrad, Elaine 2/5 Ray, Liam 2/5 Brady, Tim 2/6 Ebner, Joan 2/6 Holzman, Al 2/6 Lehmann, David 2/6 Sutter, Craig 2/6 Velotas, Michael 2/6 Mc Neill, Kristine 2/7 Nott, Suzanne 2/7 Patton, Michael 2/7 Raschke, Lauren 2/7 Raschke, Megan 2/7 Thomas, Linda D. 2/7 Boddu, Vasanth Joel 2/8 Guckenberg, Alice 2/8 Nesbett, Janison 2/8 Schroeder, Allyson 2/8 Sisman, Roxanne 2/8 Thompson, Jr. William 2/8 Roberts, Cailia Jean 2/9 FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS * Wooden, Steve 2/9 Silva, Maximus 2/10 Fretwell, Patsy 2/12 Schmidt, Kathi 2/12 Simpson, Carol 2/12 Simpson, Connie Jean 2/12 Peterson, Glen 2/13 Jackson, Connie 2/14 Watson, Margo 2/14 Rizzo, Katie 2/15 Rosendale, Joanna 2/15 Wangsmo, Ellen 2/15 Bernardino-Ray, Gloria 2/16 Bossert, Larry 2/16 Grimes, Jude 2/16 Orosco-Stolz, Elizabeth 2/16 Rosendale, Vanessa 2/17 Kulhanek, Brett 2/18 Pravata, Richard 2/18 Rosendale, Carly 2/18 Warpmaeker, Jacob 2/18 Wilson, Renee 2/18 Beecher, Erin 2/19 Benesh, Karina 2/19 Foerschner, Robert 2/19 LeMay, Sophia 2/19 Ray, Clinton 2/19 Schatz, Steven 2/19 Agard, Brian 2/20 Blackwell, Ashley 2/20 Parliament, Bob 2/20 Delgado, Raymond 2/21 Chuta, Edith 2/22 Cook, Kori 2/22 Cook, Teresa 2/22 Hatkowski, Ryan 2/22 Shaw, Margo 2/22 Davis, Season 2/23 Mersiovsky, Kenneth 2/23 Wietstruck, Ian 2/23 Awbrey, Jacob 2/24 Grobe, Randy 2/24 Hamric, Jr. Michael 2/24 Lee, Riley 2/24 Lyons, Gayle 2/24 Parliament, Jeffrey 2/24 Roeger, Helene 2/24 Cade, Fay 2/25 Coote, Joy 2/25 Foerschner, Allison 2/25 Monrad, Carter 2/25 Monrad, Christopher 2/25 Rall, Molly 2/25 Reder, Ronald 2/25 Rodriguez, Jan 2/25 Baker, Alicia 2/26 Boddu, Roopa 2/26 Erickson, Brian 2/26 Hjerpe, Mary Jo 2/26 Petrucciani, Russell 2/26 Wood, Karen 2/26 Joyce, Annice 2/27 Rivera, Max 2/27 Wittenberg, Doug 2/27 *This list is compiled from church records. If your name is missing or the information listed above is incorrect, please notify the church office. (jhughes@kinsmenlutheran.org) 11

12 Worship Schedule: INFORMAL WORSHIP Saturdays 5:30 PM TRADITIONAL WORSHIP Sundays 8:15 & 11 AM CONTEMPORARY WORSHIP Sundays 9:30 AM COMMUNION OFFERED AT ALL SERVICES FELLOWSHIP BREAKFAST beginning at 9 AM Kinsmen Staff Reach a staff member directly by dialing , plus their extension Rev. Dr. Beth Warpmaeker, Senior Pastor bwarpmaeker@kinsmenlutheran.org Ext 118 Rev. Mark England, Youth & Family Ministry mengland@kinsmenlutheran.org Ext. 124 Einstein Gonzales, Spanish Ministry Developer egonzales@kinsmenlutheran.org Ext. 125 Lynnae Schatz, Director of Congregational Life lschatz@kinsmenlutheran.org Ext. 143 Sara Ray, Director of Children s Ministry & Outreach sray@kinsmenlutheran.org Ext. 117 Julie Hughes, Office Manager jhughes@kinsmenlutheran.org Ext. 110 Rose Poole, Communications Director communications@kinsmenlutheran.org Ext. 121 George Skirm, Director of Media gskirm@kinsmenlutheran.org Cody Miller, Young Adult Outreach cmiller@kinsmenlutheran.org Ext. 144 Irene Baasen, Accounting & Financial Reports ibaasen@kinsmenlutheran.org Ext. 114 Jane Jacobi, Payroll Clerk jjacobi@kinsmenlutheran.org Ext. 115 Kristen Schulze, Contemporary Worship Co-coordinator kschulze@kinsmenlutheran.org Lauren Rivera, Director of Children's Music lrivera@kinsmenlutheran.org Ext. 122 Joey Bansuelo, Alleluia Choir Director jbansuelo@kinsmenlutheran.org Ext. 122 Sherrie McMahon, Organist, Abendmusik smcmahon@kinsmenlutheran.org Ext. 122 Lisa Yeager, KCA Preschool Director lyeager@kinsmenlutheran.org Ext. 123 Rudy Flores, Asst. Director for Before & After Care rflores@kinsmenlutheran.org Ext. 135 Ruben Aranda, Custodian Gonzalo Montes, Custodian Connection is a monthly publication of Kinsmen Lutheran Church. Deadline for submitting news is the 15 th day of each month or the previous church business day if the deadline falls on the weekend or on a church holiday. Articles are preferred electronically, but may be faxed or hand-delivered to a staff member. OFFICE HOURS Monday Thursday 9 AM 5 PM Friday 9 AM 12 PM CONTACT INFORMATION Phone FAX Membership Interested in learning more about Kinsmen? Contact Pastor Beth, Pastor Mark, or Lynnae Schatz (lschatz@kinsmenlutheran.org) for more information.