May Enlightener

Transcription

1 Emanuel Lutheran Church May 2018 Enlightener Church life during this decade included Sunday School, Confirmation Classes (taught in both Swedish and English), Men's Brotherhood, and Luther League. Luther League was very active in many fundraisers that helped purchase significant items for the church: in 1913 they purchased the altar for $85.17, in 1916, the church bell for $ and in 1919, they purchased the pulpit for $138,41. The largest purchase made was during a time the Luther League suffered the greatest membership loss. In 1918, most of the young men in the community had been called to serve their country in World War I. Sunday Worship Service 11:15 AM Office hours Tuesday, Thursday 12-2 PM (Fridays as needed) Interim Pastor Warren Geier (906) or (906) pastor@bethanyishpeming.org Church Phone: emanuel@tds.net

2 Congregational Leadership Interim Pastor Warren Geier (906) Council Members Sandi Ruotsi Mary Lou Behrens Donna Oliver Jolene Kokko Betsy Koski Jane Sims Jesse Kainulainen Christian Education Betsy Koski ~ Confirmation Leah Kainulainen, Karen Maki ~ Sunday School Sandi Ruotsi ~ Adult Forum Office Amy Ayotte ~ Administrative Assistant Emanuel Lutheran Church has both a Face Book Page and website! Catch up on upcoming and past events, our monthly calendar and Enlightener newsletters at: Committee Leaders Sandi Ruotsi ~ Council President Barb Bach ~ Stewardship Sarah Kimball ~ Outreach Betsy Koski ~ Christian Education Betsy Koski ~ 125th Anniversary Committee Leah Kainulainen ~ Youth Mission Jane Sims ~ Worship & Music Roger Kimball ~ Building & Property Patti Bergdahl ~ Cemetery The deadline for getting items and information to Amy for the June Enlightener is Sunday, May 26th. Worship time is 11:15AM beginning in March and continuing through June.

3 Date Acolyte Ushers Lector 05/06 Hailey Ridolphi Jesse & Leah Kainulainen Laurie Kass 05/13 Tiffany Ridolphi Todd & Ronda Barr Patti Bergdahl 05/20 Luke Kainulainen Donna Oliver & Sandi Ruotsi Sarah Kimball 05/27 Hailey Ridolphi Jesse & Leah Kainulainen Sandi Ruotsi Worship Leaders May 6 Pastor Chrys Levesque Hendrick May 13 Pastor Chrys Levesque Hendrick May 20 Mrs. Virginia Paulson May 27 Pastor Chrys Levesque Hendrick 05/27 Katie Foster 05/28 Sherry Robinson 05/03 Micah Heath 05/07 Mary Lou Behrens 05/11 Brian Summers 05/12 Bonnie Barr 05/13 Ellen Heath 05/15 Larry McCarthy 05/18 Mike Thompson 05/19 Scott Ritter 05/22 Amy Ayotte 05/07 David & Karen Bahrman 05/07 Todd & Ronda Barr 05/11 Tom & Barb Bach 05/13 Mike & Sandi Ruotsi 05/16 Scott & Connie Ritter

4 May is always Synod Assembly month in the Northern Great Lakes Synod and this year we will be gathering from Thursday the 17 th to Saturday the 19 th at NMU in Marquette. I can t honestly say that I look forward to Synod Assembly every year, but once I m there I find that it s always a time for wonderful worship and fellowship, good speakers, plenty of good conversation along with the business of the church. Some of that business can be rather dry and mundane, but obviously it s necessary and I always come away from the assembly with a renewed appreciation for the bishop, the synod staff, the Synod Council and many others across the synod who serve in various ways and take care of business. Some questions that come up from time to time though, are why do we have a synod? Why do we need a synod? What does the synod do for us? The questions come up especially because in times of tight finances, reducing synod benevolence seems like it would be a good way to help balance the budget. The short answer to the first two questions, both of which could have much longer answers, is because we can do so much more together than we can by ourselves. The word synod can loosely be translated as walk with which emphasizes the togetherness aspect of what we do as a church made up of 85 congregations. Remember that Christianity was never just a Me and Jesus thing; it was always about the assembled gathering and a synod is an expression of that. There are many examples of what we do together that we couldn t do alone, but here s a couple: the first is Lay School. Every church is able to provide some kind of Christian education for adults, Bible Study or whatever one chooses to call it these days, but no one church, no one pastor can provide the theological and biblical depth that Lay School provides. Much more is possible when churches join together in this ministry that for over 25 years has served so many across all of Upper Michigan and northern Wisconsin. If you ve never taken a class, look into it next fall.

5 Another synodical ministry that has impacted a huge number of people over the years is Fortune Lake Lutheran Camp. Again, no one congregation could make Fortune Lake happen, but together, every summer we are able to provide kids with a camp experience that leaves them counting the weeks until next summer when they can go back. Increasingly, people of all ages are benefitting throughout the year from various programs that Fortune Lake offers. As far as What does the synod do for us? it might be better to turn it around (like John F. Kennedy) and say, Ask not what the synod can do for you, ask what you can do for the synod. The synod does depend on the financial support of its congregations but it also depends on the time and talent of individuals who serve on various boards and committees of the synod. Compared to other synods of the ELCA, the Northern Great Lakes Synod is very much a bare bones operation in terms of paid staff. Those who volunteer do make a difference; those who participate in workshops and other events that are offered do make a difference. We do walk together in this ministry; we are part of a wider church. Synod Assembly each year is a reminder of that. Pastor Geier Sarah Kimball has used her creative talent and her time to make this beautiful queen size quilt. She has donated it to be raffled off to raise money for the roof repair project. Roger Kimball has tickets available for sale for the quilt raffle. When leaving the church please remember to make sure that all lights are turned off when you leave and to make sure the back door is locked and closed behind you.

6 In 2019, Emanuel will celebrate 125 years of ministry! We invite all current and former members to be a part of the celebration. If you have moved from the area or are out of touch with Emanuel, please send us your mailing address via Facebook or (emanuel@tds.net) so that we can send more information on what will happen during our anniversary year. If your children were baptized, confirmed or married at Emanuel, send their addresses, too! submit reci- We are now putting together a cookbook/ and invite all former and current members to pes, a picture, and a short remembrance of at Emanuel. Send via or hard copy to Emanuel Lutheran Church P.O. Box 160, Skandia, MI biography your time Annual Meeting at Fortune Lake With the storm the weekend of April 15th, we have decided to postpone the Annual Meeting until Saturday, May 5, 2018, at 3pm CST. We would like to have a full quorum for our meeting, so we would not have to call a second meeting for voting purposes. We will still be following the agenda that was sent to all churches, just changing the date. Thank you for your patience and understanding of this matter. We hope to see you all on May 5 th!

7 Thank you to all who attended, helped cook, set up for and clean up after our fundraiser dinner Saturday, April 21st. Your time and effort are deeply appreciated. Our last day of Sunday School and Adult Forum was April 29th. Thank you for all who attended and for our fine teachers for guiding us through the Lord s words. Our members, family, and friends who are ill, have health concerns, or are grieving Our members who are absent from worship and unable to attend Herb Anderson, Lee Berglund and Bettie Ahola Our Thanks and Praise to God. If someone has a prayer chain request, they should call Amy in the office at (906) or after hours at (906)

8 Love INC has a client with many needs we are helping her to address. We are reaching out to you, the congregation for help with finding two beds. Our client has many health issues and is currently sleeping on the floor. Her teenage son is also currently in need of a bed as well. If you can help in any way, please contact Sarah Kimball or Love Inc. at Your help is needed to raise funds for the 2018 World Hunger Campaign. The challenge of hunger in America is great. The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture has said 41.2 million Americans were living in food-insecure households in The challenge of hunger in the world is even greater. But we have an opportunity to join with all congregations in the Northern Great Lakes Synod to work to change this by our donations to the World Hunger Campaign. Look for the Campaign collection basket in the Fellowship Hall. All funds raised will be turned in to the Synod during the May Assembly. Our weekly contribution totals will be posted on the bulletin board by the serving window. Working together, these contributions will grow to a significant amount! All spare change is welcome! Please consider making a donation weekly during this Campaign. Adopt-A-Highway is here already, a good sign of spring and summer coming. As always this is a team event. We divide our section of highway into four sections so no one has to give up a Saturday morning unless you want to. Most sections only take a couple of hours to do. Please sign up with a spouse, son or daughter (must be 12 years or older), or a friend. Sign up sheet is in the fellowship hall. Spring clean up dates are April 28 through May 6. Thank you for doing what you can.

9 Upcoming Meetings Congregational Meeting on Sunday, May 13 at 11:00 am. This meeting is to approve the cost of replacing the Church roof. Our next Church Council meeting is May 20th at 1pm. Our next Outreach meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 10, 10:30am. Our next Stewardship Committee Meeting is June 10th We will be having a 125 th Anniversary meeting on June 3rd at 10am. Toni s Quilting has returned! Anyone interested can go to her home at 214 Maple Grove Rd. for Lutheran World Relief quilting on Tuesday mornings at 9:30am.

10 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Worship 11:15am 7 AA 7pm 8 Toni s Quilting 9:30am :30am Outreach Meeting Worship 11:15am 11am Congregational Meeting 14 AA 7pm 15 Toni s Quilting 9:30am Worship 11:15am 1pm Council Meeting 21 AA 7pm 22 Toni s Quilting 9:30am Worship 11:15am 28 AA 7pm 29 Toni s Quilting 9:30am 30 31

11 Stewardship Spotlight Laurie and Fred Beauchamp prepared the delicious main part of our Community Meal. We raised $2,028 to begin our fundraising for the new roof. Thank you for your time, talent and direction, Laurie and Fred. Thank you to our members for providing the side dishes and desserts. Answer the Call Sunday Support For Our Future Pastors! Northern Great Lakes Endowment Ministry is going to providing scholarships for our seminaries but they need our help! Look for the insert in Sunday, May 6th s weekly announcements to see how you can help. Love INC s Clearinghouse Hours have Increased! New Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 10am-2pm. Contact us to see how you can become a volunteer at Our mission is to mobilize local churches to transform lives and communities in the name of Christ. Breath Prayer for the Week Open the eyes of our hearts, O Lord, that we may follow your way.

12 The May Enlightener Emanuel Lutheran Church P.O. Box 160 Skandia, MI Emanuel Lutheran Church is a people centered in Christ, rich in heritage and beauty, living out Christ s openness to all. Our ministry is to spread the Word of God in our community through service, education and fellowship, creating a sense of family as we break bread together in the company of Christ. Worship Time 11:15 AM