THE FIRSTWORD. during the German Fest on his passion for missions, especially

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1 Page Celebrating the Living Word for a Growing First Church Word. THE FIRSTWORD October 2013 Remembering Those Who Have Gone Before Us by Pastor Ian Reid The month of October at First Lutheran Church you might say is focused on its history. During this next month we will be hosting the second annual German Fest, which is meant to be not only a great time to fellowship together with good food but also a time to learn about our past and see how it has impacted us presently. Once again this year we will have the archive room opened to show everyone pictures from the past and hopefully reminisce about stories and people who worshiped at the church over the years. There will be great homemade German food and traditional German music under the tent. Not only will you be able to relive some of the past history of the church at the German Fest but one of the former pastors of the church and his wife will be returning to First Lutheran for the first time since they left several decades ago. Manfred Bahmann and his wife, Marianne, will be returning to First Lutheran over the weekend of October 11th-13th to participate in the German Fest. Pastor Bahmann, originally from Germany, will be giving a lecture during the German Fest on his passion for missions, especially in Latin America where he served as a missionary professor for many years. Pastor Bahmann will also be preaching on Sunday during the two services and there will be a reception for him and his wife between services in the parlor. In remembering the past we will place the book of Saints in the narthex until Sunday, October 27th. For those who are not familiar with the book of Saints it is a book in which you may list the names of people that have inspired you on your spiritual journey that have gone to be with Christ. You may write names of any one who has helped you grow in your faith through their lives whether they were members of First Lutheran or not. Once the names have been collected we will read off the names and chime the bells on All Saints Day which is November 1st and also on Sunday November 3rd. Martin Luther made it clear that though we should not pray to the Saints it is highly beneficial to remind ourselves of those who were great witnesses of Christ in their lives and await the coming of the Lord with us. Also on Sunday November 3rd we will lift up the names of the members of the church who have gone on to join the Church Triumphant over the past year. Finally, we will be celebrating the 496th year of Luther s call for reformation by nailing the 95 theses on the Wittenberg Church doors. On this day we will be reminded once again that we are saved by grace through faith and not by works of our own. We will celebrate Alec Smith confirming his faith in front of God and the church. This day is considered the birthday of the Lutheran church and tradition calls us to wear red on this day of celebration. We will be having special music during the service and our annual congregation meeting after worship. Hopefully, you will be able to join us for this special worship service and for lunch afterwards at Columbo s. It is my hope that you will partake in these three experiences and learn about the church s past and be inspired for the future of the church.

2 Page 2 D.U.N. Committee News Upcoming events include the Restaurant Rovers and Christmas Dinner. The Restaurant Rovers will be dining at the Woodridge Golf Club on Sept. 29 th following the 10:45 service. After dinner the Luther Golf League will have a recognition of those who had extraordinary accomplishments during the season. Those who wish to play golf may do so after the indoor festivities. German Fest is Oct.12 th and the DUN committee will help. Drop a note in the offering plate or call the church office to volunteer. Most importantly, pray for good weather! The Restaurant Rovers plan to travel on Oct. 27 th (following the congregational meeting) to Colombo s, not far from church and they give us our own room so good time to visit with everyone. Please drop a note in the offering plate or call the church office if you want to join the Rovers. You order from the menu and receive individual checks. A gratuity is included in each check because we are a large group. On Saturday, December 7 th, we will have Christmas dinner with all the trimmings. Mac Doolittle will be offering both turkey and ham, dressing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans, and dessert. This is a gift from Mac to his church family at First Lutheran. The DUN committee will be offering help in the kitchen. The dinner will be followed by the Sunday School Christmas Program in the sanctuary. More details will be provided as we get near to the dinner. Please be sure to mark your calendar and sign up so we can have an accurate count to have plenty available for all. The DUN committee usually meets the first Wednesday of the month at 6:30 pm in the Holy Grounds Café. Come join us and bring new ideas for our church family to fellowship. Weekend Backpack Food Program First Lutheran Church has been asked to again support students at Jefferson Elementary through the backpack ministry program. We need food that the children can prepare themselves during the weekends at home. Other local schools are receiving assistance from local churches as well. Here are some food items we need donated (all items need to be single servings and pop tops): tuna, chicken, Vienna sausages; fruits; vegetables; peanut butter crackers; juice boxes; evaporated milk, pudding; oatmeal. Monetary donations will be used to buy items. Questions? Call Lawrence Hasbargen ( ). Join Us for Sunday School Every Sunday 9:30

3 Page 3 Congregational Meeting October 27th This year has certainly flown by with a myriad of activities keeping us busy. Once again the community garden was a great success! Bus trips to see the Amish country, the Dead Sea Scrolls and Gettysburg were enjoyed by many. The community block party was a big hit! While we will continue to enjoy fellowship activities, there is church business that needs our attention. During our October congregational meeting we will review our finances thus far, adopt our 2014 budget and elect/re-elect four council members. Two members are leaving the council and we are looking for replacements. If you have a desire to serve on the council please contact Pastor Reid or myself. Dale VanDeVelde Council President Donations through August, 2013 $186,550 Expenses through August, 2013 $191,508 Thus our donations are $4,958 less than our expenses year to date. Gettysburg Trip By Miriam Jackson The First Lutheran Church trip to Gettysburg, September 7-8, was an AWESOME AND INSPIRATIONAL experience. It is one I will never forget. On day one we went to the Lutheran Theological Seminary, which was about a quarter of a mile from our hotel. The seminary was used as a hospital during the three days of the Civil War (July 1-3, 1863). As a museum now, there were still-life paintings depicting the sorrow and suffering of these men. Some of the rooms were set up with mannequins, showing various stages of treatment. We were offered the opportunity to go to the top of the museum to view the surrounding areas from the cupola (a small domelike structure on the roof). The generals actually viewed the battlefield from that location. Christ Lutheran Church, in Gettysburg, also served as a hospital. The church performed a candlelight service, Songs and Stories of a Civil War Hospital. It included readings from personal diaries of those who witnessed the events of that battle and music from that time period. The audience participated by singing refrains during the musical portions. Day two began with a battlefield tour with an amazingly knowledgeable park service representative. He pointed out our major battle sites where battles Continued on next page

4 Page 4 Gettysburg Continued took place between the Confederates and Union soldiers. Pastor Ian Reid conducted a communion service at the site of the Seventh West Virginia Infantry monument. Following the service, Gerry Kohler read the names of the West Virginian soldiers who died on the battlefield. Mike Lockney played Taps at the close of the service. Available at the Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center and Museum, the Battle of Gettysburg cyclorama (a pictorial representation of the battle on the inner wall of a cylindrical room, with spectators in the center) was enjoyed by those in attendance. The final stop for us was a tour of the Eisenhower farm, both inside the house and outside. The farm was willed to the National Park Service. Total casualties (includes killed, wounded, captured and missing) for the three days were, 23,000 for the Union and as many as 28,000 for the Confederacy. Faith Filled Women s Bible Study We have begun our new study, "Just Like Jesus" by Max Lucado, and true to his form, chapter one began with a thought provoking question: What if, for one day, Jesus were to become you? Everything in your life would be the same, except for one thing...jesus would replace your heart with His! What changes in your life would take place? Would you be different? Would anyone notice a change? Ephesians 4:20-32 deals with some specific no-no's for those Christians who want to live as "children of the light", and 1John 3:1-10 gives us an example to follow. As we continue this study perhaps in seeing Jesus we will see what we can become. Your sister in Christ, Marcia Pet Blessing Our pets bring us such enjoyment and comfort and are such a big part of our lives. You can now bring them to church with you on Sunday Oct. 6th at 3:00 for a special pet blessing by Pastor Reid. Please make sure when you bring them to keep them safe and secure because there will be many different pets attending this special blessing.

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7 Page 7 Lay Readers for October Date 8:30 service 10:45 Service Oct. 6 Lawrence Hasbargen Cheryl Hasbargen Oct 13 Sandy Davies Ashley Wiltsey Oct 20 Donnie Fosselman Bill Kohler Oct 27 (10:00 a.m. only due to combined service) Betty Smith Communion Bearers for 10:45 Service October November December 6th Betsy Ehret and Barb McDowell 13th Don and Judy Ery 20th Jim and Miriam Jackson 27th Charles and Mabel Keever 3rd Roger and Julie Davis 10th Mary Parrish and Ashley Wiltsey 17th Don and Marie Stanley 24th Chip and Barb Rodgers 1st Brian and Penny Green 8th Marcia VanDeVelde and Carole Carter 15th Lewis and Karen Creel 22nd Mary Parrish and Ashley Wiltsey 24th (Christ Eve-late service) Chip and Barb Rodgers 29th Don and Marie Stanley Annual Congregational Meeting October 27th Following Combined Service (Sunday School will Begin at 9:00, Combined Service at 10:00)

8 Page 8 Thank Yous To My Church Family: Thank you for all the get well wishes and prayers that I have received.a special thank you to Pastor Ian and Barbara McDowell for the visits. The prayer shawl has been such a comfort and blessing. In Christian Love, Thekla Take Robinson A Special Thank You! Thank you to all for the cards, and phone calls from my church family. I want to especially thank Barbara McDowell for all her care and concern. In Christ s Love Jayne Gillespie A Thank You for My Church Family, A special thanks to everyone for the cards and all the prayers said on my behalf. I am so thankful for the prayer shawl. It has brought much comfort. God Bless Mac Doolittle Kroger Cards are on sale at the church office for $5.00 A percentage of purchases made at Kroger Stores will go to help our youth. German Fest is Oct 12th If you would like to help or make donations contact the church office

9 Page 9 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT Men s Prayer Breakfast 8:30 a.m. Woman s Bible Study 6:30-8:00 p.m. Al-Anon 7:00 Pastor s Class 10:00 am. DUN Meeting 6:30 p.m. Bereavement 7:00 p.m. Senior Choir 7:30 OCTOBER, 2013 Pastor s Class 6:30 p.m. 4 Mini Mission Trip with Youth 5 Mini Mission Trip with Youth 6 Sunday School 9:30 Worship 8:30 & 10:45 Blessing of Pets 3:00 Invitation to Prayer 5:00 NO Youth Evening Service 6:30 7 Praise Team At Colonial House 7:00 p.m. 8 Men s Prayer Breakfast 8:30 a.m. Woman s Bible Study 6:30-8:00 p.m. Al-Anon 7:00 p.m. 9 Pastor s Class 10:00 a.m. Council Meeting 6:00 p.m. Senior Choir 7:30 p.m. 10 Pastor s Class 6:30 p.m. 11 German Fest Set-up 5:00 p.m. 12 German Fest 1 5 p.m. Return from Mini Mission Trip 13 Worship 8:30 & 10:45 Reception with the Bahmanns 9:30 a.m. Praise Worthington 2 p.m. Invitation to Prayer 5:00 Youth 5:00 Evening Service 6:30 14 Praise Team Eagle Pointe 7:00 pm. 15 Men s Prayer Breakfast 8:30 a.m. Woman s Bible Study 6:30-8:00 p.m. Al-Anon 7:00 p.m. 16 Pastor s Class 10:00 am Bereavement 7:00 p.m. Senior Choir 7:30 p.m. 17 Pastor s Class 6:30 p.m Articles Due 20 Sunday School 9:30 Worship 8:30 & 10:45 Invitation to Prayer 5:00 Youth 5:00 Evening Service 6:30 21 Praise Team At 7pm 22 Men s Prayer Breakfast 8:30 a.m. Woman s Bible Study 6:30-8:00 p.m. Al-Anon 7:00 p.m. 23 Pastor s Class 10:00 am Senior Choir 7:30 p.m. 24 Pastor s Class 6:30 p.m Sunday School 9:00 Combined Worship 10:00 Congregation meeting after Restaurant Rovers at Colombo s after 10:45 service Invitation to Prayer 5:00 Family Lockneys Pumpkin Carvings Evening Service 6:30 28 Praise Team At 7 pm 29 Men s Prayer Breakfast 8:30 a.m. Woman s Bible Study 6:30-8:00 p.m. Al-Anon 7:00 p.m. 31 Pastor s Class 10:00 am Senior Choir 7:30 p.m. 31 Pastor s Class 6:30 p.m.

10 First Lutheran Church PASTOR The Rev. Ian Reid ( CHURCH SECRETARY/CHURCH OFFICE Cindy Lockney ( CARE & COMMUNUTY COORDINATOR Barbara McDowell ( OFFICE HOURS 9 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday Sunday Church School 9:30 a.m. Sunday Morning Worship 8:30 and 10:45 a.m. Invitation to Prayer Sunday Evenings 5:00 p.m. Evening Worship Service 6:30 p.m. HOLY COMMUNION CELEBRATED: All Sunday Services WEBSITE: firstlutheranweb.com CHURCH COUNCIL President, Dale VanDeVelde, Vice-President, Andrea Brock, Secretary, Lori Butler, Youth Representative, Abby Ida Barb Carpenter, Dan Cooper, Julie Davis, Robert Friend, Jerry Harman, Bill Kohler, Carol Petersen, Angie Smith, Gary Welch, Treasurer Appointed, Kent Hasbargen, First Lutheran Church 1701 Nineteenth Street Parkersburg, WV Non-Profit Org. Postage PAID Parkersburg, WV Permit No. 9