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 6 Sharing Grace 7 9 Kinsmen Budget Update 9 Birthdays 10 11

2 Kinsmen Connection June/July 2017 Pastor s word Camp Hope is one of the ways we develop leaders at Kinsmen. Registration is currently underway! While this ministry provides a dynamic day camp designed for students entering kindergarten through 7 th grade, Camp Hope s main purpose is to be a leadership incubator for our junior high, high school and college students, many of whom grew up attending Camp Hope themselves. Camp Hope will be held for three weeks in July (July 10-14, 17-21, and 24-28) This year s theme for Camp Hope is Agents of Hope. Each day will center around a story from the Bible, with every activity games, crafts, worship, drama, small group time and even snacks pointing back to the story of the day. My son enjoys everything about Camp Hope, said Stephanie Howard, whose 9-year-old has been attending Camp Hope for the past three summers. A lot of it is the leaders. You can tell they want to be there, and they all seem to have such passion for it. Do you love Jesus and love children and youth? Then you too can be a part of the leadership development at Camp Hope. We need Camp Parents to volunteer during the day to distribute ice packs and band-aids to kids who are having a little too much fun. We need mentors to shepherd our staff as they grow as leaders. We need members of this congregation to donate to Camp Hope through supplies for the camp and in-kind donations for how Camp Hope will share grace this year. We need you to contribute to the Camp Hope Kick-off Sunday celebratory meal. One past adult volunteer had this to say: I'm certain I came away from the whole experience being the one blessed. Camp Hope is so uplifting and just buzzing with excitement! I am impressed with the leadership staff that you have assembled. It's no wonder the program is so exciting. The Holy Spirit is so alive at Camp Hope. Contact me to support Camp Hope mengland@kinsmenlutheran.org To register for Camp Hope or for more information, please visit or call Sara Ray, Director of Children s Ministry and Outreach, at (281) , ext. 17. Mark England Top Items in the Values Survey In early April, we conducted a survey to hear what your values were for the future of Kinsmen. Below are the top responses from all of you: 1. Inspiring Worship 2. Relating Scripture and tradition to be relevant today 3. Children, youth, and family faith formation 4. Compassionate service outreach to less fortunate in our community 5. Tied: Lifelong faith formation and theological education and Spiritual Depth 6. Sharing the gospel with those who do not have a church home. 7. Tied: Authentic relationships, Ministry and outreach to young adults and/or singles, Music Ministry 2

3 June/July 2017 Kinsmen Connection June sermon series We all want to make our faith come alive in living color and be relevant. So did the early Christians. Many think the Letter to the Ephesians was read publicly to different congregations in the early church to enliven faith and communicate the purpose of God s church. Public letters were their form of mass communication. Today we use many forms of media, including movies, to enliven and communicate our faith. Each weekend in June, we will pair a movie clip with a reading from Ephesians to animate the message of this letter from so long ago. June 11 Ephesians 1:1-14 (John 14:25-27) June 18 Ephesians 2:11-22 (Matt 28:16-20) June 25 Ephesians 4:1-16 (John 15:1-4) July 2 Ephesians 6:10-20 (Matt 10:28-31) C o m i n g i n J uly New Sermon Series: Agents of Hope July 9 God provides Elijah and the Widow 1 Kings 17:8-24 July 16 God forgives David and Nathan 2 Samuel 12: 1-10, 13 July 23 God shows up Simeon and Anna Luke 2:

4 Kinsmen Connection June/July 2017 Below we continue with our commemoration of the 500 th year of the Reformation. This is the 4 th essay in our Reformation series. Martin Luther and the Reformation: A Series of Essays Luther s Reformation Theology As we learned last month, Luther never intended to start the new Lutheran church rather his only goal was to restore the gospel to its central place in the church. The impetus behind this, of course, was his encounter in 1517 with Johann Tetzel who was authorized by the church to sell indulgence letters. Luther s adamant objections to this practice led him to post the 95 theses. Very simply put, an indulgence was believed to be a way of transferring credit from the church s treasury of merits to someone else s spiritual account. Indulgences could be earned by doing certain pious deeds or by making a financial contribution to the church Luther objected to Tetzel s tactics and the church s practices, because he thought this would lead Christians either to despair or to place their confidence in indulgences rather than in Christ. Luther s central claim in his theses is that the gospel is a preaching of the incarnate Son of God, given to us without any merit on our part for salvation and peace. It is a word of salvation, a word of grace, a word of comfort, a word of joy. He goes on to say that the law is fulfilled not by our works, but by the grace of God not through works but through faith, not by anything we offer God but by all we receive from Christ. As Luther continued to dig deeper into the scriptures to support his theses, his understanding of being Christian became more and more transformed through his study and teachings of the Psalms, Romans, Galatians and Hebrews. There he found that God initiates and sustains the relationship between God and God s people through speaking. God's word, in oral, written and sacramental forms, sustains and completes that relationship." After Luther had formulated his foundation for interpreting scripture, he began to develop that message for a wider public when he was called before his fellow Augustinian brothers at Heidelberg in He did not discuss indulgences or the question of papal authority but instead presented his theology of the cross. Luther had many opponents throughout the time of his teachings and debates but this opposition drove him to not only examine in detail the abuses of the medieval church leadership, but also to continue to redirect the faith of God s people to Jesus. For the rest of his life, Luther wanted to talk and write about God s speaking to sinners and recreating them as beloved children through the liberating death and resurrection of Christ and through the Holy Spirit s delivering all the good things Christ s work makes possible through God s word above all, forgiveness of sins, life and salvation, the life restored to God s original plan. Martin Luther s legacy shaped our understanding of faith active in love. The core Lutheran themes that define Luther s work and study, and now our Lutheran faith, include Justification by Grace Through Faith for Christ s Sake, Law and Gospel, Means of Grace, Theology of the Cross, Saint and Sinner, and Vocation. (Read Together by Grace: Introducing the Lutherans for understandings of these core beliefs) Clearly, Luther and what he did 500 years ago has changed the world, but even in his time Luther was quite humble about his role in all this and in fact in 1522 he said, I did nothing, the Word did everything. 4

5 June/July 2017 Kinsmen Connection Birth-5th Grade Full Time Summer Care ages 6 weeks through 13 years old! Camp Kinsmen: Weeks of June 5, June 12, June 19, June 26, July 3, July 31, August 7, and August 14. More info at: kinsmenlutheran.org/summer Early Learning Camp Kinsmen (ages 6 weeks through 4-years-old) all summer! More info at kinsmenlutheran.org/early-learning Faith. Friends. Fun. We need caring adults to mentor our senior high Camp Hope staff members. Contact Kristen (kschulze@kinsmenlutheran.org) if you are willing to serve in this way. Youth & Parents, if you re not receiving the youth e-news, please notify Pastor Mark! 6th-12th Grade Youth and Family Ministry On Sunday, June 4, we celebrate with our high school graduates their journey of faith through Kinsmen at the Graduation Milestone. Beginning with a faith chest at Baptism, we have gifted them at each milestone on their faith journey. We hope they will take these reminders with them in their life after high school so they will know how this community has helped them grow in their faith. 5

6 Kinsmen Connection June/July 2017 Let's meet and greet our neighbors on the Fourth of July. The Greenwood Forest Subdivision will be having its annual July 4 th parade that begins in the Kinsmen parking lot at 9 AM. We will have an entry in the parade and provide hospitality for other parade entries. If you are interested in participating contact Lynnae Schatz (lschatz@kinsmenlutheran.org) NEW MILESTONE: RETIREMENT In our society, retirement is a recognized civic and personal milestone in the life of an individual. It signifies a major life transition, impacting the retiree as well as the spouse and/or extended family members. All retirees are invited to attend a new milestone celebrating Retirement at 6 PM on July 31, For more information contact Linda Martens or Lynnae Schatz at (lschatz@kinsmenlutheran.org) Will you be attending a Lutheran College in ? Kinsmen Lutheran Church has a scholarship fund to provide financial assistance to Kinsmen members who will be attending a Lutheran College or University. The amount of the scholarship will be determined based upon the amount available in the fund, the number of applicants, and the financial need of the student. Deadline to apply is July 1, Contact April Ruen or Lynnae Schatz for an application Youth Gathering Volunteers Needed The 2018 Youth Gathering will be in Houston. Do you want to be involved with the ministry of the Gathering? Sign up to be a local volunteer. Local volunteers serve in a wide variety of roles, and there are jobs for all ages and abilities. Applicants must be 19 years old and have graduated and been out of high school for one year by the time of the Gathering. There is a $25 application fee. Applications opened on May 15. Application can be found at registration/volunteer-opportunities or contact Lynnae Schatz (lschatz@kinsmenlutheran.org) for more information. 6

7 June/July 2017 Kinsmen Connection Do you want to grow in your relationship with Christ? Do you want to acquire the skills to handle different life situations in your every day journey? Then, the Community of Hope is for you where you will be challenged in your relationship with Christ, and utilize life skills to help others. Community of Hope International is designed to create Christian communities of lay volunteer pastoral caregivers united in prayer, shaped by Benedictine Spirituality and equipped for and serving in pastoral care ministries. The Community of Hope training awakens trainees to God s call on each of our lives by helping individuals discover and better understand their own spiritual gifts for ministry. Each participant is encouraged to make this experience a journey into wholeness to use this opportunity to explore a rule of life, practice sacred silence, Christian meditation, compassionate listening, pastoral identity and Lectio Divina, all within the context of Benedictine Spirituality. This experience builds Community and develops spiritually centered pastoral caregivers. Community of Hope training will begin in August. Interested or questions? Contact Lynnae Schatz (lschatz@kinsmenlutheran.org) for an application. The cost for the class is $50. Care of the sick must rank above and before all else so they may truly be served as Christ, who said, I was sick and you visited me, (Matthew 25:36) June Noisy Offering As is our custom, we will collect a Noisy Offering during worship on June 10 and 11 to support a Mission Partner. This month we will support Lutherhill Ministries. Our children & Junior High Youth will experience God s presence through Lutherhill this summer. Our High School youth will participate in the Lutheran Youth Leadership Experience. Our Camp Hope staff will be trained at Lutherhill s Zion Retreat Center. And, as is the case most years, our college age youth are a part of the Lutherhill Summer Staff. Lutherhill is preparing for what promises to be an incredible summer as they expect over 3,000 campers will experience the love of Christ this summer through Lutherhill Ministries in La Grange, Galveston and the churches hosting our day camp in Texas and Louisiana! This summer, campers will encounter God s grace as we explore our perpetual call to Reform, Reimagine and Rejoice! Through God s Word, Martin Luther realized he was saved by grace through faith and this changed everything! God s grace radically changed Luther s understanding of the world and the church. The Zion Retreat Center is open! This unique setting has eight bedrooms located 10 blocks from the beach. We invite everybody to come and experience this wonderful place to get away and experience the hospitality you have come to love at Lutherhill Camp. We have space for this upcoming fall and spring for your group, family, and youth group. Visit zionretreat.org to learn more. The campers and staff of Lutherhill Ministires thank Kinsmen so much for their continued love and support. Y alls generous giving is a blessing to the lives of the campers that experience God s love in new ways. The noisy offering will be a part of our Summer Appeal to help Reform, Reimagine and Rejoice the story of Lutherhill. The July Noisy Offering will support the Camp Hope beneficiary. More details and specifics will be coming. 7

8 Kinsmen Connection June/July 2017 Kinsmen Summer University (KSU) is an opportunity to meet some new friends and maybe learn something new. KSU will be held in June. Registration is underway. Dutch Oven Cooking with Troop 440 Boy Scouts on Wednesday, June 7 at 6:30 PM Learning to cook using a Dutch Oven sounds intimidating. Dutch ovens can be used to fry, sauté, bake, stew or slow cook. The Boy Scouts of Troop 440 will teach us the tools of the trade. The best part of the class will be sampling the goodies. Come join in on the fun! Over the Counter Medication Safety for parents of young children. Saturday, June 10 at 10 AM This 75-minute interactive presentation will focus on over the counter medications for children, safe dosing, and when to call the pediatrician. Additionally, one segment will be devoted to health information on the internet: how to decipher between good information and bad information and what determines a reliable health information website. Participants will be encouraged to ask questions and will be engaged in active learning activities throughout the presentation. Anna Thomas Haro, RPh, instructor Over the Counter Medication Safety, Interacting with your Local Pharmacist and Facts & Fiction of Medicare Part D Medication Insurance Saturday June 10 at 4 PM safety for all patients with essential information for patients aged 65 years and older. Topics include drug interactions, selecting the right over-the-counter medications, and how to understand your Medicare Part D prescription drug plan. Additionally, one segment will be devoted to health information on the internet: how to decipher between good RooF UPDATE FROM Campus Management information and bad information and what determines a reliable health information website. Participants will be encouraged to ask questions and will be engaged in active learning activities throughout the presentation. Following the presentation, you can follow-up privately with your individual questions. Anna Thomas Haro, RPh, instructor An Evening with Martin Luther in the Ale House Saturday, June 10 at 6:30 PM Join Martin Luther for a smorgasbord of delicious German food and frosty ales (BYO Wine if that is your preference). The evening will also include a lively and very challenging game of Reformation Trivia. And yes, there will be prizes! (HINT ALERT: you never know what answers you might find by reading the Luther series in the monthly newsletter and in the Rick Steves Luther and the Reformation video on the ELCA website at Just sayin..). We ll meet in the Community Room where Luther will be waiting for you. Cost is $10/person and seating is limited. Sign up now. Judy Biffle & Terry Richter, instructors Understanding & Responding to Alzheimer-Related Behavior, Monday, June 12 at 7 PM This program helps caregivers to understand dementiarelated behavior. During the middle stage of dementia, the person with the disease often starts to exhibit new behaviors that can be confusing for a caregiver. These behaviors are a form of communication, and are essential to understanding the needs of the person with dementia. Alzheimer Association, instructor Beer Tasting and Sing-A-Long at 11 Below Friday, June PM This class will be held at 11 Below Brewery, located at 6820 Bourgeois Road, Houston, Admission to the brewery is free. A Beer Token system is used. Three (3) tokens are $10. All beers are poured into a 12 oz. cup unless you have an 11 Below Pint Glass. Souvenir pint glasses are $5 at the brewery. Singing is led by Dan Kolkhorst and Mark Hanson. Food trucks are available onsite and you may bring your own snacks to share. The roof replacement is very near completion. The shingles and trim have been completed and they are now starting to paint the external sanctuary walls. As of May 18, they expected to be done in less than three weeks. We are still within the expected budget for the replacement at this time. As the project wraps up, we will share the exact amounts that were borrowed and paid. 8

9 June/July 2017 Kinsmen Connection Glimpses grace KINSMEN BUDGET UPDATE - CHURCH ONLY Operating Highlights for APRIL 2017 Budget Actual Variance Total Income 124, ,368 24,916 Total Expenses (132,403) (131,475) 928 Net (7,951) 17,893 25,844 Year-to-date GLIMPSES OF SHARING GRACE: CARE MINISTRY MAY 2017 Flower Delivery 70 Prayer Shawls 2 Total Income 568, ,441 (29,828) Total Expense (544,368) (536,836) 7,532 Net 23,901 1,605 (22,296) Giving Update Thankoffering Budget Actual Variance Month-to-Date 93, ,464 21,927 Year-to-Date 435, ,382 (22,345) Total Pledges 126 Against Pledge 123 Over Paid Pledge 1 Non-Pledged 191 Total Households Giving 315 GLIMPSES OF GRACE APRIL 2017 Noisy Offering $0 General Mission Support $11, Designated Mission Support $ Life Center $ KCA Scholarships $ Naomi/Upbring Krause $ Good Samaritan Fund $60.00 Lent/College Scholarships $ APRIL TOTAL $16, Y-T-D TOTAL $56, Thank You notes were received this past month from: Upbring, NAM, Habitat for Humanity, ELCA World Hunger, 1960 Hope Center, Houston Lutheran Campus Ministry. Thank You notes will be posted in the hallway by the offices for viewing. 9

10 Kinsmen Connection June/July 2017 June BIRTHDAYS *This list is compiled from church records. If your name is missing or the information listed above is incorrect, please notify the church office. 10

11 June/July 2017 Kinsmen Connection July BIRTHDAYS Dankert, Krista Castaneda, Lorena Cook, David Cade, Jonathan Guerrero, Olivia Mc Intosh, Stefanie Okoro Smith, Faith Jyrkama, Jaakko Hanson, Becky 2 Ray, Chris Matson, Christopher Kirkwood, Ruthie Jones, Max 9 Stewart, Christian O'Neal, Ken Lockhart, Jason C Sharpe, Quenton Anders, Melissa Maisel, Preston Helgoe, Roger Reder, Matthew 3 Hughes, Julie Dugas, Lillian Pearce, Vanessa Moore, Kinsey Nott, Braden Shaw, Caleb Rosendale, Eric Keith, Wayne Gerner, Kenneth 4 Silva, Erin Schroeder, Phillip Mc Clure, Ray Gribb, Oliver Hudson, Donald Silva, Juan -Ramie Schroeder, Gary Patranella, Jeanne 10 Tavey, Rhonda 5 Turnquist, Carl John 'CJ' Sartor, Jacob Arias, Pablo 23 Bobek, Dolores Simpson, Debby 11 Biffle, Judy Cook, Kimberly Brase, Delbert Smith, Katie Adaeze Dankert, Kennedy Hey, Christopher Gealow, Ryan 12 Hope, Valerie Giroir, Dianne 6 De Leon, John 18 Kolkhorst, Danny Jensvold, Pat Erickson, Andrew Adams, Gary Junker, Roger Erickson, Megan 13 England, Abby 24 Masiko, Kathleen Timmerman, Tim Blackbourn, Janine Hambrick, Carter Long, Luisa DeLuca, Arabella Mc Mahan, Connie Ramos, Jacob 30 7 Keeling, Ted Vildibill IV, Bill Nelson, Oscar Cobb, Jennifer 25 Foreman, Tanner Mc Coy, Colin Laing, Brian Edwards, Matthew Ferguson, Pamela Misamore, Janet Misamore, Brian Snyder, Ashley Hilpert, Dale Peterson, Thomas Wood, John Mulkey, Michele 26 Zabadal, Kasey Bayer, Brent Mc Neill, Mariclare Wehring, Rachel Warpmaeker, Nathan Wehring, Joel *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 Kinsmen Staff Kinsmen Connection June/July 2017 Worship Schedule: INFORMAL WORSHIP Saturdays 5:30 PM TRADITIONAL WORSHIP Sundays 8:15 & 11 AM Reach a Staff Member directly by dialing , plus their extension Rev. Beth Warpmaeker, Senior Pastor bwarpmaeker@kinsmenlutheran.org Ext 18 Rev. Mark England, Youth & Family Ministry mengland@kinsmenlutheran.org Ext. 24 Lynnae Schatz, Director of Congregational Life lschatz@kinsmenlutheran.org Ext. 43 Sara Ray, Director of Children s Ministry & Outreach sray@kinsmenlutheran.org Ext. 17 Julie Hughes, Office Manager jhughes@kinsmenlutheran.org Ext. 10 Rose Poole, Interim Communications Director communications@kinsmenlutheran.org Ext. 21 George Skirm, Director of Media gskirm@kinsmenlutheran.org Irene Baasen, Accounting & Financial Reports ibaasen@kinsmenlutheran.org Ext. 14 Connection is a monthly publication of Kinsmen Lutheran Church. Deadline for submitting news is the 15th 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. CONTEMPORARY WORSHIP Sundays 9:30 AM COMMUNION OFFERED AT ALL SERVICES FELLOWSHIP BREAKFAST beginning at 9 AM Jane Jacobi, Payroll Clerk jjacobi@kinsmenlutheran.org Ext. 15 Kristen Schulze, Contemporary Worship Co-coordinator kschulze@kinsmenlutheran.org Timothy Browning, Contemporary Worship Co-coordinator chosentenor@gmail.com Lauren Rivera, Director of Children's Music lrivera@kinsmenlutheran.org Ext. 22 Elizabeth Marks, Alleluia Choir Director emarks.klc@gmail.com Ext. 22 Sherrie McMahon, Organist, Abendmusik smcmahon@kinsmenlutheran.org Ext. 22 Lisa Yeager, KCA Preschool Director lyeager@kinsmenlutheran.org Ext. 23 Interim Asst. Director for Before & After Care kca@kinsmenlutheran.org Ext. 35 Ruben Aranda, Custodian Gonzalo Montes, Custodian 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. 12