Guest Preachers Share a Connection It s exciting how God works. As we begin the process to

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1 Guest Preacher Schedule Aug. 5, Aug. 12, Aug. 19, Aug. 26, Sept. 2, Sept. 9, Sept. 16, Sept. 23, Sept. 30, Oct. 7, Oct. 14, Oct. 21, Oct. 28, Nov. 4, Nov. 11, Nov. 18, Nov. 25, Dec. 2, Dec. 9, Dec. 16, Dec. 23, August September October November December Advent 1-4 Christmas Eve (Monday) Dec. 24, Christmas Day (Tuesday) Dec. 25, Dec. 30, Guest Preachers Share a Connection It s exciting how God works. As we begin the process to call a part-time pastor, the Transition Team has found three people to fill our pulpit on Sundays through the end of December. The three, and have a connection. All three served together at Bethel Lutheran Church, Auburn. Who knew? Certainly not the Transition Team! As it turns out, Pastor Voosen, now retired, was s internship supervisor at Bethel Lutheran Church when she was in the ordained ministry process and he was pastor of Bethel. At the same time, taught confirmation and served in other ways as associate in ministry at Bethel. In addition, Pastor Ed and Louisa have a connection that goes way back to their early days in New York City. Pastor Ed will preach nine times, beginning in September, including Christmas Eve; Louisa is guest preaching twice a month (11 times), while Sister Virginia is filling in the gaps (nine times). Petite Louisa is no stranger to Faith, having last preached here two years ago. We are thankful for this pulpit trio., a graduate of Wagner College, Staten Island, N.Y., and The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, is a pulpit supplier for the New England Synod. In addition to filling in at various churches on a regular basis, she is CONTINUED Pr. Ed Voosen

2 GUEST PREACHERS a substitute teacher in the Dudley-Oxford Regional School District. Louisa knits, crochets, sews, plays the mandolin and is an oil painter of nature. Recently, she was named Oxford s Local Artist of the Month. Originally from Long Island, New York, she resides in Oxford with her husband and several furry, feathered, and finned pets. She is delighted to be back serving at Faith Lutheran Church during this interim. The Rev. Edward Voosen, a talented musician, was born and raised in New York City. He attended Wagner College, and received his Master of Divinity degree from Princeton and New York Theological Seminaries. His first parish was in Brooklyn, N.Y. In 1974, he was called to Bethel Lutheran Church, Auburn, where he served as pastor until his retirement about five years ago. He served as secretary of the New England Synod for 21 years. During the late 1960 s, Pastor Ed served as a youth director and worship assistant at Ascension Lutheran Church, Deer Park, Long Island, N.Y., where he met, who was actively involved in the youth program there. She later sang in The Pinecrest Folk Choir that Pastor Ed directed for five years. As a youth, Pastor Ed studied guitar. He joined the Musicians Union and has performed professionally. The band in which he played, The Capitols, appeared twice on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour (a distant ancestor of America s Got Talent). His gift for music has been a blessing in his ministry. He enjoys playing classic hymns on guitar and sharing their history. Pastor Ed initiated the use of computers in the office at Bethel Lutheran Church in 1980 (before the IBM PC existed), an innovation that was written up in Time magazine, The Lutheran magazine and the Worcester Telegram and Gazette. His wife, the former Ruth Sandberg, a retired registered nurse, plays the flute accompaniment for hymns when Pastor Ed does pulpit supply. They have led campfires and sing-alongs at Camp Calumet for more than 40 years. The Voosens love to travel and have organized and led trips to Israel, to the Oberammergau Passion Play, and to other countries in Europe, especially in Scandinavia and Germany where the Lutheran branch of the Church has its roots. and her husband have taken several of their tours, while was on the tour of the Holy Land the Voosens led in Pastor Ed has been the Protestant chaplain on numerous cruises, providing inspirational ecumenical worship opportunities through word and song for voyagers on the high seas. Narragansett Historical Society presents "GO FLY A KITE" KITE FESTIVAL GIANT BUBBLES TRACTOR PULLS KITE BUILDING WORKSHOP ~(MINIMUM FEE)~ FOOD, REFRESHMENTS AND LOTS OF FUN Sunday, August 5 Noon to 5 p.m. Bring your Family and a chair... and Enjoy the afternoon!! Templeton Cultural Council Admission is free. Food and refreshments for sale. Field is across from 325 Baldwinville Rd., Templeton

3 We serve as God s hands School backpack program ends Aug. 5 The Social Ministry Team has committed Faith to purchase and fill 10 school backpacks for underprivileged children again this year. This program is sponsored by First Congregational Church and the Gardner CAC. Our 10 backpacks have been purchased through a Thrivent Action Grant secured by Linda Olson. Check the list in the narthex for the supplies that still need to be purchased or contact Fred Hoisington at or fghois380@comcast.net. The deadline to bring in supplies is Sunday, Aug. 5. Free Hot Dogs in the Park Aug. 9 Our annual free Hot Dogs in the Park lunch at Monument Park will be held Thursday, Aug. 9, at noon in cooperation with Gardner CAC. Volunteer signup sheets will be passed in church the next two Sundays. The Social Ministry Team needs your help to setup, serve and welcome our guests. Mindy Inyaqwa Aug. 5 Troy Ashmore Aug. 6 Bob Boutwell Aug. 7 Susan Lorrain Aug. 8 Yeva Medvedeva Aug. 9 Joel Desrosiers Aug. 18 Irene Hales Aug. 18 Jen Chagnon Aug. 19 Rebecca Boutwell Aug. 21 Herb Peterson Aug. 21 Byron Beauregard Aug. 26 Ambrose Marean Aug. 28 Kyle Blouin Aug. 29 God made you one-of-a-kind amazing! On your birthday, we celebrate God s work in you. Is your birthday missing? Misspelling? Please call the church office at so we may celebrate the day God introduced you to the world. Faiths commits to help feed hungry children in Gardner Sept. 15 Faith also has been asked to partner with other area churches to package 10,000 meals Saturday, Sept. 15, for the growing number of desperately hungry children in the Gardner area. Fred Hoisington, chair of our Social Ministry Team, has committed Faith to contribute $500 and 10 volunteers to this cause. We ll ask for donations in church beginning Sunday, July 29, said Hoisington, and following that we will ask for volunteers to help with meal packaging. It will only take about two to three hours of your time to assist with this very necessary project. To help, contact any member of the Social Ministry Team: Linda Olson, Steve and Carol Nolin, Ann Marie Frawley or Hoisington. for Gardner CAC during August SNACKS Crackers, chips, popcorn, jello, pudding, granola bars and Welch s fruit snacks. Any individually packaged foods a kid would enjoy eating Faith Welcomes Alcoholics Anonymous Monday through Friday 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. and noon to 1 p.m. Saturday noon to 1 p.m.

4 Her son lives on in his trio of friends Note: Each issue, we feature an interview with a member of our Faith family to learn their story. Ruth Esther (Niittymaa) Cormier was born Mary Brisson in Fitchburg 80 years ago. She feels very fortunate to have been adopted by a Finnish couple, Frank and Lempi Niittymaa, when she was 19 days old. Her adoptive parents renamed her Ruth Esther. Niittymaa means meadow land in Finnish, and Ruth learned their Finnish customs while growing up on their farm in South Royalston. When she was five years old, Ruth started to attend many Finnish dances with her parents. Her father was an excellent dancer. She learned the accordion and played Lady of Spain on her accordion at her graduation from grammar school (eighth grade) in She traveled by train from South Royalston to Gardner all four of her years at Gardner High Ruth and Bob Cormier on their wedding day in Ruth Cormier School. She walked from Union Station in Gardner to the high school, even on the coldest and snowiest winter days. She was allowed to leave her last class of the day about half an hour early in order to catch the train back home. After her graduation from GHS, Ruth attended Winslow Secretarial School in Boston for one year while working part-time at Jordan Marsh. When she came back home, she found a job in payroll/ personnel at Gem Industries, Inc., where she met her husband, Robert J. Cormier. They were married in 1962; she worked and took care of family members. Ruth and Bob had one child, a son, Robert Paul Cormier, who was killed in a car accident 31 years ago on the Lowell Connector in his last year at the University of Lowell. He was 21 and was engaged to marry a local girl, Sylvia McCaie. Two years later, Sylvia married another Gardner man, Charles LeBlanc, and two years after that she had a daughter, Renee Ann. Ruth and her husband Bob became godparents to Renee, who is now 26 years old and the mother of a daughter of her own, Briana. Sylvia knew we would never be grandparents, so she made us godparents, said Ruth. Ruth s husband died almost seven years ago; they were married for 49 years. However, even though all of her family are now deceased, Ruth is not alone. Ruth still keeps in touch with her husband s family and her goddaughter s family. She also has gotten together with her son s three friends on New Year s CONTINUED

5 SPOTLIGHT: RUTH CORMIER Day for the last 30 years. This special trio came to her house every Sunday for six months after her son s death. Unfortunately, one of these men died last year at the age of 53, but his widow has joined the New Year s gathering, along with a classmate from Lowell. Ruth also has two cats, Smokey and Tilly. When her family and Bob s parents died, Ruth and Bob traveled through the United States and Canada. One of our most memorable trips was on our 25th wedding anniversary in 1987, when we took a fiveisland tour of Hawaii, she said. Hawaii was like paradise. While traveling through Wyoming on a National Parks tour in 1997, Ruth and Bob met a cook from People s Congregational Church, South Ashburnham, where Bob went for breakfast Friday mornings after he retired from Gem Industries. Ruth worked at Gem Industries for 34 years. She later worked at Gardner City Hall in the Municipal Grounds Department for 17 years as senior clerk typist; the title was later changed to executive assistant. She retired in Ruth s sister, Hellen, was 25 years older than Ruth. When Ruth was two, Hellen married Rudy Nesman, a Swede-Finn, who played accordion in the Blue Jackets Orchestra; later, the group became the Rudy Nesman Orchestra. The couple lived in Gardner before moving to Westminster. Hellen died in Ruth likes to walk, go to the ocean and watch mystery programs on television, such as Hart to Hart. In the past, she s enjoyed dancing, swimming, skiing and traveling. Ruth was baptized and confirmed at Bethel Lutheran Church, one of the congregations that eventually merged to become Faith Lutheran Church. When her father died in 1960, Ruth and her mother moved from South Royalston to Gardner to be closer to Ruth s work at Gem Industries. Ruth then started to worship at Bethel. She was mission secretary for many years and also belonged to the women s group where we had wonderful times together. At Faith, she is a member of the Outreach Team. I always have liked the teachings of the Lutheran church, said Ruth. The Wind Beneath My Wings by Maxine Pincott Wall hanging honors grandfather A quilted wall hanging featuring a soaring American Bald Eagle, lovingly created by Maxine Pincott, is on exhibit now through Sept. 30 at the New England Quilt Museum, 18 Shattuck St. in historic downtown Lowell. The wall hanging, titled The Wind Beneath My Wings, honors Maxine s maternal grandfather. He always believed in me, said Maxine. He took such pride in my accomplishments that I felt like an eagle in his presence. The title comes from the song written by Jeff Silbar and Larry Henley in 1982: Did you know that you are my hero, and everything I would like to be? I can fly higher than an eagle For you are the wind beneath my wings The New England Quilt Museum uses quilts and the stories of quiltmaking a rich legacy of artistic expression and historical documentation from the earliest days of this country to the present to educate and inspire quiltmakers and the general public.

6 New England 2018 Biennial Convention October at Camp Calumet in West Ossipee, NH Wake Up This is God s Gig! 18 Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. NIV Isaiah 43: Creative Commons Ray S Join us for these and other activities.. learn about RIA (Ready. Inspire. Act.) House, supporting and standing with women who have experienced exploitation, trafficking and prostitution. find out more about women in the Bible who upended the proverbial applecart participate in a book talk, The Color of Water by James McBride engage your creative side and make a Prayer Flag share in a round table discussion about new and exciting thing happening in your church during Linking Arms Together share in worship, Bible study, fellowship and much more We look forward to seeing you at Camp Calumet! Cost: Thursday-Saturday, $221, including meals. Scholarships available. will be attending. Contact her for more info.

7 Church Staff Contact Pastor To Be Named Organist Sue Sawyer Band Director Bob Boutwell Office Secretary Andi Hinckley Sexton Ray Pfeifle IV Contact Us Faith Lutheran Church 627 Green St., Gardner, MA Church Office Hours Andi, our church secretary, is usually in the Church Office: Tuesdays, 1-5 p.m. Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fridays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m In Case of a Pastoral Need Ray Pfeifle III President of the Congregation Council (home) (cell) Raymond.Pfeifle@omnova.com Keith Jorgensen Vice President of the Congregation Council commwatr@gmail.com Please Call Ray or Keith When: You or a family member is sick or in the hospital; A baby is expected in your family; You want to arrange for a baptism or wedding; A family member has died; You feel the Church can help you in any way. Please Call the Church Office When: You are planning a meeting or scheduling an event, so it can be placed on the church calendar; Your telephone number or address has changed or you are planning to move, either locally or out of town. Sunday Summer Worship Aug. 5, 12, 19 and 26 9 a.m., Contemporary worship with praise band 10:30 a.m., Traditional worship with organ Join us for Coffee and Fellowship after worship! COUNCIL MINUTES AVAILABLE A white three-ring binder containing copies of minutes from all Council meetings is located on a table in the narthex for anyone to view. Anyone with questions about Council meetings is urged to contact any member of the Council. Congregation Council Ray Pfeifle President Jennifer Chagnon Secretary Keith Jorgenson Vice President April Lunny Steve Nolin Dave Palojarvi Maxine Pincott Paula Rocheleau Two Vacancies Church Treasurer Steve Pincott Congregation Council meets the second Tuesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. at Faith. Open sessions. Minutes are posted on the bulletin board. Bob Boutwell Mary Chace Jenn Chagnon Dave Palojarvi Transition Team Steve Pincott Barry Tresback Ray Pfeifle, Council President Connect with us on Facebook: facebook.com/ faithlutherangardner

8 August 1 (Wednesday) August 2 (Thursday) August 3 (Friday) August 4 (Saturday) AA Noon AUGUST 5 (SUNDAY) Summer Worship 9 and 10:30 a.m. August 6 (Monday) August 7 (Tuesday) Social Ministry Team 5:30 p.m. August 8 (Wednesday) August 9 (Thursday) Hot Dog Lunch at Monument Park Noon August 10 (Friday) August 11 (Saturday) AA Noon AUGUST 12 (SUNDAY) Summer Worship 9 and 10:30 a.m. August 13 (Monday) August 14 (Tuesday) Congregation Council 6:30 p.m. August 15 (Wednesday) DEADLINE for September Newsletter August 16 (Thursday) August 17 (Friday) August 18 (Saturday) AA Noon On the Calendar at Faith Faith Lutheran Church / 627 Green Street / Gardner MA / AUGUST 19 (SUNDAY) Worship 9 and 10:30 a.m. August 20 (Monday) August 21 (Tuesday) August 22 (Wednesday) August 23 (Thursday) August 24 (Friday) August 25 (Saturday) Men s Group 10 a.m. (downstairs) AA Noon Writer s Workshop 2 p.m. AUGUST 26 (SUNDAY) Summer Worship 9 and 10:30 a.m. August 27 (Monday) August 28(Tuesday) August 29 (Wednesday) August 30 (Thursday) August 31 (Friday) THE MEN S GROUP resumes meeting on the last Saturday of the month in August (Aug. 25) at 10 a.m. Contact Barry Tresback, president, for more information. These meetings include bible study.. St. Mary and St. Thomas Coptic Orthodox Church is temporarily renting our sanctuary for worship Tuesday mornings and on the second and fourth Saturday mornings of each month from 8-11 a.m. NOTE: Dates and times of meetings at Faith during the week may change. Please call the church to verify.