The Messenger. November 2017 A Publication of St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia.

Transcription

1 The Messenger November 2017 A Publication of St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia Church Office: Phone - (902) stjohnsmahonebay@gmail.com Pastor Adam: Phone - (902) adamgsnook@gmail.com Excerpt from Pastor Adam's Reformation Sunday Sermon 2017: I've said it before...i will say it again...and I will continue to repeat it over and over and over: I do not believe that the church is dying! For as long as people gather to dwell with scripture and to strengthen themselves in the gifts of baptism and communion - the church will never be dead. Numbers may fluctuate - finances may dwindle - hands to help may become fewer: but God's love cannot die - because God in Christ refused to die! Our God is a risen God - and we are a people/a church of that same resurrection! But we are also a people/a church that is ever being changed Ecclesia Semper Reformanda Est: The Church Is Ever Being Reformed. In fact, change is at the very heart of our celebration today. 500 years ago a German monk called for reform in a church he loved so deeply. He didn't want to hurt the church. He didn't want to cause a schism or a divide. If anything - he wanted to heal it. To mend it. To lead it in becoming more Christ-like! Well dear friends - and whether you've realized it or not - YOU have also been calling for that same sort of change! Over the past few months, I have been encouraging you to post your ideas...your dreams...your big audacious goals concerning the future of God's church upon two doors - one at Mt. Calvary, and one at St. John's. And through this activity - you have also been catalysts of change...calling for continued re-formation! You have asked for new ways to more deeply understand God's Word, and to explore why we do what we do on Sunday mornings. You have expressed a heartfelt desire to be more open...more welcoming...more inclusive of others. You have indicated your concern for the state of the church...but also your willingness to work to grow the same. You have said that you want to be hands of healing to those who have been wronged...arms of forgiveness willing to embrace those who have hurt us (or who have been hurt by us)...as well as feet of action in service to those who are hungry, naked, homeless, lonely, sick, abandoned, orphaned, widowed, scared. You want to sing together more...pray together more...learn together more...discern together more...and work together more - the very evidence of which is the fact that we were recently able to gather together to celebrate our shared ministry - only God could have dreamed this incredible partnership into reality! Our willingness to embrace the challenges which face us, will write the future of our ministry together, and for the sake of those around us! God's continued desire to stir us to more faithful...and fruitful...service, will ensure that these churches, as well as God's wider church in all of its vibrant and beautiful manifestations - will continue to rise, like our Saviour, to newness of life - over and over, again and again. For THAT, is the Reformation!

2 For All The Saints We give thanks to God for the life and witness of those who have passed away over the past year: Bertha Oickle Ruth Whynot Beth Creed Elizabeth Wood Alan Langille Donald Andrews Bernard Eldershaw Mary Hamm Jean Nauss Arnold Fancy Evelyn Veinot Now Lord, you let your servants go in peace! +Time Change Don t forget to set your clocks back one hour on Saturday, November 4 th as daylight savings time ends on Sunday, November 5 th. + Christmas Market/ Yard Sale Last year s Christmas Market/Yard Sale was such a success that we would like to make it an annual event. This year s sale will be from 8:30 am to 2:00 pm on November 25 th and December 2 nd during the Father Christmas Festival. We would appreciate any donations of yard sale items, especially Christmas decorations. Items can be dropped off at the church starting on Tuesday, November 21 st. There will also be a bake table and a craft table. Baked goods can be brought to the church on the Friday before each sale from 9:00 am 7:00pm Volunteers are needed to help with sorting and pricing and for working on the sale days. We also need someone to look after the Bake Table. If you are available to help in any way, please call Jane Winchcombe at or the Church Office at Remembrance Day Service The Remembrance Day Service will be held at St. John s Lutheran Church on November 11, 2017 at 11 am Budget Meeting The 2018 Congregational Budget Meeting will be held on Sunday, December 3rd following the service. Thank you to the Budget Committee for their diligent work as they have prepared our budget for the upcoming year. + Gifts From The Heart (CLWR) Once again Canadian Lutheran World Relief has published a catalogue of alternative gifts which reach far beyond the recipient and into the world that God has given us. Instead of that bouquet of flowers...why not buy your loved one a pair of goats ($75) that will help support agriculture in an African village. Instead of that new pair of shoes...why not provide an art kit ($35), to children and youth at a refugee camp in Northern Jordan. And instead of that gift certificate...why not gift your friend with the joy of knowing that a child received Dialysis in the West Bank ($250), that a mother can cook for her children with a fuel efficient stove ($20), or that a teacher has been trained ($75). Catalogues are available on the table in the Christian Education Centre. + Advent Wreath Session On Sunday, December 3 at 12pm, you are invited to gather in the Christian Education Centre for a Pot-Luck and Advent Wreath Making program. Participants will make an Advent Wreath to take home to help mark these wonder-filled days of hopeful anticipation. A new at-home devotional booklet will also be made available to facilitate your time of devotion and reflection. Please register by adding your name to the sign-up sheet on the Bulletin Boards, or by calling the church office. + Reformation 500 Service On Sunday, November 19 there will be a Reformation 500 joint Lutheran & Catholic prayer service at Zion Lutheran Church, Lunenburg at 2:30pm. This service is a significant step toward reconciliation and cooperation. Please plan to join us! +Grocery Card Orders St. John's has entered into partnership with Trinity United Church in an effort to raise money by buying groceries! For each gift card purchased from either Sobeys or Loblaws, a portion of the cost will be donated back to the

3 church (1%-5%). An order form has been included with this newsletter. Orders are due to Ethel Joudrey or Sandra Hill by Saturday, November 25 (cheques may be postdated to November 27). Gift Cards will be available for pickup on Sunday, December 3. + Ladies Craft Night Ladies are invited to gather on Tuesday evenings at 7pm for a craft evening led by Sharon Adams- Dean. Crafted items will be available for sale at our Christmas Market & Yard Sale (November 25 and December 2). For more information, please call Sharon at (902) Volunteers for Altar Guild & Counters We are seeking several additional members of the Altar Guild and for the Counters Schedule for Members of the Altar Guild would be responsible for the care and maintenance of the altar area of the sanctuary; and counters would be paired to count the Sunday offering on a six week rotation. For more information, or to volunteer, please contact the church office. + Mt. Calvary Rock-A-Thon Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church in Upper Northfield will be hosting a Rock-A-Thon on Saturday, November 4 from 10am-4pm. There will also be a Silent Auction from 10am-2pm; and a Community Pot-Luck to round out the day at 5pm. Pastor Adam will be one of the rockers! Please feel free to pop by for a visit, to view the silent auction, and to gather for a pot-luck at 5pm. This event will support the ongoing ministry of Mt. Calvary, and will be held at the Upper Northfield Community Hall. + Blockhouse Flag-Raising There will be a community flag-raising event at the four way stop in Blockhouse on Sunday, November 5 at 1:30pm. All are invited to gather for this exciting event. + Exterior Maintenance The installation of our new cross marks the completion of our summer and fall exterior maintenance project. An extensive overhaul of the front facade of the building was undertaken. New siding was added to the left side of the bell tower and other areas of deterioration, supports were replaced, trim work was replaced and/or repaired, new shingles were installed, the front and tower were painted, the large window above the door was re-glazed and re-set, a new cross was built and installed, the steeple light was replaced, and the two front signs were repainted. We are exceedingly grateful to the following individuals whose gifts of time, talent and resources made this project possible: Beth Creed Estate Jeffery & Evelyn Knickle Steeple Fund Harry & Linda Eisenhauer Steeple Fund Paul Young David Stephens Frank Curl Douglas Barry Congregational Donations The work was carried out by Cory Bolivar & his team at C. A. Bolivar Construction; and overseen by the congregational council in consultation with Norman Whynot. Thank you to all who worked so diligently to make this project a reality! And thanks be to God! + Joy Journal Birthday Greetings are extended to the following: Nov 2 Rebecca McDow Ethan Frowd Nov 4 Gerry Bowles Gary Wentzell Nov 6 Grace Young Lucas Kelley Nov 9 Charlie Strong Nov 11 Lillian Crouse Nov 17 Karl Nauss Nov 18 Cameron Joudrey Nov 21 Peter Demone Courtney Lohnes Nov 24 Sara MacKinnon Nov 28 John Kerwin Nov 30 David Barry Lori Knickle Audrey Silver Anniversary wishes are also extended: Nov 12 Jean & Kendall Rodenhiser

4 Dear Friends in Mahone Bay, A Message from Jane & Rev. Stephen Kristenson We have been gone over two weeks, but you are still in my heart and mind! I decided it was time to let you know we have arrived and are getting settled in Jasper Lutheran Church, Jasper, Alberta. It is taking awhile to get our phones and internet set up, but we are finally nearly there. It was a long trip across our amazing country and it was especially intriguing to watch the leaf colour as we headed west. They were still very green in NS, but New Brunswick was in beautiful, full colour. We lost the reds as we moved west and by the time we got to Alberta it was full colour, but only a spectacular bright gold mixed in with the evergreen. And then there was the harvest progression. Toward the east they were pretty much done but still working in Saskatchewan and Alberta. Always an interesting drive! We arrived here on Friday, September 29 after spending a night with Adam and Heather in Edmonton. We had met Nels and family in Winnipeg so traveled with them and had the advantage of Nels and Adam s help to unload all of the stuff we had brought. As planned, we are in a basement apartment, but it is a high basement with 4 foot windows that allow us to see mountains in every direction. We left our dehumidifier behind and have replaced it with a humidifier. The mountain peaks are beginning to whiten as the snow starts its cover, though we have had no snow on the ground since arriving. I had a panic moment when I realized I hadn t found my red winter boots and was afraid they were in storage in Edmonton, but I dug for mittens and there were my boots in the bottom of the bag. It has been comfortably cool and sunny. I abandoned my sandals near Dryden, ON. One of the bonuses here is that there are no hills in Jasper. That may sound strange since we are in the mountains, but the town site is flat and it s great for walking, which we do everywhere. We have only used our car the couple of times we have driven out of town since everything is so handy. We are looking forward to Thanksgiving services with our small flock. It is clear that this is a ministry to tourists, which will take some adjustment. It doesn t create much of a core group, but the Gospel needs to be shared anyway. I am playing for services on a nice Roland keyboard and have succeeded in making friends with it, though I prefer the real thing. Steve and I are enjoying working together again. So do I miss all of you? Absolutely!! I miss the music, the people, our house, the ocean and the sense of home we experienced there. But I have brought such good memories with me of our years in Mahone Bay and they will always be with me. We really appreciated the large photo we received at my farewell and when we make a trip to Edmonton at the end of October, we will pick up one more load from our storage unit and the picture will come with us then. We are saving a spot on one wall just for it. We are happy to be in Jasper and firmly believe we are where we need to be. There is ministry to be done here and we look forward to connecting with people in the church and in the community. My address remains the same, don t have our land line phone yet, but mailing address is PO 1443, Jasper, AB T0E 1E0. Any news would be welcome! Thanksgiving blessings! Always lots of reasons to be thankful. With fond memories, Jane

5 St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church MAHONE BAY GROCERY CARD FUNDRAISING PROGRAM (Includes Sobeys, Lawtons, Sobeys Gas and Foodland) (Includes Superstore, Independant and NoFrills) Participate in the Grocery Card Fundraising Program and benefit the work of St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church with every dollar you spend on your regular, everyday grocery purchases. Purchase the cards at face-value and the church receives as much as 5% of your purchase depending on the total volume purchased through the program. Every purchase, in any amount, adds to the total volume. For example, if your family spends $500 per month on groceries, you could be adding $25 to the church without adding to your personal expenses just by purchasing grocery cards through this program - WIN, WIN! The cards are not redeemable for cash, have no service fees, have no expiry dates and operate on a declining balance basis. Cards are available in $50, $100 and $200 denominations. Please note: Purchase of grocery cards via this program are not considered charitable donations to the church. St. John's Ev. Lutheran Church is not responsible for lost or stolen cards Name Phone Number Address Address Order Details: x $50 Grocery Cards x $100 Grocery Cards x $200 Grocery Cards TOTAL ORDER x $50 Grocery Cards x $100 Grocery Cards x $200 Grocery Cards $ Submit cheque (payable to St. John's Lutheran Church) together with order form to Ethel Joudrey or Sandra Hill no later than Saturday, November 25, 2017 Delivery of Grocery cards is scheduled for Sunday, December 3!

6 St. John s Evangelical Lutheran Church + November 2017 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Additional and/or changes to the church calendar will be announced in the weekly bulletin Announcements for the December 2017 newsletter are due to the church office by Friday, November 24, All Saints Sunday (Morning Prayer) 1:30pm - Blockhouse Flag Raising am - 2pm - Office 4pm - 3CF Pastor Adam Away Remembrance Day 18 Pentecost 23 (Communion) 11am - Sunday School 19 Pentecost 24 11am Worship (Morning Prayer) 11am - Sunday School 2:30pm - Ref. 500 Worship (Lunenburg) 26 Christ the King (Communion) 11am - Sunday School -- Pastor Away pm - Council 28 9am - 2pm - Office GIFT CARD ORDERS DUE 8:30am-2pm - Yard Sale & Market Pastor Adam Away Please note that Pastor Adam will be on Vacation from November 8-10 and November Rev. Chad McCharles will be on call; and Rev. Barbara Minard will be leading worship on November 26. SAVE THE DATE Advent Wreath Making & Pot-Luck Sunday, December 12pm All Are Welcome