By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Transcription

1 E n l i g h t e n e r EMANUEL LUTHERAN CHURCH SKANDIA, MICHIGAN OFFICE HOURS: TUESDAY & THURSDAY 8 2 Emanuel is a congregation of the Northern Great Lakes Synod of The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Pastor Tamra Harder Phone: tam.harder@gmail.com emanuel@tds.net Pastor s Cell: June, 2016 By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Galatians 5:22 Many of you are very familiar with this bible verse. It comes from the Letter of Paul to the Galatians. There are many familiar and loved bible verses in the Letter to the Galatians. This letter was Martin Luther s favorite letter of Paul s and was very important to his understanding of grace. Our second reading for 6 weeks will all be from the book of Galatians so I would like to give you a little background. The letter to the Galatians is believed to have been written between AD. Who wrote the Book of Galatians? You may think it is silly of me to ask this because it says that Paul wrote it. Most scholars do believe that Paul wrote the letter to the Galatians. That is not the case with all of the letters in our Bible attributed to Paul. Most scholars believe that only about half of the letters attributed to Paul were actually written by Paul. The others were followers of Paul. This was a common practice back in the first century.. So, why did Paul write this letter to the Galatians? When he got back to Antioch after his 18 month long missionary journey he found out that the churches that he had started in Galatia were being confused by a group of Jewish-Christians who were saying that in order to be a Christian you had to follow the laws of Moses, including being circumcised. Paul did not agree. He very strongly did not agree. Paul believed that faith in Christ was all that was required to be a Christian. This was the first real controversy of this newly forming church. You know the outcome of this controversy because Christians do not follow all of the 613 laws found in the Hebrew Bible (what we refer to as the Old Testament).. It may not seem so to us, but this letter is a scathing tirade. This is the only one of the letters by Paul that does not have a thanksgiving for the people. Not only were the Galatians led away from the true Gospel, they questioned Paul s authority as a disciple. Paul s letter to the Galatians is still very relevant to us today. I hope and pray that you will consider reading the entire book (it is quite short) as we explore the book of Galatians over the next six weeks in worship.

2 Today s Hymns: Gathering Hymn 858 Praise to the Lord, the Almighty Hymn of the Day 673 God, Whose Almighty Word Sending Hymn 661 I Love to Tell the Story Additional 888 O Beautiful for Spacious Skies Insert My Country, Tis of Thee Worship Leader: Pastor Tamra Harder Lector: Barb Bach Ushers: Scott and Matthew Foster Acolyte: Matthew Foster Childcare: Karen Maki Organist: Sally Weingartner Sunday, May 29, nd Sunday after Pentecost WORSHIP SUNDAY AT 11:15 a.m. This Week With My Church: 5/29/2016-6/5/2016 Today Worship at 11:15 a.m. Monday AA at 7 p.m. Memorial Day Saturday Adult Night Out at 7 p.m. Sunday Worship at 11:15 am (Next week: Ushers Bahrman Family, Lector Barb Bach, Acoltye Luke Kainulainen, Child Care Sue Ridolphi) - MAY COUNCIL MEETING HIGHLIGHTS Next meeting, June 21, 2016 at 6:00 pm. Outreach Lots going on! Outreach Highlights follow on next page. Next Meeting June 16, 2016 Building Projects done in past month include: church windows washed, carpet cleaned, two cracked storm windows replaced; Projects that need to be done: more brick work, front fellowship hall windows, septic tank pumped, repair work on steeple and 4 windows, new church roof; Projects for future: new church furnace, shed roof Cemetery Board Clean-up bee was held May 5th. 2

3 Pastor Tamra attended Janus Project (continuing education) in April and will attend another CE event June 5-9 (leaving after worship on the 5th) Vacation days are planned in July and September. She was also elected to represent the Synod at the ELCA Church wide Grace Gathering in August. Living the Questions discussions and Middle School Faith Formation are both done for the summer. 125th Anniversary meeting was positive and wellattended! See details later in newsletter. Next meeting is July 26th at 6:30. June Benevolence will be divided between Nifty Thrifty and the family of Derek Parker. Derek is a local resident and was the person burned in the explosion at KI Sawyer. Skandia Community Days is quickly approaching. Will ask congregation if interest in taking on float project. Website meeting was held May 15th. We hope to have a website up and running soon! Financial Secretaries Report: Member giving for April was generally about the same as last year at this time. Plate giving for April was slightly lower then last April, with year-to -date being a bit higher. Total April income and year-to-date Income were both higher than May Outreach Highlights Nifty Thrifty theme for June and July is lunches and snacks. Adult only games night at the church on June 4th at 7:00 pm. Sarah delivered the Bahrman baby gift bag. Thrivent workshop on Wills, Trusts & Funerals May 17th. We volunteered to do Habitat for Humanity lunches in July and August. May 22nd, Joint church 3

4 service and potluck. Outreach Committee will organize potluck and there will be a guest speaker for the worship service. Discussion was held regarding Strawberry Social this year. Looked at the possibility of changing it to a Fall Festival instead in late September. The question will be put to the congregation in the bulletin for input. Discussion about the 125th Anniversary meeting. Lots of great ideas and enthusiasm! Will meet again on July 26th at 6:30. Holiday bazaar is scheduled for Saturday, November 19th. Next meeting is Thursday, June 16th at 10:00. Nifty Thrifty theme for June and July is lunches and snacks. Adult Night Out! Please join us for Fun, Food and Fellowship Saturday, June 4 7:00 pm There is a sign-up sheet In the Fellowship Hall if you can bring a snack to share! Summer Quilting... meets on Tuesdays at 9:30. Summer quilting will be held at Toni s house. There is a sample on the wall in the Fellowship Hall of pillowcase dresses being made and sent to Little Dresses for Africa. Donations of pillowcases, fabric, thread and 1/2 double fold bias tape would be greatly appreciated! 4

5 J U N E SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 29 WORSHIP at 11:15 30 AA 7PM Memorial Day Adult Night Out at 7 pm 5 WORSHIP at11:15 Pastor Tamra leaves for Continuing Education after worship. (Through 6/9) 6 AA 7 PM 7 Quilting 9:30at Toni s house WORSHIP at 11:15 Baby Shower for Sammy 13 AA 7 PM 14 Quilting 9:30 at Toni s house Outreach meeting 10:00 Cemetery Board Meeting at 6: WORSHIP at 11:15 Father s Day 20 AA 7 PM 21 Quilting 9:30 at Toni s house Council Meeting 6:00 pm WORSHIP at 11:15 27 AA 7 PM 28 Quilting 9:30 to noon at Toni s July 1 July 2 Date Acolyte Ushers Lector Childcare 29 M. Foster S. & M. Foster Barb Bach K. Maki 5 L. Kainulainen Bahrman Family Barb Bach S. Ridolphi 12 M. Oliver S. & R. Kimball J. Kainulainen S. Ruotsi 19 H. Ridolphi T. & B. Bach Betsy Koski L. Beauchamp 26 T. Ridolphi S. Ruotsi & P. Bergdahl Sarah Kimball K. Maki 5

6 June Birthdays and Anniversaries Happy Birthday 1 Carlos Perez 2 Ronda Barr 3 Konner McMaster 4 Sherri Jo Murphy 5 Scott Foster 7 Tom Mattson 9 Pam Bahrman 9 Connie Ritter 15 Toni Peterson Happy Anniversary 16 Dale Ingalls 7 Dave & Sue Ridolphi 23 John (Jack) Berglund 10 Paul & Betsy Koski 15 Bob & Bonnie Barr 26 Chuck & Patti Bergdahl Did you know Herb Anderson is living at the Jacobetti Home for Veterans in Marquette now. Stop in and say hello when you are in town. If you come in after hours and use the church office or equipment, please leave a courtesy note so we know who has been in. There are donation boxes in the Fellowship Hall for used ink cartridges, Econo Foods receipts, batteries, toilet paper rolls, candles and eyeglasses. Remember in Prayer Our members, family, and friends who are ill, have health concerns, or are grieving Carol Wolf who is having surgery this week, Ken Peterson, Sonny Robinson; Our members who are absent from worship and unable to attend Herb Anderson, Norma Roma, Peter Wessman, Bettie Ahola, Mae Kanerva. Our Thanks and Praise to God. 6

7 Remember in your prayers this Memorial Day the generations past and present that have served our country in the armed forces and especially those who have given their lives in that service. Memorial Day is observed every year on the last Monday of May. It originated after the American Civil War in Many brave soldiers died for our freedom. Flowers and Flags are put on their graves to honor them. A minute of silence begins at 3:00 in the afternoon. The Memorial Day flower is the red poppy. Summer Fun! Skandia Days is July 16th! We need YOUR input!! In the past, Emanuel Lutheran Church has had a Strawberry Social fundraiser in conjunction with Skandia Days. Would you like to continue this event or would you like to explore having a Fall Festival instead? This would involve apple and pumpkin pies instead of strawberries. Please contact any Outreach Committee member or the Church office with your opinion! We have also been contacted about having a float in the parade. Would anyone be interested in taking over this fun project? Please contact any Council member or the Church office! 7

8 Happenings in our Church The Worship Service and following celebration to honor our graduates was beautiful. Jacob Mackey would like to express his thanks to the ladies who made his graduation quilt and there is also a thank-you note from Jenna Shelton on the bulletin board in the Fellowship Hall. Best of Luck to all the graduates in their future endeavors! Pastor Tamra will be out of town June 5-9, leaving after the worship service on June 5th. She will be attending a Continuing Education event in Iowa at Wartburg Seminary. This will be an exciting time for her, as this is where she graduated from with a Master of Divinity degree in July of 2012! The conference is: In the Name of Jesus: Baptized and Called, Fed and Sent We wish her a safe and uplifting journey! Pastor Jim Duehring will be available for any emergencies while Pastor Tamra is away and he can be reached at Baby Shower!! There will be a Baby Shower for Sammy on June 12th! Sammie will be welcoming a baby boy into the world in July. Gifts of any type would be appreciated. Please help us celebrate! Piglets! Wonder what that little piggy bank in the pig pen is all about in the fellowship hall? The Sunday School kids are hoping to collect enough spare change over the summer months to purchase a couple of piglets for Lutheran World Relief s Hunger Fund. They are asking you to help them out by dropping some spare change in their piggy bank on Sunday Mornings. Your help will be appreciated. 8

9 125th Anniversary Update The first meeting to discuss Emanuel Lutheran Church s 125th Anniversary was a great success! The meeting was positive and well-attended. We are emphasizing this is not a climax, but a beginning. It is an opportunity for Outreach and everything will be open to the entire community. Sherri, Cindy and Jenna have graciously volunteered to start putting together a cookbook with recipes and photographs and biographies of early church members. It will be a combination history and cookbook. The actual Anniversary falls on a Sunday August 25, 2019 Lots of great ideas were discussed: logo/slogan, new line drawing of church, momentos (Christmas or seasonal cards), time capsule (Sunday School), Skandia Days float, pictoral directory, banner, photographer, gathering of addresses of former members and fundraisers (Swedish Smorgasboard). The 100th Anniversary celebration was huge. We need to decide how much we want to do for the 125th. Please join in the planning! The next meeting is July 26th at 6:30. Church Roof Our next big project at the Church will be a new roof. We are hoping to replace it next summer. Please consider a donation to the Property Fund. It would be greatly appreciated! We will also be looking at any other fundraising ideas! June Meetings: Outreach Committee: June 16th at 10:00 am Cemetery Board: June 16th at 6:30 pm 9

10 Items of Interest Northern Great Lakes Synod Assembly The NGL Synod held it s Assembly on May Thank you to the delegates attending from Emanuel: Pastor Tamra Harder, Donna Oliver & Scott Foster Notes from the event are posted on the bulletin board in the Fellowship Hall. (In the Synod e-notes newsletter) Free TVs!! Emanuel Lutheran Church has 3 TVs (not flatscreen) that we are no longer using. They are in working condition. Please contact the church office if you would like to take one or more! Oklahoma! The Peninsula Arts Appreciation Council & Historic Vista Theater present Rodgers & Hammerstein s Oklahoma June 9-11 and June at 7:30 pm and June 12 & 19 at 2:00 pm Come out and enjoy some great entertainment. You just might see a familiar face or two! Last Call!! Fortune Lake Lutheran Camp Summer Camp is quickly approaching. June 1st is the deadline when fees and registrations need to be submitted to the camp office. This year s theme is The Jesus Way. There is also a Women and Kids week from June These are great opportunities to learn and grow, meet new friends, explore faith and have fun! 10

11 We were fortunate to have Pastor Stephanie Franz join us as a guest preacher at our joint service on May 22nd. Pastor Stephanie has served in Tanzania for the past 6 years working with Women s and Children s ministry while also serving a German-and-English-speaking congregation. For 25 years, the people of our Northern Great Lakes Synod and the people of the Eastern and Coastal Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania have had a special relationship. There has been a growing friendship and affection between our churches and our people. In we will celebrate the 25th Jubilee of our ministry together. There will be visits both from Tanzanians to our synod and Americans from this synod to the Eastern and Coastal Diocese. We will publish a booklet of reflections this spring on our ministry together and its impact. We will share the story of God s work. We will hear the stories of faithfulness: It will be a great celebration year! - Bishop Thomas A. Skrenes Northern Great Lakes Synod Facts Lutheran Christians in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and Northeastern Wisconsin gather together in communities of faith for worship and ministry. Walking together are the 82 congregations, 115 pastors and 27,500 Lutherans of the Northern Great Lakes synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. This Synod is one of 65 in the ELCA. The 9,500 congregations of the ELCA comprise 3.9 million baptized members. In 1987, the latest in a series of Lutheran church mergers created the NGLS, encompassing the entire Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the six adjacent counties in Northeastern Wisconsin. Immigrants from Finland, Sweden, Norway and other European nations began the Lutheran ministry in this Synod area almost 150 years ago. The oldest continuous congregation in the Synod is Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Hancock, Michigan, founded in (NGLS website) 11

12 Breath Prayer for this week O Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. (Psalm 8:1 SIGN UP SHEETS ARE IN THE FELLOWSHIP HALL WINDOW TO SPONSOR MONTHLY BULLETINS (Cost $25/Month) AND TO VOLUNTEER TO SERVE COFFEE Please consider helping out with either of these if you can. Emanuel Lutheran Church, ELCA P O Box 160 Skandia, MI PLACE STAMP HERE 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. 12