WISPS OF STRAW. July 2012 Pastor: Rev. John H. Van Haneghan

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1 WISPS OF STRAW St. James Lutheran Church Newsletter July 2012 Pastor: Rev. John H. Van Haneghan Church Office Phone: Web site: Serving Christ in Word and Deed for over 260 Years

2 The Pastor s Letter Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to the entire Israelite assembly, The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. 8 If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. 9 Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them. Dear Friends, My daily readings in the Old Testament have been in the Book of Numbers. This is the time in the history of the people of Israel when they had left Egypt and headed to the promised land. Initially, when the people of Israel left Egypt, it was a joyous, exciting time. God intervened in a number of ways when the Israelites left, and they were even able to take gold and other valuables from the Egyptians on the way out. Of course there is the parting of the sea that finally stopped the Egyptians from following them. One of the most celebrated events in the Old Testament is the parting of the sea to free the Israelites from the Egyptians. However when you read on in Numbers, the shine on their new found freedom quickly wears off. They find that going through the wilderness is a lot harder than the y imagined. There is great complaining and outright rebellion not just once but over and over again. God does step in and help the Israelites, but it does not come without God s judgment on their actions. Finally Moses is obviously thinking of orienting the people to the future and sends a group of leaders to explore the land God has promised to them. They are then to return and report the people. When they come back, the majority report is pretty discouraging. There are vicious warmongering residents in the land who made them feel small and powerless. How could they ever take such a land? So their fear produces mass panic in the camp. But the minority report by Joshua and Caleb takes a different view. Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, say to the entire Israelite assembly, The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. The fear of the Israelites drowns out the faith of Joshua and Caleb. The rebellion at that point goes to a fever pitch causing some to form a movement to go back to Egypt. We, however, know the rest of the story and not without a great price of pain and sorrow on the part of the Israelites, they make it to the promised land. I think we can learn from this story. God is a god of vision, and life. Vision is necessary for our dreams, hopes, and aspirations. But vision doesn t guarantee that things will be easy in getting from the beginning to the goal. Page 1

3 In our partnership in ministry, God has a vision for St, James. The real challenge for each of us is to work through the times when the vision seems shaky, and remember the words of Joshua, If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Your brother in Christ, Pastor John Sunday School Notes The Sunday School end of the year program was held on Sunday, May 20 th at the 8:45 am worship service, with each student receiving a certificate. Students in 3 rd grade received Bibles, as did First Communion students. Teachers and Sunday School staff were acknowledged, and the students closed the program by singing Butterfly Song It s not too soon to mark your calendars for Rally Day, September 9 th, when the new school year begins. As always, it will run from September through May on Sundays at 10:00 am. Sunday School teachers for the new year are needed for pre-kindergarten; grades 5/6 combined, and to co-teach 7 th grade Confirmation class. Please contact Sunday School superintendent Pamela Van Haneghan at or evangelvh316@aol.com to help in this important ministry. You can tell how big a person is by what it takes to discourage him. Welcome, New Members! On June 9 th and 10 th we rejoiced in recognizing four new members and the return of a former member to Straw Church during worship. On Saturday June 9 th we welcomed Mark and Cindy Aloise who live in Lopatcong. They come to us by transfer from Faith Lutheran Church in Easton, and have been worshiping with us for quite a while mostly on Saturday evening. On Sunday June 10 th we officially welcomed back Brian Fleming and recognized his wife Kathy, and their two children Nicole and Rachel, who also come to us from Faith Lutheran in Easton. Nicole, you might remember, made her First Communion with us last Maundy Thursday, and she is also fitting in well with our Youth Group. Rachel has also been attending our Sunday school. The Flemings reside in Forks Township, PA. On Sunday we also welcomed Kelly Lawton. Kelly joined by reaffirmation of faith, and lives locally in Phillipsburg. She has already sung occasionally with our church choir. Please continue to welcome these folks into our Straw Church family! Page 2

4 New Jersey Synod Assembly, June 1 st & 2 nd, 2012 Synod Assembly was held this year at the College of New Jersey, in Ewing. It was a relatively short and compact assembly with few business items. Along with me, Marion Martin and Sue Miller attended as St. James voting members (for the first day only). All at the assembly were glad to see Bishop Riley who had just had major heart surgery. He presided over the assembly superbly. The assembly voted and passed the by-law changes to the Synod constitution to allow for the creation of districts and deans, of which I am one. Nominations for synod council positions, as well as voting members to the 2013 Churchwide Assembly were voted upon. Shannon Hardenbergh from St. James was placed in nomination as possible youth voting member to the 2013 church wide assembly. While another youth was chosen, I was proud to have one of our youth stand in nomination for this honor. There was one resolution to be voted upon, which was referred to committee last year. The resolution, initially introduced and debated on last year, dealt with the ordination of illegal immigrants to the ministry of Word and Sacrament. The committee that reviewed it recommended that the assembly not approve last year s resolution. There were various workshops, which were interesting. The most informative was one on social media by Beth Lewis, head of Augsburg Fortress Publishing. I attended one on the Synod budget, the Synod Bosnian Servant trip, as well as Beth Lewis social media workshop. Friday evening there was an informal service of Holy Communion where Pastor Bruce Ewen, who served on Synod staff for 23 years, was recognized as he returned to parish ministry. Pastors Eric and Wendy Trozzo, who served at Gloria Dei in Chatham, were sent forth as they will be missionaries in Malaysia. I had the privilege of serving communion with Marion and Sue. There was also a mission fair, with displays from many related ministries. The one I was drawn to was Crossroads Camp and Retreat Center. The director, Anthony Brigg, is an old colleague of mine from my time in the Upstate New York Synod. Crossroads is a nice facility, and perhaps we can make use of it in the future. Saturday Pam came with me as a visitor for the final Assembly meeting, workshops, and close of the Assembly. I want to thank Marion Martin and Sue Miller for attending the Assembly. Next year the Assembly will be held during different days, and in a hotel, since next year will be the election of a new bishop. Bishop Riley will be retiring, so this will be a whole new chapter in the life of our Synod. When the time comes next year consider being a voting member from our congregation. Pastor John Page 3

5 Confirmation A Thank You to St. James Four young people were confirmed on Trinity Sunday, June 3 rd, thereby entering into full membership in the St. James church family. Our justifiably proud and happy new members are (l to r): Kaitlyn Chemidlin Michael Carhart Alec Coleman Joseph Takacs Donate from your Smart Phone! St. James Lutheran Church now offers a mobile version of our online giving page to make it easy for you to give anytime from your smart phone. Simply scan the image you see here using your phone s Quick Response (QR) code reader! Heifer Project (Links of Love) Our Sunday School and Social Ministries Committee raised approximately $290, including the matching donation ($1.00 for every $3.00 collected) from Thrivent. The Heifer Project provides small farm animals to families in needy areas worldwide. Thanks to everyone who helped show the generosity of St. James. Page 4

6 VBS is Right Around the Corner One of our church s most effective outreach programs, the annual Vacation Bible School, will run from July 16 th through the 20 th, from 8:30 to 11:30 am. Our theme this year is Sky Everything is Possible with God, and accordingly during this week the participants (preschool through fourth grade) will learn to put their trust in God. Older children are invited to join us as helpers, and teen and adult volunteers are needed as well. In these difficult times, VBS presents a solid Bible message and the Gospel is brought to life in experiments, games, music and through God s Word. Faith is kindled and strengthened in all who attend. With the severe financial constraints facing our church this year, we have to minimize the effect of VBS on the St. James budget. A list of supplies that we would love to have donated or lent to us is shown below. Since donations may have come in since this was written, please contact Vanessa Marciello, VBS coordinator, at or vanessapt89@hotmail.com for the latest updates. For purchase: 60 cheap toilet paper rolls 1 large beach ball 65 ping-pong balls 65 lanyards 65 mini bubble bottles (like used at weddings) 800 cotton balls 200 glue dots 400 red dot stickers (like used at tag sales) Two 24 piece puzzles Stamp pads One box 3 oz paper cups 100 wet wipes 200 colored clothespins 20 small sponge balls 70 pieces of cardstock in various colors For loan: 6 hula hoops One toy telescope 2 hair dryers Blue tarps Kites Of course, monetary donations to help defray the costs are always welcome. Your prayers are also needed. Please pray that we are able to reach many children for Christ, and that his message will be clear. Page 5

7 Thanks to our Supporters We would be remiss in not taking the time to express our thanks to people and organizations who have been so supportive of our church. The local ShopRite, owned and operated by the Colalillo family, has always been most generous in donations of food items for various events, most recently the Church Picnic. As you know, they also sell us their Gift Cards at a discount of 5%, which results in additional income for the church when you buy and use them at full value. Mel Kent, our Thrivent representative, is always ready to find ways for the church to get financial help from Thrivent through matching donations as well as promoting the BBQ Chicken Dinner St. James will be having a barbecue chicken dinner event on Saturday, August 25 th. The meals will consist of chicken leg quarters (hand rubbed with a secret Raub recipe), smoked baked beans, corn bread and coleslaw. This dinner will be take-out only, with pickup times from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. Cost will be $10.00 per meal, with advance orders accepted. Call to place your order no later than Sunday, August 19 th. Straw Church Market Building on the response to the June flea market, which raised approximately $416 for the church, Straw Church Market will be held on the second Saturday of each month from August through November this year, from 7:00 am to 1:00 pm. Cost is $15.00 per space, $7.50 for each additional space. Tables will also be available for donations to the church. Call to sign up. Volunteers are urgently needed, please call to help make this a success. Thrivent Choice Dollars program. He is also generous with his own time and money in bringing promotional items to church events. Obviously, an investment with Thrivent is more than just a personal matter, it also results in help for our church and charities that St. James supports. Both deserve the patronage of our members in recognition of all the good they do for St. James. Senior League Notes The final meeting before summer break took place on Wednesday, June 6 th. Pizza was served, and all the fixings for do it yourself sundaes were on hand. The new season will begin at 6:00 pm on Wednesday, September 5 th. Watch the weekend bulletins for details. Page 6

8 Church Picnic Our picnic, held at Pohatcong Park on June 24 th, was a rousing success. It was very well attended, including by a lively group of children who seemed to be having an especially good time. As has come to be expected by our overly pampered taste buds, the food brought to the affair by all our talented cooks was first-rate. Many of the attendees showed their pride in, and support for, St. James by showing up in the recently sold Straw Church T-shirts. That program raised close to $80 for our church. Same time next year? We sure hope so! Page 7

9 Financial Update Over the past few weeks, you have received several communications regarding the current fiscal outlook for St. James. We have had some questions as to specific numbers and trends, and want to share the following historical and projected outcomes to paint a clearer picture of where we stand. 2010(Actual) 2011 (Actual) 2012 (Projected) Total Income $147, $166, $166, Budgeted Expenses $177, $199, $183, Non-budget Expense $19, $3, $3, Net ahead / (behind) ($49,943.98) ($36,284.65) ($20,469.54) A few of the numbers may need clarification. The large unbudgeted expense in 2010 was mostly due to replacement of the Frey Hall roof. The budget increase from 2010 to 2011 of course primarily stems from the fact that 2011 was our first year with a full-time pastor for the whole twelve months. Frey Hall floor replacement and kitchen upgrades do not show in the 2012 expenses because they were covered by a specific bequest. As you can see, we are moving in a positive direction as regards closing the gap. However, we have trimmed the expenses as far as possible, including even freezing salaries and allowances, which cannot go on indefinitely. That means our only way to reach long-term solvency is by increasing our income, both giving and fund-raising. An increase of 10% in giving would be an excellent start. Our Fund-raising Committee has been implementing a number of different approaches to supplementing what the church gets from giving. All of these monthly breakfasts, flea markets, dinners, etc. will need the support and participation of a large cross-section of our membership to be successful. That means not only patronage, but volunteering time and effort to help run them, because the small number of people who have been carrying that load cannot be expected to do it alone forever. Thanks to all the folks who have been generous with their time and treasure up until now. Remember, the church consists of all of us. Page 8

10 Boy Scout News and Happenings Troop 56 had the pleasure of adding two new Eagle Scouts to its ranks. Kyle Maris and Christian Zurine both completed their Boards of Review on June 25 th to earn the Rank of Eagle. Kyle has been in scouting since 1 st grade as a Cub Scout in Pack 61 before moving on to our Troop at the end of 5 th grade after earning Cub Scouts highest award, the Arrow of Light. While a Boy Scout he has held positions of Patrol Leader, Scribe, Asst. Sr. Patrol Leader, Den Chief, Patrol Leader, Assistant Sr. Patrol Leader, and Instructor. During his time with the troop he completed 31 merit badges, earned the Den Chief Award, Snorkeling BSA, Emergency Preparedness Award, and National Outdoor Award for Camping along with countless nights of camping. Kyle s Eagle project benefited First Lutheran Church in Stewartsville. As he has turned 18, we look forward to welcoming Kyle as an adult leader with the troop. Christian started out with Pack 56 as a Tiger when he was in 1st grade and crossed over to the troop at the end of 5 th grade after earning the Arrow of Light. He has held the positions in the troop of Patrol Leader, Troop Guide and Instructor, and will be assuming the role of JASM until he turns 18. Christian s Eagle Project benefited the NORWESCAP Food Bank. So far Christian has earned 29 Merit badges, BSA Snorkeling, and World Conservation Award along with many miles of hiking and nights of camping. You may have noticed a change in the Boy Scout trailer. It has returned to the church with a customized wrap which represents our troop quite well. The idea of a troop trailer was discussed a few years ago and with many hours of planning, fundraising, and attention to detail, the troop now has an awesome trailer of which we can be proud. As we prepare for Summer Camp in July at Goose Pond Scout Reservation in the Poconos, it is good to look back on what we accomplished this year: 28 Nights of camping Over 400 Hours of Community Service 22 Scouts advancing in rank 3 Eagle Scouts since last June 5 Scouts to attend the National Jamboree We are truly thankful for the continued support of St. James Lutheran Church, the sponsor of our troop. Drew Edinger drew.edinger@gmail.com Mobile Fax Page 9