SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 13, :15 am

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1 SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 13, :15 am Bagels, Juice and Coffee First English Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1603 Monument Avenue, Richmond, VA Office (804) Fax (804) Web pages: Rev. Dr. John T. Schweitzer, Pastor: Mr. Linwood D. Lunde, Director of Music: Mr. Brian Wingfield, Parish Administrator:

2 From the Pastor As is evident from this issue of the Newsletter, many activities have been planned as we cycle back up for autumn. Rally Sunday is on September 13, when we will building on what we did last year on that Sunday, which was September 7, 2014 take part in the ELCA-wide program called God s work. Our hands. Please take a moment to look at the article about it elsewhere in this issue. Then our attention (and that of the entire city of Richmond) will be drawn to the UCI international bicycle races, which begin on Saturday, September 19 and continue through Sunday, September 27. The main racecourse runs right in front of our church! Therefore, On Sunday, September 20 th and September 27 th we will be holding ONE service at 8:15 and Sunday School will take place at its normally scheduled time: 9:15. In addition, we will have a banner in front of our building welcoming the world to Richmond and invite our members to take part in building hospitality during the week between these two Sundays. Again, more information is available elsewhere in this Newsletter. The churches of Stuart Circle Parish and other neighborhood groups have held several meetings at the Branch Museum of Architecture and Design at Monument and Davis, hosted by Hannah Levy, Manager of Philanthropic Partners, and we ll provide our own members here at First English final information about church services on the 20 th and 27 th on Rally Sunday, September 13. It s shaping up to be an exciting month! One other activity in the planning stages is a training event that will be led by Pastors Richard Ruff and Carol Schweitzer for members of the congregation who would like to visit homebound members. Look for more information about this event as October approaches. This brings to mind an important reminder for all members of the congregation when it comes to pastoral care needs. Please make sure to call the church office if you have a desire for a pastoral visit. Don t make assumptions about someone else telling the pastor about your need. We pastors are not mind readers and contrary to popular belief, we don t change water into wine either! If you have a pastoral need that you feel has been overlooked, please call me at the office number. Leave a message if I m not here: I will get back to you. Church attendance patterns have changed dramatically over the last decade and it is important to let us know if there is a way we can be helpful rather than expecting us to second guess the meaning of one s absences from worship. Most of all, I respect the wishes of those who decline a visit, so remember that no really does mean no. Finally, we are planning a series of First Communion Classes for children who are at least in the fourth grade in school who have not yet had such instruction. They will be held on the first Sundays of October, November, and December. A letter has been sent to all parents of children who would be candidates for this class, but if you didn t get one and want to enroll your child please let me know. I look forward to teaching these classes, which will be held in the conference room of the Scherer Building. Debbie Lane and my wife, the Rev. Carol Schweitzer, will also assist me. Parents are encouraged to attend the classes so they can discuss the material with their children at home. An attractive workbook written by the late Pastor Patti Thisted Arthur (a daughter of our congregation) will be used; it is provided free of charge. The actual first communion of the class will then take place on one of the Sundays of Advent. It s shaping up to be an exciting fall season! ~ Pastor John Schweitzer

3 Interpreting My World: Original Works For Piano Our next meeting will be Friday, September 11 th and our program will be presented by Salvatore Lupica. Sam is a composer, teacher and pianist. He studied with private teachers in Cleveland and at the Cleveland Music School Settlement. His primary performing medium is the piano and his original works are built around themes in a variety of idioms. We look forward to his performance of entirely original works. As we ve had a few months break this summer, this is a reminder that dinner will be at 6:00 pm with a cost of $5.00 per person. After dinner we ll be entertained by Sam and the evening will conclude with our business meeting. Please call Gloria Jones, Libby Riggle or Peggy Davis to make your reservations. "Gods work. Our hands." Please join us at 9:15 am in Wagner Hall for juice, coffee and bagels on Rally Day, September 13 th. Wear your yellow shirt and join us for trash pickup on Monument Avenue during the Sunday School hour. We still have shirts if you wish to purchase one. See Debbie Lane or Linda Smith.

4 Soul Stitchers will meet on Sunday, September 13 th following the 10:30 service in the Wagner room. Newcomers are welcome! Instruction will be provided for those who would like to learn to knit or crochet. We'll be discussing projects for the fall and how we might support a craft fair sponsored by Congregational life. For information, please contact Carol Schweitzer or Elaine Smith. PLEASE JOIN US First Rehearsals for Fall Season Wednesday, September 16 Bell Choir at 5:00 and Chancel Choir at 6:45 First English Evangelical Lutheran Church is committed to an excellent music ministry that lifts our praises to God. We emphasize robust congregational singing, and participation in our Chancel and Bell Choirs. We perform a variety of musical styles and especially the traditional repertoire for which Lutherans are known for and loved. We strive for the highest quality performance by our singers and ringers. Wednesdays Together starts Wednesday, September 16 th at 6 pm. Please plan to join us for a delicious meal and fellowship. This year Pastor Schweitzer will offer Bible studies (schedule to be announced). The third Wednesday of the month, will be game night! Members are encouraged to invite friends; both FELC members and non-members who love to sing or ring. Please join us for a great choir year.

5 LAST CHANCE FOR OLD SHOES The shoe drive for medical missions will wrap up on September 20 th. Thanks to all who have donated shoes to this worthy cause. We are looking for volunteers to do shut-in visitation (to supplement, not replace) that done by the Pastor of homebound members. To date we've received a good response but could use some more people. In the near future, a session or two will be held by Carol Schweitzer and Pastor Richard Ruff providing guidelines for making such visits. Please get in touch with Pastor Schweitzer, Betty Cochran or simply write on the white sheet in the weekly bulletin that you're interested. We'll be announcing this program for the next few weeks and it should be pointed out that members of the Northside Supper Club have already been making such visits for some time. However, we want to enlarge the number of parish visitors; more the better! Thank you for giving this matter your consideration. Sunday School for all ages meets every Sunday starting at 9:15 am. The adult Sunday School class meets in the chapel. The children, ages 3 through high school meet in classrooms on the second floor of the education building. The nursery is staffed from 8:15 until the end of the second worship service. Please plan to join us. If you would like to see additional classes added, see Susan Fenerty or Debbie Lane.

6 to hold Wednesdays Together, Choir rehearsals etc. as usual. Our reserved spaces in the parking garage will be available to FELC members at all times. Over both weekends One Monument Avenue (the owners of the garage) will be directing traffic and also making parking spaces available (cost unknown at this time) to all comers. I have been assured by them that our marked spaces will only be available to church members and at no charge. UCI Road World Championships There s probably no one in greater Richmond who doesn t know by now that our city will be hosting a once-in-a-generation opportunity to see the best cyclists in the world race through our streets! And we at First English are right in the heart of it all, as Monument Avenue is one of the principal race routes. The event begins on Saturday, September 19 and ends on Sunday, September 27. Therefore two Sundays are involved, and that will bring some alterations in our worship schedule. We have been trying to make our members aware of these changes during the announcements before each service since the beginning of August. As was stated in the Pastor s article above, we will only have one worship service on both of the race Sundays, in each case at 8:15. Access to the church will be via Allen Avenue south of the Lee Monument; the parking garage will be open. There will be no parking available on Monument Avenue! The Richmond City Police are doing their best to make sure churches can hold worship on the race Sundays. However, you should be aware that your usual route to FELC might have to be altered somewhat because of the events. Again, Allen Avenue and the alley behind the church is your way in and out. Lombardy Street will be closed. The best way to find out what s going on is to go to Navigate.Richmond2015.com; maps for each day of the championships are available there, along with a lot of other useful information. There is also some information on our own church website. Pastor Schweitzer and Brian have been attending a series of community meetings at the Branch Museum of Architecture, which have been most helpful. We ve learned that Sunday, September 27 will be the day when we can expect our own area to be most crowded. Wednesday will probably be a day with minimum inconvenience in our area; therefore we re planning We have a yellow sheet with an abbreviated race schedule and, on the opposite side, a dashboard sign you can use if you want to park in one of our spaces in the garage during the races. They are available at the church at all times; please take as many as you need and distribute them to members who may not know of them. We will also be glad to send you one. Due to the yellow color of these sheets it s not practical to include one in the newsletter or online. We hope to have our doors open both Sundays to invite all visitors to the races who might be passing by into our church for worship services or afterwards for hospitality or just a tour. There will also be a banner in front with the message: First English Lutheran Church Welcomes the World. You might ask, What should I be doing about all this? First of all, enjoy the race (after worship, of course!). We have front-row seats. Second, be hospitable and welcoming. People from all over the world will be passing by our church. We can assume that some of them will be from Scandinavia and Germany and Lutheran, interested in seeing what Lutheran churches in this country look like. Above all, if you re able, come during the week when there s a race going on. Pastor Schweitzer plans to be in the church office as often as possible at such times. We d be glad to open the doors and have members provide church tours, show visitors to the restrooms if needed (although we don t plan to have any signs outside stating: Restrooms Available, or charge your cell phones here ; we re simply not set up for anything on that scale. Believe it or not, First Baptist and St. James s are providing these services!). We ll try to have some extra bottled water available as well, although again, we re not going to be giving it out on the street. Individual random acts of kindness is what we re encouraging. It should prove to be an interesting nine days! Just be flexible and remember what the old song states: They ll Know We Are Christians by Our Love.

7 Spaghetti Dinner and Open Mike Night To Benefit CARITAS Richmond Sing, Dance, Tell jokes, Play instruments, Magic, Skits Date: Saturday, October 10, 2015 Place: Bruening Hall, Trinity Lutheran Church 2315 North Parham Road, Henrico, VA Dinner served from 5-7 Mike open from 5:30-7:30 or later Free will offering will all go to CARITAS Sponsored by Thrivent Financial Capital Chapter RSVP By 9/27/15 to With # for dinner and/or Name of Act Menu Spaghetti Sauce: Vegetarian or meat Garlic Bread Green Salad Brownies and cookies Lemonade, tea and coffee Gluten free options available

8 Oktoberfest Pot Luck & Beer Tasting Friday, October 2 nd 6:30 8:30 pm Join us for fun and merriment in the Fellowship Hall! Knockwurst, Bratwurst & Hotdogs will be provided Please bring your favorite side dish, suggested sides: Red Cabbage, Sauerkraut, German Potatoes, German Chocolate Cake You will also have the opportunity to taste a selection of beers from several local breweries. Halloween Party At Wednesday s Together October 28 th 6:00 8:00 pm Join us for dinner and lots of scary fun: Halloween stories, Musical Chairs, Mummy Wrap and the Mad Scientist Don t forget your Halloween Costume for the Trick-or-Treat Parade! Looking for a few good drivers! We are looking for people to drive seniors and others in need to church services and other church events. If you can occasionally provide this service please contact: Church Office or Joyce Smith , joedyandjoyce@comcast.net

9 On Sunday, June 21 we received Susan Abrams as a member of our congregation. Susan, who recently moved to Richmond, is the mother of FELC member Jackie Abrams Manzer (and mother in law of Ben Manzer). She comes to us by letter of transfer from Our Savior Lutheran Church in Haddonfield, NJ. You might want to add her address to your membership list: Susan Abrams 7210 Brigham Road Richmond, VA (Phone number available from church office) Welcome, Susan. We re glad to have you here and are sure you ll find a spiritual home among us. Thank you to all who helped with and participated in VBS on Sunday, July 19 th. We had 41 people of all ages. A heart felt THANK YOU to the Fenerty Family for their leadership and dedication. Recently Jenna Hoke approached Pastor Schweitzer and said that her employer, McGuireWoods, was moving from its home since 1985 at One James Center to a new building across the street. A lot of good office furniture was being made available free of charge to non-profits. Would we be interested? The Pastor replied, Was Martin Luther a German? Of course we could use some new furniture! So on July 30 Jenna guided Joyce Smith, Lynn Heltzel and Pastor Schweitzer through the labyrinth of offices vacated by the law firm and we were able to pick out a lot of good furniture for the church, especially chairs, bookcases, filing cabinets and a few desks. Then on Tuesday, August 4 it was moved here with the help of three off-duty Richmond firefighters we engaged for the job; we rented a U-Haul truck to get the articles from here to there. Take a look in the conference room and the counting room upstairs in the office area to see what attractive furniture we acquired! Some of the other items are in temporary storage in unused rooms about the building and will be moved to appropriate rooms after the property committee decides where they might best be used. Special thanks to McGuireWoodsLLP for their generous donation, Jenna Hoke for making us aware of the opportunity, and Joyce Smith, Jodey Smith, and Lynn Heltzel, along with the unnamed Richmond firefighters who helped us move the furniture.

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11 September Worship Assistants September 2015 Altar Guild 10:30 Time 6 th 13 th 20 th 27 th Jim Byerly Brenda Myer Linda Wallace Peggy Davis Stuart Myer Billy Duke Libby Riggle Acolyte(s) 10:30 Parker Vida Ellie Fenerty Jake Hamilton Cassidy Hoke Nate Fenerty Crucifer 10:30 Molly McCue Stuart Myer Cooper Hoke Kirk Fenerty Readers Communion Elements to Altar Counters *Head Counter Ushers *Head Usher 8:15 10:30 Marlene Nancy Mondrey Kathie Massie Kevin Murphy Charlie Schumann Cheryl Shiembob No 10:30 Service No 10:30 Service 10:30 Polly Brickman Debbie Lane Carol McCue Bob Lane 10:30 * 10:30 *John Ritz John Ritz John Ritz John Ritz Debbie Lane Betty Cochran Betty Davidson Jennifer Gentry Julie Goodman Bill Fenerty Suzanne Stricker Cheryl Shiembob *Stuart Myer Wayne Griffin Linda Smith Roger Riggle Jeff Hoke Sheryl Finucane Joe Smith Bill Davidson Cooper Hoke Joyce Smith Nate Fenerty Duke Margulies Kirk Fenerty Joedy Smith Bill Fenerty Stuart Myer

12 Harry Shepard Rowland Jr, passed away on Thursday, July 30, 2015, at the age of 88 years. His funeral was held in church on Thursday, August 6, 2015 at 11 am at our church. Next of kin: wife, Jacqueline Rhodes Rowland. Let s Celebrate September with the Following Members of our Congregation On Sunday, August 9, 2015, Silas Augustus Miller, son of Joseph Augustus Miller and Teresa Ann Geer, born on February 17, 2015, was baptized at the 10:30 service. On Saturday, August 29, 2015, James Hunter Pickels and Catherine Seguin Pepper were united in marriage at our church. The ceremony was performed by the Dean of the Richmond Lutheran Conference, the Rev. Eric J. Moehring, who is James pastor. Happy Birthday to everyone celebrating a birthday in the month of September! Congratulations to all celebrating a Wedding Anniversary in September!

13 Monday September 7 Labor Day Church Office Closed Friday September 11 6:00 pm: Women of the ELCA Sunday September th Sun. after Pentecost Rally Sunday 8:15 am: Service of Holy Communion 9:15 am: Sunday School Rally Day 9:30 am: Senior Choir Rehearsal 10:30 am: Service of Holy Communion 11:30 am: Hospitality: Betty Cochran 11:30 am: Soul Stitchers 11:30 am: Congregational Life Meeting Tuesday September 15 7:00 pm: Congregational Council Meeting Wed. Sept. 16 Wednesdays Together Resumes! 5:00 pm: Bell Choir Rehearsal 6:00 pm: Dinner 6:30 pm: Game Night 6:45 pm: Chancel Choir Rehearsal Sunday September th Sun. after Pentecost *** ONE SERVICE ONLY *** End of Shoe Drive 8:15 am: Service of Holy Communion 9:15 am: Sunday School Wednesday Sept. 23 Wednesdays Together 5:00 pm: Bell Choir Rehearsal 6:00 pm: Dinner 6:45 pm: Chancel Choir Rehearsal Sunday September th Sun. after Pentecost *** ONE SERVICE ONLY *** 8:15 am: Service of Holy Communion 9:15 am: Sunday School Wednesday Sept. 30 Wednesdays Together 5:00 pm: Bell Choir Rehearsal 6:00 pm: Dinner 6:45 pm: Chancel Choir Rehearsal Sunday October 4 19 th Sun. after Pentecost 8:15 am: Service of Holy Communion 9:15 am: Sunday School 9:30 am: Senior Choir Rehearsal 10:30 am: Service of Holy Communion 11:30 am: Hospitality: Congregational Life

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