The Sower Christ Lutheran Church Our Mission is to be servants of Christ and Stewards of the Mysteries of God 6411 SE 5th, St Des Moines, IA 50315 Pastor: Rev. Fayonne Tooman June 2018 Observe the Sabbath day and keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work you, or your son or your daughter, or your male or female slave, or your ox or your donkey, or any of your livestock, or the resident alien in your towns, so that your male and female slave may rest as well as you. Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. Deuteronomy 5:12-15 Part of the Ten Commandments, these verses instruct the Israelites to keep the Sabbath. The Israelites are to rest and they are to allow their slaves, their livestock, and the foreigners living among them to rest also. They were once slaves and so they are to treat their own slaves justly. By the year 100, more Christians were Gentles then Jews. So it was not long in Christian practice before the Jewish Sabbath no longer functioned religiously. To meet one another in the risen Christ, Christians came together on the first day of the week, not the seventh, and both then and now for many people the first day was not a vacation day. The emperor Constantine decreed that some occupations, mostly those dealing with trade, keep Sunday as a day of rest. John Calvin sought to reestablish regulations about Sabbath as applicable to Sunday, and the strong Calvinist influence in the eastern colonies of what became the United States fed to an American sense of Sunday as Sabbath. Many contemporary Christians agree that the pace of our society in unhealthy and that Sabbath is a good idea. Yet Christians must always remain aware of those whose occupations does not allow for a day off each week, as well as the unemployed for whom a day of rest is not what they desire. For clergy and church musicians, of course, Sunday is never a day of rest. In the miracle story the human hand can function as a symbol of the self. The Old Testament speaks of God having a mighty hand, and in some art, a hand is used to depict God the Father. At Holy Communion we receive the bread in our hand. Early theologians taught communion recipients to make a throne of their hands for the bread, the left hand below the right hand, as if the weaker hand supports the stronger. It was not until the Middle Ages that the bread was put into the communicants mouths, in order to ensure that they did not take the bread home with them to plant it in the garden for good luck or set it up in their home to revere. But we receive the bread in our hands, a sign of our self receiving the Christ. See you at worship. Jesus loves you!! God s Peace, Pastor Fayonne
June Events Every Wednesday at 1pm: Bible Study Pastor is leading an adult Bible study and discussion on Jesus life. Saturday, June 2nd at 8am: Men s Club The men of the church will gather at Southridge Hy-Vee for a breakfast and meeting. Saturday, June 9th: Bake/White Elephant Sale with Soup and Salad Luncheon The White Elephant/Bake Sale and Salad Lunch will be held on Saturday, June 9. The sales start at 9:00am and go until 2:00pm. Lunch will be served from 11:00am to 1:00pm. Cost is $6.00/person. Price your items before bringing them to the church. There are no set pricing guidelines just whatever you think will work. This will be a big help to the ladies working the sale. Drop off items on Wednesday, June 6, after 11:00 a.m. and before 2:00 p.m. (You may need to ring the bell to come into the building.) You may also drop off items on Friday, June 8, between 1:00pm & 3:00 pm. Bring your family and friends! There will something for everyone. Don t miss this opportunity to find a treasure!!! Monday, June 11th at 7pm: Women s Bible Study at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd The summer sessions, entitled Let Us Pray was written by Anna Madsen. The first session, The paradoxes of prayer will look at 1 Samuel and discuss the following paradoxes: 1) We pray to God, and sometimes God answers in ways that God would rather not. 2) We pray to God, both to change God and to be changed by God. or if you want the materials before coming to the study. Monday, June 18th Friday, June 22nd: Vacation Bible School From 9:00am 11:30am, kids ages four through entering 6th grade will learn about stories from the book of Daniel. Registration forms for campers and youth helpers should be turned in by June 15th. Invite your kids, grandkids, neighbors and friends. Youth (middle school and high school) and adult volunteers needed. For more information or to volunteer please see Crystal Schrader or Kim Driscoll. Sunday, June 24th at 1:05pm: Iowa Cubs Game Cost $7.00 a person. See Rita for tickets. A Parsonage Update The renters have moved out and we are now in the process of updating the property to add curb appeal and make it more sell-able. Special thanks to Steve Heaberlin and Al Messer for mowing the lawn. Connie Loven will serve as our realtor during this process and on through to the closing of the sale. Water Challenge Results Thank you to everyone who participated in The Water The Witness Bucket Challenge. We raised $601, surpassing our goal of $500 by over $100. Way to go! All ladies are welcome to join in this threesession study. Contact Jane White for a ride
May Council Summary Finance: renters moving out by the middle of the month, at which point we will do a final walk-through; Darrell will work on getting parsonage bills transferred to the church Christian Education: Sunday School on break until September; Vacation Bible School June 18-22 from 9:00am 11:30am for kids ages 4 and up Evangelism: unveiled three outdoor flag banners on Easter Sunday Hospitality: Iowa Cubs tickets for June 24th will be $7 per person; Church picnic scheduled for July 22nd Social Ministry: DMARC Food Pantry/ Stamp Out Hunger event on May 14th; personal pantry items delivered to DMARC at end of April Stewardship: $601.03 raised for The Water The Witness bucket challenge; Julie Preston new committee chair Memorial: committee met and decided funds will be spent to upgrade software for the treasurer; reconciled financial records Pastor s Report: vacation scheduled for July 7th July 20th Old business: internet now working; discussion about 60th anniversary celebration in November of this year Hospital Visitation If you would like Pastor Tooman to visit you or a member of your family while hospitalized please give her a call on her cell phone at 515-490-4170. Feel free to also inform her of any impending hospital stay or procedure so she can pray for you. Altar Flowers If you would like to provide altar flowers for worship, please sign up on the flower chart near the church mailboxes. Cost is $22, which includes delivery. You will be billed by Hy- Vee. If you want to purchase your own, please let Becca, the church secretary, know so she can still list it in the bulletin. Food Pantry Update DMARC is seeing something alarming double-digit and consecutive increases in usage of its Food Pantry Network. DMARC Food Pantry s Donation of the Month Whole grain cereal They need our help. Please consider making a financial donation on the third Sunday of each month to the DMARC Food Pantry. Your gift will be used immediately to help individuals and families right here in our community, purchasing up to six times more food than an in-kind contribution of items like cereal, canned vegetables and fruit, or soup.
Weekly Prayers for June Prayers from Evangelical Lutheran Book of Worship Week of May 27 June 2: Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping all the men and women of our armed forces at home and abroad. Defend them day by day with your heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils that surround them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. Week of June 3 June 9: Almighty God, with a mother s love and a father s care you have blessed us with the joy and responsibility of children. As we bring them up, give us gracious love, calm strength, and patient wisdom, that we may teach them to love whatever is just and true and good, following the example of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen. Week of June 10 June 16: God of earth and air, water and fire, height and depth, we pray for those who work in danger, who rush in to bring hope and help and comfort when others flee to safety, whose mission is to seek and save, serve and protect, and whose presence embodies the protection of the Good Shepherd. Give them caution and concern for one another, so that in safety they may do what must be done, under your watchful eye. Support them in their courage and dedication that they may continue to save lives, ease pain, and mend the torn fabric of lives and social order; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Week of June 17 June 23: Almighty God, your Holy Spirit equips the church with a rich variety of gifts. Grant that we may use them to bear witness to Christ in lives that are built on faith and love. Make us ready to live the gospel and eager to do your will, so that we may share with all your church in the joys of eternal life; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. Week of June 24 June 30: God of justice, we remember before you those who suffer want and anxiety from lack of work. Guide the people of this land so to use our wealth and resources that all people may find suitable and fulfilling employment and receive just payment for their labor; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Scripture Texts for June June 3: 2nd Sunday after Pentecost Deuteronomy 5:12-15 Psalm 81:1-10 2 Corinthians 4:5-12 Mark 2:23-3:6 June 10: 3rd Sunday after Pentecost Genesis 3:8-15 Psalm 130 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1 Mark 3:20-35 June 17: 4th Sunday after Pentecost Ezekiel 17:22-24 Psalm 92:1-4, 12-15 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 [11-13] 14-17 Mark 4:26-34 June 24: 5th Sunday after Pentecost Job 38:1-11 Psalm 107:1-3, 23-32 2 Corinthians 6:1-13 Mark 4:35-41
2018 Southeastern Iowa Synod Assembly The 31st Assembly of the Southeastern Iowa Synod was held May 18 and 19, 2018,. Over 400 voting members and visitors gathered around the theme The Water and The Witness. Mikka McCracken, Director of Planning and Engagement with ELCA World Hunger served as the churchwide representative providing updates and stories of the work we do together as the ELCA. Bishop Julian Gordy of the Southeastern Synod shared of our connections throughout the nation and in ministry. Bishop Michael Burk presided over the assembly, including the Friday evening service of Holy Communion. In his report, Bishop Burk provided an assessment of ways we share in The Water and the Witness talking about congregational vitality and outreach. There was an interactive learning center event on Friday afternoon which allowed assembly participants to learn about partner ministries like Lutheran Services in Iowa, Bread for the World, Peace not Walls, ELCA World Hunger. There were prayer activities, artistic expression, and advocacy work. Resolutions adopted included: 1) Memorial on the 50th anniversary of the ordination of women: a resolution encouraging those in the Southeastern Iowa Synod and beyond to recognize, celebrate and memorialize the contributions of ordained women. 2) Peace Not Walls: a resolution encouraging the synod to memorialize and urge the 2019 Churchwide Assembly and elected officials petitioning for changes in due process, and U.S. foreign aid to protect children. 3) Preventing gun violence, a resolution encouraging individuals and congregations to address issues of gun violence in worship, education, and public discourse. The synod assembly offering, a culmination of the The Water and The Witness buckets project was designated to water-related ministries of the ELCA. More than $56,000 was given by congregations and individuals. Below are what our church s voting members favorite part of Synod Assembly was. Dale Schrader: The speakers [Mikka and Bishop Gordy] were outstanding. The resolutions were well done and relevant. Aubrey Glodt: My favorite part of the synod assembly was seeing all the congregations come together and have a meal together and celebrating Jesus. It was such a great experience to meet so many members of different churches around Iowa. Pastor Tooman: Worship led by someone else beside me. The Bishop does an amazing job helping us to remember that Jesus died for the sins of the world and loves us no matter what.