The Mustard Seed October 2016 The Monthly Newsletter of St. John s Evangelical Lutheran Church The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field; which indeed is smaller than all seeds. But when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in its branches. Matthew 13:31-32 Pastor s Message 47 McLachlin Street, Arnprior, Ontario K7S 2Z1 Pastor: Norine Gullons Church Office: 623-4562 Pastor s office hours: Tuesday and Thursday 9:00-Noon Chairperson: Randy Zimmerling 623-9733 Ryan Zimmerling 622-5939 Jeff Kargus 623-0192 Beryl Richardson 623-4351 Lois Rosien 623-3010 Rhonda McTeer 623-0328 Melissa Watt 432-9305 Pastor Norine s note; There is a practice in some people s lives these days. At the end of each day they take some time to write or journal at least 5 things they are thankful for on that day. Sunday September 25 th both St. John s and St. James took time to be grateful for their respective faith communities. St. John s list is in this newsletter. They are personal and wonderful lists!
The Mustard Seed October 2016 Page 2 October brings fall, Thanksgiving, Oktoberfests, Reformation Sunday, fall dinners and Hallowe en. I think the most important issue is taking the time to give thanks. A certain grandchild in my life calls it being gracious. We extend our lives by giving our talents and time and possessions to others. Our special emphasis this month will be to support our local food banks in both Arnprior and Renfrew. In this way we hope to be gracious by hopefully providing some quality to others lives. Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3: verse 20 In Christ, Pastor Norine You Don t Want to Miss This! Sunday, October 16 th Bishop Michael Pryse will be visiting! We will have a joint service with St. James Renfrew at St. John s Arnprior. There is a sign-up sheet for an organized potluck at the church. Plan to attend...mark your calendars! Through CLWR s We Care program, all church groups and individuals were invited to be part of creating a quilt together to display at future events. St. John s is creating a 9 x 9 quilt square to be sewn into the 70 th Anniversary quilt! For more information speak with Pastor Norine or Beryl.
The Mustard Seed October 2016 Page 3 October Event Calendar Sunday 2 nd Worship service with Holy Communion 10:30 a.m. Monday-Wednesday 3 rd - 5 th The Bishop s Stewardship Practicum for Pastors in Orillia Sunday 9 th Worship service with Holy Communion 10:30 a.m. Thanksgiving Sunday - ** no social ** Tuesday - Friday 11 th - 14 th Pastor Norine on holidays Wednesday 12 th Pastor attends St. James council meeting at 5:00 p.m. Thursday 13 th Area Lutheran Pastors Meeting Schwartz, Quebec 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Saturday 15 th Synod sponsored Visioning Workshop 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. St. James, Renfrew Sunday 16 th Worship service with Holy Communion 10:30 a.m. Bishop Pryse will be our Guest Preacher Welcome St. James Renfrew! Monday 17 th Church Council Meeting 7:30 p.m. Wednesday 19 th Pastor Norine working in Renfrew all day Saturday 22 nd Grace Lutheran Annual Harvest Dinner Eganville from 3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Sunday 23 rd Worship Service with Holy Communion 10:30 a.m. Joanne Jehu presents FaithLife Financial during social Sunday 30 th Worship Service with Holy Communion 10:30 a.m. Reformation Sunday Sunday - Tuesday 30 th - 1 st Lutheran Pastors Annual All Saints Retreat Lutherlyn Camp and Conference Centre Wednesday-Sunday Nov. 2-6 Pastor attending Synod Council Meeting in Kitchener-Waterloo Bread and Wine on October 16 th is sponsored by Estella Boese in memory of her husband Melvin. If you would like to sponsor communion or provide flowers for the altar in memory of a loved one or to honour a special event, please sign up in the Narthex.
The Mustard Seed October 2016 Page 4 Church Council Report From September 2106 Pastor's report: Pastor presented her detailed activity report for August and September. People in the community were aware of Pastor and some members checking on seniors during the water outage in Arnprior. Pastor informed council that there are some current issues at Camp Lutherlyn that will require additional funding and support from congregations and synod. Some important upcoming dates: o October 15 th - Missions workshop at St. James in Renfrew o October 16 th - Bishop Pryse here; joint service with Renfrew and potluck following o November 1-6 - Synod Council meets Financial Report: Current offerings (excluding the portion contributed by St. James for Pastoral support) are up over 10% vs. the previous year. This is the 4 th consecutive year we have experienced a significant increase in current giving. Our offerings in support of Synod are in line with last year s giving. We continue to see a decrease in some expenses vs. the previous year such as: reduction in gas costs($500) reduction in printing expenses(doing more of our own vs. contracting out)($400) As we stated at the annual meeting we have invested this year in: purchase of a microphone for the pulpit($185) laptop computer for financial secretary($162) Our deficit to date is $22,077. Our balance sheet shows we have $81,500 in our bank account. World Hunger/Food Bank: To celebrate the 70 th Anniversary of Canadian Lutheran World Relief, Beryl will be submitting a quilting patch which will be attached to other congregation s quilt patches. Property: We will be attempting to complete 2 minor repairs: applying cement patches to the front steps complete the painting and caulking of the large window in the balcony Sound System: We have received the entire sound system from St. John s Deep River which includes microphones, stands, amplifier/control system and speaker We will be setting this system up and testing it and then installing it over the next couple of months. The finished product will give us the ability to have a microphone on the altar, pulpit and lectern. This will eliminate the need to use the wireless microphone and hopefully improve the sound quality especially for those with some hearing impairment.
The Mustard Seed October 2016 Page 5 Other Business: We have submitted an application to form a chapter for Faith Life Financial. The advantage is that Faith Life will match up to $500 any money we raise for charitable purposes. St. James Renfrew is proposing to contract another ½ day of Pastor Norine s time (on Wednesdays) and increase their Pastoral funding accordingly for 2017. Respectfully submitted on behalf of church council, Randy Zimmerling St. John s Celebrates 127 Years! This is where we were married over 10 years ago. I am grateful that St. John s is here because: Historical: I was married here 61 years ago. We were married here and kids baptized here. I came here in 1959 and have been on council and in choir. I have been here since 1938...can I say anymore... I came to Arnprior in 1953 and joined the young people. It was a good way to meet people. Thanks to the Lutheran Church to back in my teens (1960 s) when attending youth group in the hall. ps it is close by & handy when it rains. Ppss am an occasional visitor. My grandmother taught me about Jesus when I was a small boy. Being in the Lutheran tradition came to St. John s.
The Mustard Seed October 2016 Page 6 Faith family: It is my time of quiet to worship God and see all the people. They are here when you need them without question. Of the family as together we have grown up and loved each other. It became our Lutheran family and a place for our children to grow in faith. I have met wonderful people and enjoy the service of the word. There is a sense of family and belonging here. They welcomed me (I am shy) but with welcome arms made me feel comfortable thanks again. It connects me with a joyful spirit, strength and many people I would not otherwise know to listen, sing, and work with. I have found my faith again. It has helped me get involved in service and made me feel part of their loving community. The church was waiting for and welcoming to my family when we were ready to resume our spiritual journey together. They have always been a source of strength, even when I m absent. It s a part of my heart. And of course, there is always room for cake! Photos courtesy of Lorne Rueckwald
The Mustard Seed October 2016 Page 7 The Apple Tree Saturday, October 15 th 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. St. James Evangelical Church Renfrew, ON Upcoming Events We invite all the congregational leaders and other members who are interested in learning about mission to our one day workshop. Lunch, refreshments and program cost covered by Synod. Please, register by October 7. Registrar: Liz Zehr ezehr@elcic.ca or 519-743-1461. PURPOSE: 1. To raise mission consciousness 2. To help congregational leaders to develop mission-focused congregations where members are engaged with the world around them 3. To help congregations to implement new mission activities See poster in Narthex for more information Thank You Many thanks to the 16 women who came out to prepare fall decorations for our church. Special thanks to Lois Rosien, hostess: and "instructors" Lynn Rosien - Maxzene Watts-Melissa Watts. Please join us at 2pm on Sat.Oct.8th to finish decorating. Pastor Norine Coming soon... Watch for the new Animate Faith Discussion Group hopefully to start in November. A quote from a participant of the spring group: "Our study session was very inspiring and down to earth to understand. The maze (Labyrinth) was a surprise, to walk through it while meditating in the outdoors was beyond words. I enjoyed the group very much.
The Mustard Seed October 2016 Page 8 Shoeboxes are now available! Due: Sunday, November 16 th Need more information? Contact Jeff. Children around the world thank you! Postings in the Narthex Eastern Synod Lutheran Monthly Newsletter (or access online at: http://www.easternsynod.org/) Upcoming events at Galilee Centre website at http://www.galileecentre.com/programs/ Missions workshop at St. James, Renfrew October 15 th - register by October 7 th FaithLife Financial presentation at St. John s Arnprior October 23rd VOLUNTEER SCHEDULE FOR OCTOBER 2016 SUNDAY USHERS READING COFFEE/SOCIAL COUNTERS Oct. 2 nd Vicki Weichenthal Maureen Reuckwald Oct. 9 th Oct. 16 th Joy Statham **No social** Andy Kalnins Potluck Lunch Welcome Bishop Pryse! Oct. 23 rd Debbie Kargus Barb and Gerald Formuziewich Oct. 30 th Cathy/Randy Zimmerling Joanne and Lorne Bretzlaff Thank you volunteers! If you would like to help out, please sign-up in the Narthex! Note: Volunteers are always needed for weekly Communion set-up and clean-up. Free training is available! If interested, talk to a council member. Website: http://stjohnsarnprior.com http://www.facebook.com/pages/st-johns-lutheran- Church-Arnprior/302930049856065