CHURCH NEWSLETTER November 2018 Mount Calvary Lutheran Church Rooted in the Past; Sheltering the Present; Reaching Out to the Future; Empowered by the God of the Ages ` P. O. Box 484 5983 South Main Street Mt. Jackson, VA 22842 (540) 477-2421 mcoffice@shentel.net www.mountcalvaryva.org Mount Calvary Lutheran Church Virginia Rev. Matthew A. Diehl, Pastor (mtcalrev@shentel.net) Members of Mount Calvary, Ministers During the worship service on All Saints Sunday November 4 th Mount Calvary will again remember our members, our family, and our friends who entered the Church Triumphant during the past year. If you would like to have a family member or friend remembered during the November 4 th worship service, place their name on the sheet posted in the narthex or contact the church office (477-2421; mcoffice@shentel.net). Following the November 4 th worship service, our youth will host their annual Spaghetti Dinner & Bake Auction. Diners free-will offerings will support Project Dutch, the youths Christmas shopping for a local family. Proceeds from the bake auction are directed to the Youth Fund to cover the cost of youth activities and participation in Synod youth events
FROM PASTOR DIEHL Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:16-17 Dear Friends in Christ, Gratitude goes beyond the mine and the thine and claims the truth that all of life is a pure gift. In the past I always thought of gratitude as a spontaneous response to the awareness of gifts received, but now I realize that gratitude can also be lived as a discipline. The discipline of gratitude is the explicit effort to acknowledge that all I am and have is given to me as a gift of love, a gift to be celebrated with joy. Henri Nouwen This month we will celebrate our national holiday of Thanksgiving. November is a month when we take the time to celebrate an attitude of gratitude. There has been a long history of celebrating a festival of Thanksgiving in the month of November. It wasn t until 1863, during the middle of the Civil War, that Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national holiday of Thanksgiving. We often mark our thanksgiving by what we have and by the things in our lives for which we are thankful. We might consider ourselves blessed that we have a loving family or plenty of food and clean water so many things that we know we often take for granted that others around the world often live without. It is important to recognize the good things in our lives and to remember our sisters and brothers who might not have those things The bold beginning of Thanksgiving as a national holiday in the midst of the Civil War reminds us all that we can live with an attitude of gratitude even in the midst of difficulty. Perhaps the things for which we are thankful have less to do with the list of all the things we have and more to do with the very gift of life, love, and God's loving presence with us. Mary embodied this spirit, when she sang in thanksgiving for her blessings as a result of her pregnancy with Jesus, even as she faced a fiancé who wasn t sure if he could trust her and stay with her and a community who judged her harshly as an unwed teenage mother. Amidst all that she faced, she sang: My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name (Luke 1:47-49). Mary s spirit rejoiced and she boldly claimed herself as blessed because she trusted that God was with her. How can we embody an attitude of gratitude through the awareness of God with us this Thanksgiving season? As the holidays approach, it is easy to get caught up in the busyness and the bustle. It is easy for a time of joy and celebration to turn into a time of stress and exhaustion. Nevertheless, may we all sing with Mary this Thanksgiving season, and every day of our lives, aware and grateful for the ways God is present and at work in our lives. I invite us all to live with this truth: If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough. Meister Eckhart I look forward to greeting you in church next Sunday and on Sunday evening, November 18 th, when we will gather with our brothers and sisters of our community s churches at the Union Church for our annual Community Thanksgiving Service where we will worship God, the source of all good things. In thanksgiving,
The Congregation Council met in the social hall Monday evening, October 22. The following Council members were present: Pastor Diehl, Rebecca Diehl, Susan Foltz, Lynn Holtzman, Anita Miller, John Minnick, Barb Pifer, and Kay Whetzel. Council members Mary Ann Mahoney and Joe Proctor were unable to attend. Also present were Judy Fultz (Treasurer), and church members Bill Holtzman and Roger Rudy. Meeting information-sharing, discussions, decision-making, and announcements included the following: Several thank you notes were received including one from Lutheran World Relief for the quilts and health care kits and another from Good Shepherd Lutheran Church [Gaithersburg, MD] for Mount Calvary s donation in memory of Pastor Senger. Council members reported receiving numerous favorable comments about the newly redecorated social hall. Financial Secretary Lynn Holtzman presented a first draft of a proposed 2019 church budget. The Council will vote on a budget recommendation at their November meeting, taking the recommendation to the congregation at the December 9 th Annual Congregational Meeting. The Council continued to discuss the availability of a larger organ and received comments on and questions about this potential project. A church member had requested that the Council consider adding another handicap parking space to the back parking lot. Council approved to add this additional parking space for handicap use. A new hot water heater will be installed in the church parsonage. Council is looking at estimates for replacing the roof over the parish hall. Submitted by Barb Pifer, Council Secretary Sunday evening November 18; 7:00 Union Church
Member Contact Information
Zach Povlish November 7 Rhonda Bowers November 9 Michael November 13 Funkhouser Max Povlish November 18 Bekka Bodanske November 26 Debbie Price November 28
First Reading Isaiah 25:6-9 First Reading Daniel 12:1-3 The Psalm Psalm 24 The Psalm Psalm 16 Second Reading Revelation 21:1-6a Second Reading Hebrews 10:11-25 The Holy Gospel John 11:32-44 The Holy Gospel Mark 13:1-8 First Reading 1 Kings 17:8-16 First Reading Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 The Psalm Psalm 146 The Psalm Psalm 93 Second Reading Hebrews 9:24-28 Second Reading Revelation 1:4b-8 The Holy Gospel Mark 12:38-44 The Holy Gospel John 18:33-37 November 1, 1512 Michelangelo unveils the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. November 4, 1646 Massachusetts Bay Colony makes denying the Bible as the Word of God a capital offense. November 10, 1483 Martin Luther is born in Eisleben, Germany. November 11, 1992 The Church of England votes allowing women to become priests. November 19, 1861 Julia Ward Howe writes The Battle Hymn of the Republic. November 25, 1851 The first YMCA in America is organized in Boston. A national Thanksgiving Day is first observed in the United States as recommended by November 26, 1789 President George Washington and approved by Congress. November 28, 1863 Thanksgiving Day is first observed in the United States as an official national holiday. Christmas Cantata for Vocal Choir, Soloists, and Congregation Sunday, December 9 Sunday, December 23 Sunday, December 9 Sunday, December 23
Have you begun your holiday shopping? When shopping online, don t forget to use Mount Calvary s registration with Amazonsmile to direct 0.5% of your purchase price to the church. SPECIAL NOTE: Amazon will increase the percent of award for purchases made between October 29 and November 2. On your first visit to AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), of the many Mount Calvary churches listed, carefully select Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, Mt. Jackson, VA as the recipient of this benefit. Then, begin filling your cart! As the program s slogan explains,
Terry and Gloria Chambers Eleanor Funkhouser Frances Gerow Jeanette Jones Bill Lloyd Stephanie Melbourne Emma Smith Geraldine Whetzel Mickey Williams William Ballance, former pastor of Mount Calvary Lauren Barnett, daughter of Tammy Barnett Lorenzo Bean, husband of Dorothy Bean Bob Blackburn, brother-in-law of Anita Miller John Blosser, uncle of Randy Richards Victoria Bohus, friend of Bucky Miller Ken Chambers, son of Terry and Gloria Chambers Phyllis Clark, sister of Walter Marston Alice Coffelt, friend of Reba Thompson Christopher Diehl, cousin of Pastor Dieh Mary Beth Foltz, sister-in-law of G.B. and Susan Foltz Margie Frye, sister-in-law of Margaret, Tommy, and Charlie Frye Carol Griffin, sister-in-law of Jill Griffin Mike Grim, son of Dorothy Bean Larry Heltebran, step-father of Steve Povlish Daryl Kingree, nephew of Donnie Pifer Dick Krol, friend of Kay Whetzel Shirley Leake, friend of Micke y Williams Matt Long, father of Stella Long Barbara McDonald, aunt of Lisa McDonald Miller Johnny McDonald, brother of Lisa McDonald Miller Spencer McIntosh, father of Noel Frye Shirley McWilliams, niece of Frances Gerow Donna Painter, friend of the G.B. Foltz family Kathy Rinard, Rebecca Diehl s music teacher Linda Ryman, sister of Paul Ryman Wilson Ryman, friend of G.B. and Susan Foltz Ann Thompson Shirkey, friend of G.B. and Susan Foltz Neil Showalter, friend of Donnie Pifer Charlie Stephens, father of Regina Clements Ryan Tomoff, friend of Susan Foltz Dawn Whitecotton, sister of Pastor Diehl Naomi Wine, friend of Mickey Williams Nancy Zirkle, friend of Jane Grant Burner Sunday Worship Faith Formation Offering Attendance Attendance Received* September 30 48 [n/a] $2,433 October 7 (First Communion) 102 [n/a] $4,902 October 14 50 15 $4,339 October 21 (Homecoming) 86 [n/a] $2,628 AVERAGES 71.5 15 $3,575.50 *Budget Needs per Week: $3,345