christ lutheran chronicle November 2018 christ lutheran church 1955 East Oakland Park Boulevard Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33306 Parish Office: 954-564-7673 Website: www.christlutheranfl.org Pastor Deborah Geweke, D.Min. 1
From the council Your council met on Tuesday October 16. The meeting was opened with devotions presented by Pastor Deborah. The minutes were approved as presented. The council agreed that in order to save time at the meeting, we will send out the minutes by email, prior to the meeting. This would allow for review before and thus less time during the meeting. The treasurer s report was presented by Denise Innes. She is still in the process of reconciling the budget after the switch over. There is still some discussion regarding bills from the lawn company, once this is straightened out, we may look into getting proposals from other companies to see if we can lower our costs. Pastor Deborah reported that she visited shut-ins. She also attended the installation of Pastor Schaeffer at St. Stephens. The preparations for Pastor Deborah are essentially complete and we are looking forward to the liturgy of the installation. The preschool teachers will be instructed that they must have all personal items out of the school before the end of the year. Then when it is determined that all financial obligations are met, considerations of what to do with the school facility. There will be a meeting with Joe Nebel, Jon Vogt, JW Arnold, and the electricians to determine how to upgrade the lighting in the choir and organ area. There was also a discussion about how to get the donated televisions mounted at the rear of the sanctuary. They would be used for reminders of church activities and the sharing of photos of the church. Council members will contact a potential new member for council. The council approved the purchase of an ad in the spiritual section of the South Florida Gay News for six months. The newspaper is published weekly and we will be featured in an editorial article in the month of November, written by Pastor Deborah. It was agreed that with our proximity to Wilton Manors this is an excellent opportunity to reach out into our community. Thank you to David Zastrow for making the contacts for us. A new letterhead has been developed for the church that reflects the change of the preschool closure. The letterhead was approved with only minor changes in the dimensions of it s components. The council approved a $100 donation to the Florida group of WELCA. (Women of the ELCA) to show support for this organization. It was also stated that we would like to see a WELCA group established within our congregation, and to include nearby congregations to join with us. The next council meeting will be on November 20, 2018. Everyone is invited to attend the meeting. Council minutes from September (BELOW) 2
MINUTES OF CHRIST LUTHERAN CHURCH COUNCIL MEETING Tuesday, September 18, 2018, 7 p.m. Present: Denise Coller, Pastor Deborah Geweke, Rob Goodrich, Tammi McGee, Donna Person, Betty Sachleben, David Zastrow Excused: Joe Nebel Also Present: Denise Innes, Scot Coller, Chair of Finance Committee Devotions: Pastor Deborah President Betty Sachleben called the meeting to order at 7:07 p.m. August 30 Council Meeting Minutes - A motion was made by Denise Coller, seconded by Rob Goodrich, and unanimously approved to accept the minutes as presented. Treasurer's Report - Denise Innes reported that there were deposits of $11,355. The checking account has a balance of $55,271.37. Expenses were a lot higher for this month. All bills have been paid including the payment to All Year Cooling to replace the Preschool air conditioner and to J&A Electric in the amount of $2,222.17 for the electrical work. Denise has completed the check reconciliation through April 2018. The rest of the months should be easy. She had to go back and recreate several months. Pastor's Report - Pastor Deborah visited Helga Rose. Former Bishop Bob Schaefer will be installed as the new pastor of St. Stephen's Lutheran Church in Pompano Beach on October 14 at 3 p.m. Pastor Deborah will be attending the Clergy Convocation the first week of November and also the Women of the ELCA Fall Gathering in Leesburg from November 9-11, 2018. Pastor's Installation - Pastor Deborah's installation is scheduled during the service on Sunday, October 21, with the Assistant to the Bishop in attendance. Reformation Service - St. John's Lutheran Church in Hollywood will hosting a Reformation service on Sunday, October 28 at 3 p.m. Preschool Update - The Preschool is a separate corporation with its own board members. Both Donna Person and David Zastrow, Preschool Board members, voted to close the Preschool due to low attendance and not having adequate funds to pay the teachers' salaries and the school's expenses. A letter was sent out to the parents explaining the situation. Several parents were interested in doing fundraising to keep the Preschool open. After Denise Innes did an audit reviewing the Preschool's records, it was found that the teachers have not been paid their full salaries for some time, and the school should have been closed years ago. The staff was paid about half their monthly salaries, understood the Preschool's financial situation, and was not expecting to be paid for hours they had not reported, which was their own doing. Compensation cannot be given without documentation. It was suggested that the Preschool's staff sign a letter stating that no further compensation is owed them so they cannot come back and try to collect back pay. The Preschool's health insurance through Aetna needs to be cancelled. notified. All vendors needed to be Rite of Closing the Preschool - Sunday, September 30 during the service. Current and former parents and students will be e-mailed and invited to attend. Tree Trimming - All the hardwood trees were trimmed on the church's property for the approved $1,750. The company did a good job. Joe Nebel was thanked for obtaining the estimates, providing guidance, and for completing this project. 3
Electrical Work - J.W. Arnold, the church's musician, stated that light bulbs in the sanctuary, especially over the organ and the choir, need to be replaced. Pastor Deborah will speak with Jon Vogt to see if he has any connections about obtaining a lift to reach the lights. The batteries for the exit signs were replaced. Betty Sachleben's brother was able to get a new light fixture working. Mission Action - God's Work Our Hands - Only four (4) people (two BSO deputies and two other people) drove up and took advantage of the hot dog lunch provided in the church's parking lot on September 9. Mollie, Tammi, and Taylor McGee along with A.J. suggested that it would be best to take the food directly to the homeless. They volunteered to take the lunches to the library downtown where the homeless live and congregate. The homeless were very appreciative of the food, and all the lunches were gone in matter of few minutes. It was suggested that toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, toiletries, flip flops, and socks be collected and distributed to the homeless on an ongoing basis. Poverello's and homeless organizations could be called to find out the best way to get these items to those in need. Find an organization and use their resources. The congregation could also volunteer at Helping Hands in Hallandale to sort food. Mission Support - Research has to be performed to find out how much money was received from the bazaar in 2017 and 2018. Ten percent (10%) of the funds collected are to be designated for mission support. Poverello's - A letter was received from Poverello's thanking the congregation for their donations to the food bank that serves 3,000 families in the Wilton Manors area. South Florida Gay News - David Zastrow will research the cost of placing an ad in the Spirituality section of this newspaper that distributes 10,000 copies weekly. Possibilities for New Council Members - Margot Watson, Terry or Fred (new choir members). Relay for Life - Friday, September 29 in the evening. Denise and Scot Coller, Pastor Deborah, and Marion Springer will be walking for Angela's Angels to raise funds to combat cancer. Blessing of the Animals - Sunday, October 7 at 3 p.m. Ice Cream Social - An ice cream social and bingo will be held at Vizcaya, an adult assisted living facility, on Sunday, September 30 from 1 to 3 p.m. as part of God's Work Our Hands. Next Council Meeting - Tuesday, October 16 at 7 p.m. A motion to adjourn was made by Betty Sachleben and seconded by Denise Coller. The meeting adjourned at 9:36 p.m. with the reciting of the Lord's Prayer. Submitted by, Donna Person, Council Secretary 4
Installation of Pastor Deborah Geweke on October 21. Yes, Pastor Deborah has been with us for multiple years. It does seem as if she would have already been our permanent Pastor. She was our interim pastor provided by the Synod and then we decided that she was a perfect fit for leading us on our Christian path. Due to the guidelines which preclude interim pastors from being called as permanent pastors and also our congregation s previous history, this has been a long process. But one which has been well worth the effort. We are blessed to have Pastor Deborah with us. We have seen growth in our Christian family, not just numbers, but in our faith life, our community outreach, and our sense of family. We wanted to share some of the pictures for those who couldn t be here. Also please check Christ Lutheran Church FL on Facebook and ChristLutheranFL.org for additional pictures and information. It was a true blessing to have Pastor Khadere El-Yateem, assistant to Bishop Saurez to officiate at the installation. He made the liturgy so meaningful. We were very happy that his wife Grace was also able to join in worship with us. Also in attendance were Glenn and Jeanette Geweke, Pastor s parents and their long -time friends from Chicago. Pastors Melinda Plumley and Julie Frank fellow, seminary graduates, were also there to provide their love and support. 5
Laying on of hands Blessings & Love filled me this special day of grace. Many thanks to my family in Christ for blessing me with my home in Christ at Christ. Pr. Deborah 6
LAFF DINNER We had 26 people at Ambry s German Restaurant. Lots of good food and Fellowship. We were so happy to have Jeanette and Glenn Geweke, Pastor s parents, joining us. We shared Grace and Thanksgiving In November we will celebrate our LAFF Dinner on Thursday November 15, 2018.at 6:30 p.m.at Zuckerello s 3017 E Commercial Blvd. This is the German restaurant we went to last year and had so much food and fellowship. There will be a signup sheet in the rear of the church. See you there 7
Question?? Do you have any that you celebrate during the Christmas season? Do you remember special traditions from home when you were growing up? I am asking that you share these with us. It dosen t need to be longer than two or three sentences. For example, we always put a candle in our front window two or three weeks before Christmas. Check in next month to find out why. Please send the family tradition to me at bettysach@hotmail.com We will include them in a special section for our December issue. Looking forward to these shared traditions. Seafarer s House Each year we collect items for the Seafarer s and there will be collection boxes at the rear of the church. So remember to bring you donations, Please. 8
Upcoming Activities 11/4/18 All Saints Sunday- Remembering the saints who went before us. Time change. Fall back one hour at 2 a.m. this morning 11/15/ 18 LAFF dinner at Zuckerello s at 6:30 p.m. 11/17/18 Bazaar set up at 6 a.m. close at 2 p.m. 11/17-18/ 18 Children s Ballet Theatre performance of Coppelia 11/22/18 Thanksgiving Day - remember to give thanks for all our blessings. in memoriam We are remembering those who lost their lives, were wounded, and all those affected by the tragedy at Tree of Life Synagogue on Saturday, October 27, 2018. Our thoughts and prayer are with all those affected by this terrible action. We as Christians have a responsibility to support all in love and concern. We must speak out and declare our support for others, even if they differ from our viewpoint. Remember, they will know we are Christians by our love. 9
2018 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 4 All Saints Sunday Liturgy @ 10:00 a.m. Fellowship Adult Ed. Confirmation 11 Liturgy @ 10:00 a.m. Fellowship @ 11:15 Adult Ed. Confirmation 18 Liturgy @ 10:00 a.m. Fellowship @ 11:15 Adult Ed. Confirmation 25 Liturgy @ 10:00 a.m. Fellowship @ 11:15 Adult Ed. Confirmation 1 2 3 Turn clocks back 1 hour at 2 a.m. tomorrow 5 6 7 8 9 10 12 13 14 15 LAFF Dinner at Zuckerello s @ 6:30 p.m. 19 20 Church Council Mtg. @ 7p.m. 16 17 Bazaar 6 am to 2 pm 21 22 Thanksgiving 23 24 26 27 28 29 30 10