Spring Newsletter 2019 Parkside Lutheran 2 Wallace Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14214 T: 716-836-1361 W: parksidelutheran.org Email: parksidelutheran@gmail.com From The Pastor: Mission Gives Direction Ash Wednesday is on March 6 th, marking the start of the Lenten season. This is more than a period of good fish fries! Lent is 40 days set apart for preparation. Traditionally this has happened through prayer, fasting, giving, confession, and other practices of self-reflection. At Parkside Lutheran we are going to try a new practice we are calling Mission Meals. We are inviting every single person who cares about this community to attend just one meal. Really that s it! Attend one meal. Over dinner I will lead guided conversation around our future and God s purpose for Parkside. These conversations will play a critical role in the formation of a new mission statement. What better time to have a self-reflective conversation about our community than in this season of preparation. But have you ever wondered why 40 days? In fact the bible seems to love this number 40. The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years, in Genesis it rained for 40 days and nights, and in the Gospels Jesus was in the desert for 40 days. Why 40? In her book Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again author Rachael Held Evans offers an important perspective on this number 40. Rather than being an exact enumeration of time, forty symbolizes a prolonged period of hardship, waiting, and wandering a liminal space between the start of something and its fruition She goes on to point out that 40 is the number of weeks for the gestation of a baby. For her this was a time in the wilderness. She became pregnant not long after experiencing a miscarriage. Hope and excitement mixed with fear and anxiety. In her times of need Rachael clung to the story of Mary. Particularly, this passage from the second chapter of Luke The days were accomplished that she should be delivered. Mary s story and Rachael s own experience of counting down the days till the birth of her healthy son taught her that no matter if its 40 years in the desert or a 40 week gestation, the most important tasks of life are accomplished a day at a time. (continued on next page) Ongoing Events Bible Study Class & Sunday School: every Sunday @9am Confirmation class: Every 3rd Sunday of the month @Crossroads Lutheran Church from 5-7pm Brewing Theology: Every 2nd & 4th Sunday 7pm Wellington Pub Burrito Project: Every 4th Tuesday of the month see upcoming events page 3 Food Pantry Collection March Canned Tuna April Canned Fruit May - Crackers June Canned Tuna Paper items such as toilet tissue and paper towels are always needed! The North Buffalo Food Pantry serves residents in zip codes 14214, 14216 & 14217 Page 1 of 10
(Pastor s letter continued) Deliverance is as much a transformation of the heart as it is a transference of the body. Lent is a time for our hearts to be transformed as we wait for the deliverance that we celebrate on Easter morning. Have you ever felt like you were stuck in the wilderness? Have you ever felt like you were aimlessly wandering looking for direction? On more than one occasion in over 100 years of ministry our faith community found itself in the wilderness. Yet, in every difficult moment God remained faithful. The time is now for all of us to examine our hearts and listen for where God is calling us into the world. God has delivered each of us for a purpose. We are invited to play a part in this Jesus movement, to share light and love in our corner of North Buffalo. However, we don t have to wait for Easter Sunday to experience deliverance from sin, evil, or even death. In Christ, God has already set us free. Together with the help of the Holy Spirit we will listen at our Mission Meals. Listen to one another and listen to the calling of God. We need you and your unique God given perspective. We give thanks for your partnership in this community. May we all experience transformed and renewed hearts this Lenten Season. God Bless, Pastor Jeremiah ******************************************************************* Council Report The Council is looking forward to Spring with the momentum of an inspiring Annual Meeting spurring us along. As a church community, we celebrated the accomplishments of 2018, recognized a few of the faithful volunteers who do so much for Parkside, passed a budget for 2019, approved an essential capital project to replace portions of the roof, and elected new members to our church council. The Council is especially thankful for the service of outgoing president Dave Macro, who led Parkside during a lengthy and stressful time of transition. Most importantly, we used the annual meeting to begin the work of discerning God s mission and purpose for Parkside. This work will continue during Lent with smaller dinner meetings at members homes. I strongly encourage everyone to attend at least one of these meetings. We need the input of everyone to develop the guiding principles that will steer us through the next five years and longer. The council will elect new officers and update committee liaison assignments during February. We ask for your prayers as we begin a new year. Onda Simmons Council Vice President ******************************************************************* Page 2 of 10
Gratitude and Recognition **************************** Congratulations to our former church council president, David Macro, on being selected as one of the recipients for the Magi Award. This award acknowledges individuals for their dedication, altruism and support through charitable endeavors with local ministries. David, and other nominees were selected by the Board of Lutheran Charities of Western New York. Save the date for the awards banquet on May 4 th. The ceremony will take place at Greenfield Manor in Depew. Please contact the church office if you are interested in attending. Tickets are $50 dollars but know that this event sells out every year. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED, MEN ESPECIALLY TRINITY OLD LUTHERAN - TLC at TOL Respite Care Program Additional Volunteers Needed for Respite Care Program at Trinity Old Lutheran Church (TOL). As we begin the fifth year of TLC at TOL, we are in need of additional volunteers to partner with guests on the first Wednesday of every month (9:45 am to 2:30 pm). Trinity Old Lutheran Church is located at 3445 Sheridan Drive (near Sweet Home Road) in Amherst. Caregivers whose loved ones have any form of dementia greatly benefit from the four-hours available to them. Guests are partnered with a volunteer as they participate in a variety of activities in a safe and secure environment. All volunteers receive basic respite training by the Alzheimer s Association (offered at various locations in the area or online). There are no requirements, other than a willingness and desire to spend time with someone who is memory impaired. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, or if you would like more information, please contact Co-coordinators Paulette or Jan through the church office (836-4868) or email tolrespitecare@gmail.com. You are invited to join us in this meaningful community outreach program that is designed to give caregivers muchneeded time for themselves! Upcoming Events Sunday, March 3 rd : Town Hall Meeting after Service to discuss 90 Day Goals Wednesday, March 6 th : Ash Wednesday 7pm Service Sunday, March 10 th : Daylight Savings Time Begins Monday, March 11 th : Tentative Exec Council Meeting Sunday, March 17 th : St. Patrick s Day Wednesday, March 20 th : First day of Spring /Yoga Parkside Spring Equinox & full moon workshop Monday, March 25 th : Tentative Council Meeting Sunday, April 14 th : Palm Sunday** Thursday, April 18 th : Maundy Thursday Worship 6:30pm** Friday, April 19 th : Good Friday Tenebrae Service 7pm** Saturday, April 20 th : Spring Special Event tentative Easter Egg Hunt, Pancake Breakfast fundraiser and Zoo Mobile Sunday, April 21 st : Easter Sunday** Monday, April 22 nd : Earth Day Sunday, May 12 th: Mother s Day Sun, June 2 nd : Save the Date! Chicken BBQ Sunday, June 16 th: Father s Day Vacation Bible School July 8-12 There is a calendar link on our website so you can see all that is happening: www.parksidelutheran.org Page 3 of 10
Brewing Theology Join Pastor Jeremiah and Pastor Emily (of Lutheran Parish of the Tonawandas) gather at Wellington Pub on Hertel Avenue. Together they lead a small group discussion on faith and current events. Discussion begins at 7:00 pm and wraps up shortly after 8:00. This event is targeted for younger adults who are in their 20 s and 30 s. If you want to check this group out or have a potential topic for discussion just reach out to Pastor Jeremiah! Join us every 2nd & 4th Sunday. Outreach Ministry Committee: Searching for Parkside s Mission Last year was our first year as a committee and we had a wonderful time learning and growing. In 2019, we intend to help support our quest as a congregation to find a mission for Parkside and seek to answer the questions: where is God taking us? In the meantime, we continue to do the work of our committee and seek to share the Gospel and the love of God beyond Parkside s walls. The Burrito Project has been a powerful addition over the past several months, and we continue to do this work the 4 th Tuesday of the month. We are always in need of volunteers to head up the cooking and distribution of the burritos, and continue to seek someone who wishes to take on and lead this particular ministry. If you re interested in being involved or having a leadership role, please see Pastor, Gigi Jankowski, or Kathie Macro. Since our work to reach out to the community has been very successful at both Halloween and Christmas, we are adding an outreach event this Spring on Saturday April, 20. We are planning a huge Easter Egg hunt and Pancake Breakfast fundraiser and we will be asking for donations of many items and people interested in helping with this event. We have the Buffalo Zoo Mobile coming and hope to draw crowds the way we do for our other events. If you re interested in or able to help please see Pastor, Kathie Macro, or Gigi Jankowski. Specifically, we would love for someone to volunteer to run the Pancake breakfast portion of the event so let us know if you re up for the challenge! Look for more details on this event in the weeks ahead! Page 4 of 10
Stewardship by Katherine Macro When Pastor asked me to speak, I said, Are you sure? I m a crier! Apparently he was, because I received an email a few days later with topics and questions to consider for this morning. I truly didn t know where to start with all of that, but I did know that when I read the stewardship letter he sent out on Friday, this one bible verse stood out to me: For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Jeremiah 29:11 I thought about this verse a lot as I contemplated what to say about stewardship, about myself, about my family, about what Parkside means to me. I love the message; the hope. I live in the hope as much as I can but it isn t always easy. Life gets in the way sometimes and God s plan sometimes is hard to see. I m a Pastor s kid a PK. I don t really remember a time without church in my life. I grew up proud of being Lutheran, but I never really questioned it either. I grew up in church; in Sunday school, First Communion classes, Confirmation classes, youth group, camp, youth gatherings church is part of who I am and it always has been. For me, church is family; it was never about the building, and always about the people. When my father retired, we had to decide what to do about a church home. It was a big decision. Dave and I wanted to raise our children in a place they could grow, participate, and love. We came to Parkside because it is in our neighborhood. We joined because we felt like we could be part of doing something good. We liked that the church was close to our house, in our city, and that so many other groups were here too, meeting and operating out of the space. We liked that community connection, and Parkside was rebuilding when we joined. We were excited about being part of that. We still are. I think this is part of God s plan. As a member of Parkside, I wanted to be part of working on Outreach. I ve seen so much good and so much love spread into our community through simple things; and I wanted to be part of those moments. When our church is filled at Halloween and Christmas time with so many families from the surrounding neighborhood and the organizations that use our building all talking about how wonderful a place this is, it fills my soul. God s house should be wonderful. When the AA groups we provided breakfast or dinner for are profoundly thankful and moved by the gesture, I feel God s love and see his plan for me and for Parkside. When my family walked in the Pride Parade and my kids heard people shouting and praising Lutherans and saying heartfelt thank you s for the support we gave their community, I felt God s plans for my welfare and not my harm. When I was blessed to help last month with the Burrito Project I was humbled by such a powerful ministry and wanted to do more; it was a future of hope. You see, to me, stewardship is making a difference; it s about mission and message as a community of God. It isn t about a building or even one specific place. This bible verse from the book of Jeremiah speaks to me because I am so profoundly blessed in this life. I have a wonderful marriage with the truest companion; two beautiful children, a career I love, and a church that ministers to me on Sundays and to the world the rest of the week. I believe this is God s plan for me. I am part of Parkside because I believe that God is at work here. In the weeks ahead, Dave and I plan to look into our giving commitment in the hopes that we can grow one step. We both dedicate much of our time to Parkside, but we realize the real world requires more than our time. We want to support the mission of this church and see what else God s plan has in store for Parkside. I encourage all of you to do the same; as the Bible says, For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Page 5 of 10
Lenten Mission Meals Each Wednesday in Lent (March 13 th April 10 th ) we will gather in different members homes for fellowship, a meal, and guided conversation. Pastor Jeremiah will lead each evening as we continue to work on our mission/purpose statement. We are asking that anyone who cares about this community attend just one meal. That s right, just one meal. Your participation and input will shape the future of Parkside for years to come. Together we will uncover God s mission for our community. Please sign up for a meal by contacting the church office or by adding your name to the signup poster in the church narthex (lobby). ************************************************************************************************************************************* Welcome our new Nursery Room Attendant Claire Buscemi Claire has extensive experience and came highly recommended. She is a North Buffalo resident with a B.A. in Psychology and English with a minor in Child Advocacy from Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Nursery Room hours are Sundays 9:45-11:15am ************************************************************************************************************************************ Page 6 of 10
90 Day Goals How do you swallow an elephant? One bite at a time! This was a refrain that was repeated multiple times at a conference I attended in Las Vegas this past month. Currently 20% of ELCA churches are experiencing growth and vitality. This conference was all about sharing tools and learning s from dynamic faith communities within the larger church. One practical piece of advice was to make two or three small goals that you can focus on and achieve within 90 days. We all know Parkside (and every community) has a plethora of areas for growth. However, by focusing on just a few, for short periods of time, we can track our progress and better collaborate. So for the next 90 days we will be focusing on these three goals 1. Gain clarity around God s purpose for Parkside Lutheran Church. We seek to achieve this through our Lenten mission meals, by reading the book Inspired, and by special coffee hour conversations hosted by myself in May. We will finish this goal by launching our new mission statement on Pentecost Sunday, June 9 th. See Council President Onda to learn how you can help. 2. Strengthen the Church Finance Committee. For the longest time Janet Stout and Terry Kinney have done a fantastic job making all things finance happen at Parkside. However, as we seek increased health and vitality in the church, we need new volunteer support. We are requesting the assistance of a few more volunteers. Together we will explore online giving, increasing the number of trained donation counters for Sundays, review investment guidelines, and increase transparency. Speak to church treasurer Kyle for how you can help. 3. Declutter Parkside. Over many faithful years of ministry, areas of the church have collected a multitude of items. As we prepare for whatever comes next in our ministry we want to free up space to live into our new mission. Additionally, in certain parts of the building our unused items hamper the activities of community partners. Decluttering is an action of preparation and of hospitality. If you would like to assist please speak to the property committee or Linda Witmer. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. - 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 God has given you gifts for a purpose! We invite you to consider using your gifts to assist with one of the above goals. If you have questions or comments about these three goals, I invite you to attend our town hall meeting on March 3 rd. I will host a conversation at coffee hour immediately following service for anyone who would like to talk about how we might achieve these goals in the next 90 days. Thank you for being an important part of this community. God Bless, Pastor Jeremiah Council President: Onda Simmons, odsimmons@gmail.com Vice-president: Jordan Then, jordan.then@gmail.com Treasurer: Kyle Walek, llepsgnilaeh@live.com Secretary: Linda Witmer, pwitmer@yahoo.com Page 7 of 10
Do You Have CHOICE DOLLARS to Allocate? Do you have Thrivent financial products that give you Choice Dollars? If so, you can direct where these Choice Dollars are given by going to https://service.thrivent.com or calling 800-847-4836. Your 2018 Choice Dollars must be allocated by March 31 st. Among the many choices you have are Parkside Lutheran Church, LCLC, Lutheran Charities. And this year a new group has been added, Functional Literacy Mission of Haiti (FLM of Haiti). FLM Haiti is a Pittsburg-based charity that empowers Haitians to help themselves through education, healthcare and hope. For the past four years, Janet Stout has gone to Haiti to help by teaching sewing and business skills to nine Haitian ladies. They are currently in the process of using their skills to form a sewing business to help their family and community. All prayers and donations are received with thanks. Other News: LET S KEEP IN TOUCH, SPREAD THE NEWS & SHARE IDEAS. Content wanted for our Summer Newsletter. Contact Kris Pope through the church office by May 13 th. Refundable bottle collection for 2018 was $102.00. This money supplies the kitchens with coffee, creamer, sugar, plates, napkins etc.. We are still collecting refundable bottles to raise funds for coffee hours & other church services. Collection totes are in Atonement Hall and in the Stowell Lounge cupboard. Thank you! Souper Bowl Sunday Update: With your help, 107 cans of soup were collected & delivered to food pantry! Every Thursday in Lent (March 14 th April 11 th ) at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church: Jesus Last Parables, a brief service at 12pm. $6 Full Course Lunch follows the program. Pastor Jeremiah will be guest preacher on March 14 th! For more information, visit to www.holytrinitybuffalo.org We are always looking for more folks who are willing to be counters after church on Sunday Mornings. The hope is that you would work with a partner and count one Sunday a month. Interested folks should speak with Linda Witmer or Onda Simmons, or contact Kris Pope through the church office. The Property Committee is comprised by members of Parkside Lutheran Church who are interested in maintaining the building structure, maintenance, upkeep and other small jobs to keep PLC in good working order. Some of these projects include painting, gardening, replacing light bulbs, repairing broken doors, latches, etc. The Property Committee meets on Tuesday mornings. If you can share some of your time and talents the committee would love to have you join them. You need not commit to weekly attendance. Interested folks should speak with Fran Ball or contact Kris Pope through the church office. Many hands make light work Page 8 of 10
Prayer Requests/Pastoral Needs Did you know that Parkside sends out a weekly prayer list? You can sign up to be on the Prayer Tree by emailing Kris, our office administrator, at parksidelutheran@gmail.com. Names can be submitted by emailing, writing requests on the worship attendance sheet, or by adding names to the prayer list located in the church Narthex prior to the start of services. For pastoral needs you can call the church office or email Pastor Jeremiah directly at prjeremiahpsmith@gmail.com. Flowers are the Language of Love! Please consider sponsoring the altar flowers for Sunday worship. You can dedicate them to anyone or anything you choose, a loved one's birthday, in memory of someone, anniversary, or just because. The cost is $25. You can fill out a form and place in the offering plate or you can call/email the church office and mail in the payment. Forms are located in the narthex. Please get your requests in at least ONE WEEK prior. There is also a sign up sheet on the bulletin board in the narthex for you to reserve the date/s you want. PARKSIDE STAFF Rev. Jeremiah Smith: prjeremiahpsmith@gmail.com Kris Pope, Office Administrator: parksidelutheran@gmail.com Mike Hooker, Music Director: mrhooker@me.com Contact us: (716) 836-1361 parksidelutheran.org parksidelutheran@gmail.com Visit & Like us on Facebook! Parkside Lutheran Church Worship Service is every Sunday at 10am All are welcome! Page 9 of 10
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