The Voice Westerville, Ohio September 2012 of grace Evangelical Lutheran Church One in the Spirit
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, It has been a wonderfully busy summer of mission and ministry at Grace. Among the many summer highlights was the week of Vacation Bible School (VBS) and Lutheran Outdoor Ministries in Ohio (LOMO) Day Camp (see We re so glad you asked. page 3). About 170 children learned, sang, danced and celebrated the gifts of the Holy Spirit under the banner One in the Spirit. Listening to the old, familiar camp songs the children sang with such gusto brought back a flood of memories. My wife Julie, our three children Kurt, Eric and Lauren, and I enjoyed 18 years of family camping at LOMO s Camp Luther on Lake Erie in Ashtabula, OH. Julie and I still chuckle about our first trip. Our now 26 year-old son Eric was only 2. He was having a grand old time running around with other children, singing, playing and learning how at church camp it s perfectly OK to make lots of noise celebrating God s love! About the third day as we were returning to our cabin after breakfast for morning family devotions, Eric looked up at Julie and me with a great big smile on his face, eyes wide-open with joy, and asked, Is this our new home? He looked a little disappointed when we told him it was our home for a week. But he perked up when we told him we d be coming back. And we did another 17 times. Feeling their energy and listening to our VBS/ LOMO Day Camp children fill our worship space with their prayers and singing, I remembered one of my favorite Camp Luther songs. The song s refrain sings, Have you seen Jesus my Lord? He s here in plain view. Take a look, open your eyes. He ll show it to you. Every day of the week during VBS/LOMO Day Camp Jesus was in plain view in the children s faces and in the faces of all the big people who so generously gave of their time and talent. Another summer has come and gone. Vacations are memories. School s back in session. The days grow shorter as the setting sun s rays grow longer. Have you seen Jesus, my Lord? I invite you to take a look, open your eyes and see the many ways Jesus is Lord in your life and through the mission and ministry of our family of faith we call Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church. Have you seen Jesus, my Lord? He s here in plain view! With you seeing Jesus our Lord, Pastor Will R a l ly D ay at Grace Nineteen Sunday School Teachers were installed on Rally Day: Lisa Kuhar, Lisa Stoll, Randy Stoll, Patti Barb, Linda Fichtelman, Nancy Gurgiolo, Tami Banks, Robert Ayers, Joanne Figge, Kirsten Hicks, Kim Haynes, Molly Oakleaf, Teri Roshon, Carrie O Neil, Dan George, Ted Ray, Bill Kulju, Larry Beckwith, Sara Peters. Rally Day sent some of the young people to Trapper John s for a canoe trip. Sunday School Teachers installed on Rally Day Rally Day was Homecoming Day for Pastor Walston. His Challenge to church was- not to get, but to give. Rally Day s SPECIAL Music! There s something NEW in Sunday School! See page 9 The VOICE of Grace September 2012 - Page 2
10-Day Holy Land Tour, November, 2013 Pastor Will Hartfelder and Bishop Callon W. Holloway are working together to offer members of our Southern Ohio Synod the opportunity to travel to Israel in early November, 2013. The 10-day tour includes hotels, airfare, in-country transportation, all breakfasts and dinners and most lunches. Planned locations are: Caesarea Maritima; Mount Megiddo (Armageddon), Caesarea Philipi, Nazareth, Cana, the Sea of Galilee, Mount of the Beatitudes, Capernaum, Bethlehem, the Dead Sea, Jerusalem, and many more. The estimated cost is $3,349* per person (double-occupancy hotel room). At this time there is room for 30 participants. Please contact Pastor Will (614-882-3026; w.hartfelder@grace43081.org) with your questions and to reserve a place. *price does not include gratuities (ca. $90), optional travel insurance ($270) and airport tax and fuel surcharges which are subject to change until tickets are issued. S es r i as pt he i r ns a A bounty of school supply donations were made by the Seraphina Sisters to the Westerville Caring and Sharing, Back to School campaign. Sixteen backpacks, lunchboxes, countless crayons/markers/pencils, toiletries and more should help many Westerville students kick-start a great school year! Pictured above are: L-R back - Julie Abrams, Nancy Gurgiolo, Kim Haynes, Jess Manly, Nicky Rothmann, Connie Brenning. Front - Lori Wilson, Angela Hughes, Molly Oakleaf, Erin Bopp. Also contributing but not pictured - Kristi George and Amy Quinn. Thank you, Seraphina Sisters! The VOICE of Grace We re so glad you asked.....a response to questions and concerns on a variety of topics. If you have a question, please put it in writing and deliver it to the Church Office or email it to: office@grace43081.org. Questions must be signed. Question: I heard about 170 children participated in July s Vacation Bible School and LOMO (Lutheran Outdoor Ministries in Ohio) Day Camp held at Grace in cooperation with St. Paul Lutheran Church. Where did all the children come from? The number of children reflects a vibrant mixture of children from both congregations, friends of members, and children from the immediate neighborhood. In fact, 24 VBS children were from Grace s Little Blessings preschool. This year s LOMO Day Camp had the largest ever number of children from Grace. One in the Spirit was the week s theme based on Paul s words about the fruit of the Spirit in his letter to the Galatians (5:22-23). A very special part of the week on Thursday was when the 5th graders (see below) brought 210 pounds of food to the Westerville Area Resource Ministry (W.A.R.M.). They helped stock shelves and prepare for the arrival of the day s clients. Their food contribution helped provide 3.5 families with three meals a day for one week. Approximately 300 children and adults enjoyed Thursday night s VBS/Day Camp picnic. Food left from the picnic was used the next day to help W.A.R.M. s Summer Lunch program. This was the 6th year Grace and St. Paul teamed up for this important youth and family ministry. Our annual partnership in ministry is an example of being One in the Spirit not only to our children but also to our community. September 2012 - Page 3
Katharine Circle will meet in the library on Tuesday, September 4 at 7:15 p.m. Our lesson at this meeting is Ready for God s Grace which will be led by Dorothy Crain. Please join us! Katharine Circle Katharine Circle will meet in the library on Tuesday, Sept. 4, at 7:15 pm. We are finishing our series on Woman of God. Our lesson at this meeting is Ready for God s Grace led by Dorothy Crain. If you are interested in joining us or have any questions, call Margie Cepek at 882-7136. Make plans now to come join us! Ruth Circle Meets September 10 And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave you, or to return from following after you: for where you go, I will go; and where you lodge,i will lodge: your people shall be my people, and your God my God. -Ruth 1:16 (AKJV) The Ruth Circle will meet on September 10, 2012 and will be studying Couples of the Old Testament, Lesson #7 David and Abigail. This circle meets in Garden Room # 1 at 1 p.m., on the second Monday of each month. Coffee and light refreshments are served. An offering is taken and is applied to various ministries. For more information contact Joyce Strung at 523-3663. The Serphina Sisters Fall Schedule Sept. 14: Host - Angela Hughes, Devotion - Kristi George Oct. 12: Host - Kristi George, Devotion - Connie Brenning Ladies are invited to email me at cbrenning@att.net to get Yahoo group info to obtain details on these events. Guests from Jordensdorf Grace congregation will host about 25 members of the Jordensdorf Parish in North Germany, Mechlenburg area near the Baltic Sea, in mid-october. As part of a visit to several cities in the United States members from this sister congregation will spend four days in Westerville and central Ohio. Various activities are being planned with visits to local sites. A reception is anticipated between services on October 21 at which time the Sunday School will present funds raised to help the Jordensdorf congregation replace their roof on this very old and historic church. This will also provide an opportunity for Grace members to meet and greet our guests. More information will soon be provided in the Bulletin as plans are finalized about the visit and how we might all help to support the visit. Call Committee Up-Date Chairman Lisa Kuhar reported that the call committee held their second session on August 21. They are in the process of preparing for the upcoming interviews of prospective applicants for the position of Associate Pastor here at Grace. The next session will be held on September 11, 2012. The committee is thankful for your prayers as they move forward in this important process of calling an Associate Pastor to be with us in the mission that God entrusts into our hands. Supper Club Schedule September 20th - Cantina Laredo at Polaris October 18th - Polaris Grill - Off Polaris Parkway November - Unknown at this time December 13th - China Dynasty on Rt 161 Sign-up sheets at the Welcome Center. Supper Club has become very popular and another great way to get to know one another in a casual social setting. All are welcome! The grateful heart is a manifestation of one s true self. Nothing sidelines the ego more effectively than a grateful heart. Albert Nolan -Jesus Today The VOICE of Grace September 2012 - Page 4
Honor the Lord with your substance and the first fruits of all your produce. (Proverbs 3:9) Truly this growing season has produced fresh produce abundantly if you have been able to keep it watered. Remember W.A.R.M. with your excess fruits and vegetables. Dan and I have already given over 50 pounds of summer squash and zucchini from our garden and there are more coming on. The fresh products are greatly appreciated and readily selected when clients do their shopping at the pantry. Not everyone plants a garden but we all go to the grocery store to stock up on needed food items, so please take this grocery list with you and add a few items to give to our First Fruits emphasis at Grace. ALWAYS CHECK ITEMS FOR EXPIRATION DATES. September s grocery list is: q peanut butter and jelly, canned vegetables (excluding beans and corn) and side dish helpers. q Hygiene items: deodorant and toothpaste. q Immediate needs are: canned meats, tuna and chicken, canned fruits (all kinds), boxed raisins and hot cereal (oatmeal) Hygiene items of diapers (size 6), toilet paper and hotel/motel hygiene products that you acquire on your travels. Take your garden produces directly to W.A.R.M. at 175 A East Broadway, Westerville (around to the back of the building) Our grocery carts can only accommodate non-perishable items. Contributions may be made at any time. Checks should be made out to Grace Lutheran Church, notation to W.A.R.M. Contact Jill Morrison at 614-882-5445 to volunteer for a First Fruits Sunday. In our abundance, the meal at the program for Day Camp resulted in an over supply of baked beans and wa- The Harvest is Plentiful! termelon. This food was given to W.A.R.M. and they were able immediately to give it to needy families at one of their Lunch program sites. The extra buns and potato chips were taken to W.A.R.M. s pantry. This contribution is not included in total poundage for August but provided a vital addition to all that was given by you and by the children who donated food items during Day Camp for the month of August. God s blessings to all who are making this outreach ministry a part of your regular tithes and offerings and thanks from all who benefit from this outreach ministry. Next First Fruits: September 2 and then October 7. vaugust 5 totalsv Food/Hygiene = 466.2 pounds Monetary = $ 505 (of this, 245 pounds were donated during Day Camp) Totals to date in 2012 Food/Hygiene = 2,685.5 pounds Monetary = $ 3,422 Remember the General Mills Box Top$ The Central Ohio Women s Auxiliary of Lutheran Social Services continues to accept Cancelled Stamps and Campbell Company labels: LSS is collecting the BOX TOP$ rectangle on the top of General Mills products. These are redeemable for 10 cents apiece for Oesterlen Services for Youth. Place these along with cancelled stamps and UPS bar codes from Campbell Company Labels in our grocery carts. July Event Nets Over 3 Tons of Electronic Waste Community Computer Alliance Executive Director Dan Hurst has reported that the total amount of electronic recyclable and scrap collected on July 21, 2012 was 6,768.4 pounds. Dan thanked Kathy Snead, the ladies that made lunch for the workers, and the Grace volunteers who made this first collection a positive and successful event. The collection included: 10 Laptops 55 PC s 75 CRT Monitors 6 LCD Monitors 47 Printers 1200 lbs. other electronic recyclables and scrap In his letter of thanks, Dan said that they had received a donation from a local Reaching out with the love of Jesus to serve our community organization that said they received the flyer about the event but were unable to get the equipment to the event. They donated 55 CRT monitors and 15 printers. For a first year effort, he thinks that the collection was very successful and hopes for an even better result next year. The VOICE of Grace September 2012- Page 5
Celebrations S e p t e m b e r B i r t h d a y s 9/02 Joyce Fox Kathryn Holmes 9/03 Robert Ayers Brittany Hannum 9/04 Dorothy Scholz Stephanie Shuman 9/05 Karen Holmes Lenny Warncke 9/06 Jenny Plemel Joshua Hoffman 9/08 Steven Ross 9/09 Sharon Ihde Cynthia Myers Kevin O Neil Marshal Giumenti 9/11 Kathy Kemp Linda Reasoner 9/12 Brian Blakley Erin Gest 9/13 Vicky Tanler 9/14 Lotte Bredemann Joyce Strung Mary Fritzsche Richard Jones Haley Bachus Declan Hughes 9/15 Benjamin Kemp Matt Beckwith John Estrada 9/16 Michael Gehlhar 9/17 Arlene May Dawn Dachenhaus 9/18 Glen Alexander Chris Martin Paul Gorgias Teri Roshon Andrea Bush Isabelle Kotik 9/19 Mary Beth Ray 9/20 Richard Miller Matthew Estrada Max George 9/21 Delaney Podracky 9/22 Elmer Stauch Carolyn Gibboney 9/23 Miranda Martin September Anniversaries 9/02 Ron & Kathy Michel 9/04 Will & Claudia Snead 9/08 Pete & Carol Otteson Lee & Kathy Kemp 9/10 Michael & Linda Bertelsen 9/12 Pete & Barb Schultz Chris & Anne Goodman 9/15 Greg & Sheryl Johnston 9/16 Paul & Karen Grant 9/17 Nathaniel & Kimberly Haynes 9/23 Brandon Goughenour 9/24 George Hartig Michelle Riedel Zachery Henderson 9/25 Larry Beckwith Andrea Sweet Tracy Weaver Madison Yanichko 9/26 Christina Hahn Alexander Begeny Jack Nickoli 9/27 Ronald Eberly Debbie Zimmerman 9/28 David Fritzsche David Prim Rachel Gangestad Jocelyn Shuman Patti-Sue Simpson Stephen Miller 9/29 Wendy Zavatchan 9/30 Gene Jenny Lori Dychala AJ Hockstok 9/20 Larry & Becky Beckwith 9/23 Anthony & Linda Morelli 9/25 Ken & Jane Hagen Jayson & Jaime Russell Luke & Laurie Moore 9/26 Stephen & Connie Himes 9/27 Joe & Shirley Moleno Travis & Becky Miller 9/28 George & Leanna Hartig 9/30 Jack & Jan Pfeifer Robert & Ashlee Cuevas From the Archive by John Kleberg Stained glass, like paraments or altar hangings teach in their visual representations. At Grace the side windows, the center handcrafted wooden Cross with faceted colored glass radiating from the Cross, as well as the Baptismal window provide opportunities for us to visualize the life of Christ. On the west side of the Nave, for example, the first window panel on the south, illustrates Jesus crucified with a crown of thorns, the cross and INRI (Jesus Nazarenus, Rex Ludaeorum) Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews. A folder is available in the gathering space about the Stained Glass Windows at Grace. These windows were part of the construction of this new building in 1965. Early one morning, a mother woke her son, who whined about having to go to school. Give me two reasons why you don t want to go, she said. Well, he complained, the kids don t like me, and neither do the teachers! Nonsense, she said. Come get ready. Give me two reasons why I should go, the son protested. Well, for one, you re 52, she said. For another, you re the principal! The VOICE of Grace September 2012 - Page 6
2012 Church Council President... Bill Kulju Ph: (614) 898-8314... kuljub@att.net Vice President... Julie Abrams Ph: (614) 865-0503...jabrams@napls.us Secretary...Paul Grant Ph: (614) 882-4982... pgrant1@wowway.com Treasurer...Charlie Roll Ph: (614) 212-2281... croll@columbus.rr.com Senior Pastor...Will Hartfelder Ph. (614) 882-3026.. w.hartfelder@grace43081.org Members at Large: Glen Alexander Ph: (740) 549-3745...galexand@insight.rr.com Dan George Ph: (614) 882-9829... degeorge@aep.com Angela Hughes Ph: (614) 882-2932... angelajustine@gmail.com Vanessa Stewart Ph. (614) 889-1525... vsrnc@aol.com Grace is on FACEBOOK. Check it out. Click like. Write on the Grace wall, or add some pictures or an event to the Grace calendar. Stay up-to-date on the ministries of Grace. Log on to www.grace43081.org Grace Sermons Are Now Available on itunes You may now download past sermons as a podcast from Apple s itunes store! Search for Grace Evangelical Lutheran Westerville and you will find the podcasts. The sermons are also available on the website. Concert Series The Singing Buckeyes Kick off This Years A Joyful Noise! Concert Series on September 9th A Joyful Noise! It is that time of the year again when we begin our concert series. We are in need of volunteers to help park cars, greet our visitors and take up the freewill offering. If a husband and wife team would like to volunteer as a team, a single person or a family please let Carolyn Martin know your desires. Please contact Carolyn at (614)206-8678 or email martin1529@sbcglobal.net. The concert series begins Sunday, September 9 at 7:30 p.m. with The Singing Buckeyes Barbershop Chorus. A full list of upcoming concerts is found in the bulletin or newsletter. Please consider helping us. Thank you! A reception in our Gathering Space will follow each event. There is no admission charge for A Joyful Noise! concerts. A free will offering will be taken. Following the Singing Buckeyes are: Sunday, October 7, 2012-7:30 p.m. EOS Duo: Kim Goodman, flute and Karl Wohlwend, guitar Sunday, November 4, 2012-7:30 p.m. The Otterbein University String Orchestra Jim Bates, conductor December 9, 2012-5:30 p.m. The Scioto Brass Holiday Concert Chris Hoch, conductor Ready...Aim...Fire!!! Dartball season begins Thursday night, September 6th at 6:30 P.M. in the East Narthex. All confirmed members (guys and gals) are cordially invited to come and to join in the fun and fellowship and friendly competition with 12 other Lutheran churches in central Ohio. If you would like more information about this activity, please send an email to Roger Wells at: rwells32@columbus.rr.com. The VOICE of Grace September 2012 - Page 7
Camp Counselor off to Africa on Mission Trip At the end of LOMO, Tami Banks was sent a note from Casey Backus, Camp Mowana Program Director, letting her know of an upcoming mission trip for one of the camp counselors. Ben Longstreth was at our LOMO camp in 2010 and 2011 and was a very well loved counselor. This year he was promoted to a supervisor postion, and even though he BEGGED to be demoted for a week to come back to us, he only was allowed to visit for half a day on Tuesday. He was greeted with an overwhelming response by our kids, adults, and even the kitchen crew! They were all very sad to see him leave to return to Mowana at the end of the day. Here is the note Tami received from Casey: Due to Westerville s love toward Ben, I thought I would pass some information along. Ben Longstreth, was selected to be part of a mission trip to Lesotho, Africa this December through Wittenberg University. Lesotho is heavily affected by HIV/AIDS, and Ben will be working with children who have been orphaned by AIDS, and with community education efforts. This is an expensive trip, and as you may know, Mowana counselors aren t in this for the money. We are fortunate to have Ben on leadership staff, but his presence here means he is not able to raise funds in other ways. I would like to ask those of you who can provide some financial support so that he can make the trip. Thanks! Ben s church has set up a fund, so please send checks to Ben c/o Camp Mowana, 2276 Fleming Falls Rd., Mansfield, OH 44903, payable to First Lutheran Church, with Longstreth Lesotho Trip in the memo line. He will deliver them all to his church, and I think that makes your gifts tax-deductible. Thank you all for your kindness. He still needs to raise about $1500. God s Peace, Casey Backus, Camp Mowana Program Director Steps Of Faith Walk and Run Benefit The Church of the Messiah is sponsoring a Walk and Run to benefit mission projects, including DCHFH. Registration has begun for the Steps Of Faith Walk and Run to be held 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 23, at McNamara Park just north of Westerville. In addition to the 5K Walk and Run, a 1K Family Fun Walk will take place at the same time. This community event is intended to glorify God in all that we do, and to encourage one another to persevere in running our race (Hebrews 12:1). Proceeds will benefit a variety of local, national, international mission programs, including W.A.R.M., Delaware County Habitat for Humanity, Relay for Life, and Heifer Project. To register for either the 5K or 1K, go online to www. premierraces.com/viewevent.asp?eventid=579, or pickup race flyers at the Welcome Center. If you are interested in providing sponsorship or offering your time as a volunteer to support this event, please contact Kris Krenik (krenikkris@yahoo.com) or Eileen Tamasovich (etamatoe@aol.com) Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church 100 E. Schrock Road, Westerville, OH 43081 PH: (614) 882-3026 Web: www.grace43081.org e-mail: office@grace43081.org Rev. William A. Hartfelder, Senior Pastor VM 11 w.hartfelder@grace43081.org Rev. Richard O. Walston, Visitation Pastor Cell (614)832-9159 rjwalston@msn.com Dr. Karen Eckenroth, Music Ministries VM 10 KEckenroth@otterbein.edu Linda Hoch, Organist Kathy Snead, Office Administrator VM 18 k.snead@grace43081.org Marjie Penn, Receptionist/Secretary Paul Hotchkiss, Custodian Jack Pfeifer, Property Manager wrtjack@yahoo.com Jocelyn Shuman, Preschool Director; VM 14 littleblessingspreschool@grace43081.org Five steps to a friendly church 1. Speak to the other person first. Don t wait for him or her to take the initiative. 2. If there is someone you don t know, introduce yourself to him or her. 3. Be pleasant in your words and expressions. A great church cannot be built with frowns. 4. Invite newcomers to a worship service or to a church event and introduce them to other members. 5. Encourage people to participate in those church activities that interest them. The VOICE of Grace September 2012 - Page 8
(The answer may be found in 1 Samuel 1:20) Sunday School Sunday School is now underway for the 2012-2013 school year. We hope ALL individuals will be able to take advantage of this great learning opportunity throughout the year. Participation is on a come-asyou-can basis and all are welcome! As an effort to ensure the safety of all the children participating in any form of programming, as well as follow best practices, we request that each youth/ child have emergency health and contact information on file. Forms can be found on the website under children and turned into the child s Sunday School teacher. Thank you for helping us maintain best practices. Have You Ever Wondered Why???? Grace Sunday School Installs New Curriculum Design Have you ever wondered why school systems do not expect kindergarteners to spell 10 letter words or do long division? Or why their 5th graders aren t taking spelling tests of 3 letter words or solving simple equations like 2 1 = _? The answer seems obvious: the expectations would not be age-appropriate. Every school system has a course of study laid out for each grade, designed to build in depth and breadth over the years. Should our approach to Sunday School be any different? In the past, Sunday School in the elementary grades has been a one-size-fits-all approach with each class hearing the same lesson on the same Sundays. Well, not anymore! Grace is on the cutting edge of Sunday School curriculum development as we now have a course of study laid out for each age level, designed to build in depth and breadth over the years. Each child, as he/she passes through the various age levels, will be introduced to the same content and concepts as his/her predecessors and will have established a core foundation of Biblical stories and principles by the time he/she heads to confirmation. By the end of 5th grade, children will have: Learned over 100 Bible stories Constructed family trees and time lines of Biblical events Discussed prayer, disciples, promises, forgiveness, prophets, etc. Memorized the books of the Bible, Apostle s Creed, Lord s Prayer Learned the seasons of the church year and accompanying holy days Applied lessons to daily life and much, much more As some of you may recall, a few weeks ago Pastor Will s sermon titled Teaching Jesus included the following excerpt (underlining added): Will Willimon, a Methodist pastor who after serving as a bishop has recently returned to his previous position as minister to the university and professor of the practice of Christian ministry at Duke University, writes: There is a growing consensus among us that, as Christians, we are up against some rather stiff resistance in the world. While many of us Christians are more likely to be ignored by the world than persecuted, there is a renewed sense that the world is no longer in any way a prop or nurturing environment for the church. If our children are going to grow up Christian, we will have to intentionally form them into this faith. (W.H. Willimon, Christian Education, Pulpit Resource, July-September, 2012, pp. 18-19.) Grace is now offering a new level of intentionality to the faith formation of our children. We hope your children will be able to join us on this journey. Bible quiz In the first chapter of 1 Samuel, we read about Hannah who prayed to God for a son. Hannah prayed that if she were given a son, she would dedicate him as a nazirite. A nazirite was a person who served the Lord and did not drink intoxicating beverages nor cut his hair. Her prayer was fulfilled. She had a son and dedicated him to the Lord. What was the son s name? A. Eli B. Samuel C. Elkanah D. Shiloh The VOICE of Grace September 2012 - Page 9
August 2012 Grace Council Meeting Highlights Paul Grant, Council Secretary Approval of August 2012 meeting minutes: Upon consideration of the minutes from the July 2012 meeting, Glen Alexander moved to accept, seconded by Julie Abrams. Motion passed. Ministry updates: No updates at this time Other Business before council ELCA/NALC/CORE update: Pastor Will discussed with council an excerpt from the monthly published Forum Letter by the American Lutheran Publicity Bureau titled Sexuality Partners. This topic relates to the ELCA s decision at the 2009 Churchwide Assembly to ordain persons in publicly accountable life-long monogamous same gender relationships (PALMS). Budget requests: Bill Kulju reviewed with council members The Budget Request Plan upon which council voted with a move to accept by Angela Hughes and seconded by Charlie Roll. Motion passed. Parking lot bids: Bill Kulju discussed with council more bids that were received for the upcoming east parking lot repair project. Reading discussion: All A continuation of the discussion by council regarding the book Homosexuality and the Bible Two Views Required Reports Monthly Report: Pastor Will Statistical Report: Pastor Will Pastor Will submitted the monthly report earlier in the week. It is included as part of these minutes. Treasurer s Report: Charles Roll reviewed the July 2012 financial report. Church Ministry fund balance at the end of July 2012 is $25,255. Total receipts for the month were $40,372 and total disbursements and transfers were $33,253 for a net increase of $7,099. Mission & Ministry support to the Southern Ohio Synod year-to-date was $5,675, along with support to Lutheran Social Services of $1,195. For 2012 we have pledged $10,000 to Southern Ohio Synod and $2,000 to Lutheran Social Services. Bond Payments began in February 2012 in accordance with the Required Redemption Schedule. Our total debt is $2,850,000. Principal payments due in 2012 total $40,000. Our total obligation for 2012, including principal and interest, is estimated to be $86,896. Current principal balance is $2,830,000. Living in Grace campaign officially ended in June 2012. Total pledges were $629,625. Receipts through July were $580,480. We have collected 92.2% of total pledges. Total expenses in July were $19,041, leaving a balance of $474,751. Growing People of Faith campaign began in June 2012. Total pledges were $573,332. Receipts through July were $65,462. We have collected 11.4% of total pledges. There were no expenses in July. A transfer in of $34,888 is the final draw from Wells Fargo to bring the total amount borrowed to $2,850,000. Cash Reserves through July 31, 2012 are $76,456. Three designated funds make up this balance, the 2011 Excess Church Ministry Fund $9,981, the Organ Fund $64,285 and the Facilities Emergency Reserve Fund $2,190. Net cash reserves (cash reserves plus the Church Ministry balance) total $101,711. Per the finance sub-committee recommendations, cash reserves of the church should not fall below 10% of the projected annual revenues as established during the annual operating budget process and approved by the congregation. For 2012 that amount is set at $48,423 (10% of total budgeted income of $484,225). Budget Comparison for 2012 reflects a positive amount of $25,998. This is calculated by using July Y.T.D. actual income and expenses compared to the actual budget. Approval of required reports Glen Alexander made a motion to accept the required reports, seconded by Bill Kulju. Motion passed. Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church has been serving the Westerville Community for more than 100 years, supporting local ministries such as the Westerville Area Resource Ministry, Westerville Partnership Habitat for Humanity and Westerville CROP Walk. Grace also supports Lutheran Social Services programs like Faith Mission and provides weekly meeting space for Boy Scout Troop 502 and two AA groups. Reaching out with the love of Jesus to grow disciples and serve our community. The VOICE of Grace September 2012 - Page 10