August 10, 2018 Even though we are now in the dog days of summer, fall is just around the corner (Christmas is just 135 days away!). But with fall comes new programming and activities. September 9 th will be Rally Day! We will have a new start to our Sunday school ministry and our Adult learning. I invite you to attend an event in Columbus on Sunday evening, September 9 th. Brian McLaren (an internationally recognized author) will be speaking (from 6 8 PM) at Peace Lutheran church in Gahanna. His talk will come in part from his best-seller, We Make The Road By Walking. His talk that evening is titled, Changing the Cultural Narrative: Is the Church Hurting or Helping? For a further description see the separate article below. The following Sunday and Wednesday (September 16 & 19), I will lead a New Adult Forum Discussion on his book, We Make The Road By Walking. The reading and class schedule will be forthcoming. If you would like to travel to Columbus and hear Brian McLaren on Sunday, September 9 th, please let me know. I will order books for the Adult Forum, and they will be at the back of the church on Sunday, August 26 th. This coming Sunday our special music during worship is being offered by Kathy Simpson Armstrong. I can t wait to hear her version of How Great Thou Art. I will play the last prelude piece before the service. I will be playing something from the Well Tempered Clavichord. Kathy is a professional singer with gigs almost every week. Her music is sure to be an inspirational treat. Before After If you were able to be present last Sunday, you saw our parking lots resealed and striped. Houser Asphalt did an amazing job and Mike Houser, a friend of the congregation, gave us a very nice price. I will have a thank you card at the back of the church. If you could, please thank Mike and his hard-working crew.
The Church Council meets this coming Sunday, after our worship gathering. Please keep each member of council and our meeting in your prayers. Chris received good news this past Monday. Her bone is healing nicely. The doctor, wanting to be conservative, wants her in the cast another two to three weeks. It is scheduled to be off on Tuesday, August 28 th. Amanda Arrington is still recovering nicely and hopes to be back to church soon. It was a joy to be able to get to Columbus after church last Sunday (sorry I couldn t stay around and chat with anyone) and hear so many people thank my mom for her 25 years of caring for the Huntington Garden. She designed and started the garden 25 years ago and every year is a challenge to replant and care for it. It is a garden full of beauty and brings refreshment to those who walk past it each day as they travel through Schiller Park in German Village. Here are just two pictures. In the one picture you can see two of the three beds. I believe it s the largest perennial garden in Columbus. I am looking forward to this Sunday and hope that you will be able to join those who gather to break bread together and care for each other. Grace and Peace, Pastor Monte Your Questions Your Pastor s Response Just how good do Christians have to be? For example, is it okay to say no? Please send in your questions! You can thank Kathy Armstrong for this question. Socrates would begin by asking Kathy, So what is good? But I m no Socrates and I will start with the qualifier just how.
Usually when one asks, in a religious context, if one has to be good, or how good one must be, it is rooted in what I would call a heaven and hell theology. This is a theology which sees the religious life as mostly concerned with how one assures themselves getting into heaven and staying out of hell. Inside this theological system it s easy to get caught up in works righteousness and pleasing God making sure one does enough good things to keep on the right side of God. Being on the right side of God is needed to assure one gets into heaven. If you are not good enough haven t done enough good works you get on the wrong side of God and deserve your punishment. This heaven and hell theology is most alive in fundamentalist expressions of Christianity, but even creeps into progressive Lutheran Christianity. As ELCA Lutherans so clearly live (so much so it s part of our religious DNA) we are saved by grace and not works of the law. The most radical form of this grace is expressed as universal salvation for all. That means that God loves you and all are saved by the grace of God. This is the only grace that can free us from the burden of the Just how of Just how good do I have to be? As a Lutheran I work from a grace theology and context. I challenge you with this question. Just how good do you want to be? God s grace frees us to be good in the world to do good in the world. If this is my faith, then I want my faith to be active in love. I want to do good because I know God will use the good I offer to bring healing and wholeness to my family, community, and world. I know that the more good I do, the more I will experience the blessing that loving others brings. In sum, you don t have to be good because God loves you through and through eternally. However, you should want to be good because you were created in the image of God to be a blessing to your neighbor and all creation. Finally, it is OK to say no when you need to, because we all need to have a proper balance (stewardship) of work and rest, self-care and sacrificial loving. I hope this response to your question helps. Thank You Notes Dear Pastor Monte and Congregation, I would like to take this time to thank the church and congregation for the scholarship money. I will put this towards my dream of being a professional pilot and getting a degree in that specific field. I m grateful for all of the support I receive. Thank you I really appreciate it all. Sincerely, Katie Lake Pastor Monte and Congregation, I wanted to thank you and the church for awarding me the $250 grant from the Malia Jo Ann Wilson Memorial Scholarship Fund. I really appreciate
the gift and will put it to the best of use towards my education here at Bowling Green State University! Thank you for the support on this journey! Sincerely, Emily Lake Faith Haven School Supplies This past Wednesday a group of our Faith Haven volunteers met our amazing Faith Haven kids with a smile and a hug and distributed school supplies. It was a very successful event and each kid left with a bag full of healthy snacks. The bags were supplied from our food pantry. Thank you to everyone who either bought school supplies or donated money. May these supplies help these kids get off to a full year of learning and educational success. Brian McLaren Speaking Event Changing the Cultural Narrative: Is the Church Hurting or Helping?' September 9 6-8pm Peace Lutheran Church 455 Clark State Rd Gahanna, OH 43230 Cost per guest is $10, to be charged upon submission of online form OR by cash or check (made out to Peace Lutheran Church). An event for church leaders, inquisitive followers of Jesus, and anyone who wants to help make the world different, better, more reflective of God s nature of compassion and love. Brian D. McLaren is an author, speaker, activist, and public theologian. His book, Everything Must Change, challenges the primary cultural narratives around our culture of violence, our economic system, and our system of equity, offering both an insightful critique of those narratives and a hopeful way for us to move forward together. These are the themes he will explore on Sunday, September 9 from 6:00-8:00 at Peace Lutheran Church, Gahanna, Ohio. Following his presentation there will also be time for Q and A from those gathered. This event is hosted by Peace Lutheran Church and sponsored by the Central Ohio Conference of the Southern Ohio Synod.
Euchre Night The next opportunity to play Euchre will be on Saturday, August 11 th. The fun begins at 6:00 pm. If you are planning on attending please sign up on the table at the back of the church. Please bring a snack to share. Food Pantry The food pantry needs a continual variety of food items, but all donations are welcome. Please place all items in the yellow cart. The need list for August is: Hamburger Helper, Applesauce, Corn & Mixed Veggies, Chili, Pork & Beans, Canned Meat. Rebekah Circle Next Gathering The Rebekah Care Circle meets the second Tuesday of each month and will meet on Tuesday, August 14 at 7:00 pm at the home of Barb Davis. If you need directions please call Barb Davis. Upcoming Summer Music Jim Martinson s band, Ludlow, is offering the special music Sunday, August 19 th. Last summer people wanted them to play more than one selection, and this year they will! For fans of Jim;s band "Ludlow," they will be playing at The Dayton Germanfest at Riverscape MetroPark. August 12, 2018 from 1-3 pm on The Dayton Beer Company Stage on Patterson adjacent to Fifth Third Field. Listen to smooth mellow folk sounds on a warm Sunday afternoon, with Bier and Bratwurst. Feed My Sheep (John 21:15-17) The Hunger Ministry Team asks each person to offer $5 per month to the ELCA World Hunger Fund. Please use the special yellow envelopes found in the pews or mark your contribution on your regular envelope. Memorials and Gifts In memory of Ron Lessentine Elaine Baker North Riverdale Lutheran Church 45 Kurtz Avenue - Dayton, Ohio 937.275.5750 www.nrlchurch.org