Beaver Lutheran Church COMMENTARY Vol. 31, No. 1 WINTER February 2017 Sunday School 9:00 a.m. www.beaverlutheranchurch.org Holy Communion 10:15 a.m. 18207 Route 522, Beavertown, PA 17813 Anniversary Celebration Plans Underway 2017 is an important year for Beaver Lutheran Church. Not only does it mark the 500th Anniversary of Martin Luther s Reformation, but it marks the 50th Anniversary of the formation of Beaver Lutheran Church, which came together when Beavertown Evangelical Lutheran Church and St. Peter s Lutheran Church in Beaver Springs merged. On Sunday, May 7, 2017 we will be celebrating the 50th Anniversary with a festival worship service and music. The Anniversary Committee has contacted former pastors to attend and participate in this special liturgy. Following the service, a catered meal will be held. A time for remembrances, including a slide show full of memories from the past and hopes for the future, will conclude our day. A LOOK INSIDE Council Highlights...2 Next Newsletter Deadline for Reports 2 Annual Meetings Thanksgiving Meal...3 Advent Fair...4 Blue Christmas Holy Baptism Gideon Visit Heritage Hymn...5 Offering Envelopes Prayer Word from Luther Souper Bowl of Caring Welcome Colt...6 Youth Trip With Sympathy Altar Flowers Birthdays & Anniversaries Lay Assistant Schedule...7 November Calendar...8 As part of our Anniversary Year, the Committee is planning a new Church Directory! The Directory will be updateable, which means that if you have a new addition to your family, or would just like an updated portrait, we can make arrangements and a completely new updated directory will be sent. Our portrait sessions will be held February 27 and 28 from 2 to 9 p.m. each day. More information will be forthcoming. We will also be putting together a history booklet and making up a room to display memorabilia. If you have any old pictures or other items you would like to share, please submit them to committee chairs, Bev Frye or Leslie Feehrer, or the parish secretary, Sara Mattern, by Sunday, January 29. Items can be scanned and returned.
January Council Highlights The church council met on January 11 at 7:00pm. Highlights of that meeting include: Committee Liaisons: Worship & Music- Mike Frye, Property & Grounds - Matt Zerby, Christian Education- Sharon Benner, Fellowship & Evangelism- Bobbie Goss, Social Ministry & Outreach- Jean Melton & Isabel Zerby, Finance & Stewardship- none, All Saints (Endowment)- Rich Mattern The open Treasurer position was discussed at length, and several names were suggested as possibilities. Full minutes of the meeting will be approved at the next meeting on February 8 at 7:00pm. Approved Minutes of all previous meetings are available at the church office. Next Newsletter Our next print newsletter will be the Lent-Easter issue which will cover events for March and April. If you have a church event you'd like to schedule you will need to clear that date with the church office by Monday, February 20. This ensures that your event will be noted in the newsletter and not conflict with other events. Deadline for Reports The deadline to submit Year-end Reports by all Church Committees and Organizations is Sunday, February 12. Those reports should be typed or legibly printed and submitted to the church office. 2 Wait, there s TWO Annual Meetings? Yes, we do have two Annual Meetings! One is held in December and the other in February. The necessary business of the December meeting includes elections and approval of an annual budget. For the February meeting, the necessary business is to review and accept the Annual Reports of the Pastor, President, Treasurer, and Committees. More importantly, however, these meetings are times for us to fellowship with one another and to envision our future together. At our December meeting, following some reflections by our outgoing President, Bobbi Leister, we were led by Pastor Nathan in smallgroup conversations where people were invited to share about things we do well together and things we could grow together in. Also discussed was the possibility of partnering with a congregation by sharing a pastor together. For this, the council invited Bishop Barbara Collins to be with us. (She also worshipped with us that morning.) Although there are no plans at this point to share pastoral services with another congregation, the council felt it was important to at least have the conversation. Bishop Collins noted that the majority of the congregations in our synod are in some kind of partnership with each other. Election results for the December meeting are as follows: Elected to a first three-year term to the Church Council were Rich Mattern and Sharon Benner. Elected to a second three-year term to the All Saints (Endowment) Committee was Howard Benner. Howard and Sharon Benner were also elected to attend the 2017 Synod Assembly in June. Members of the 2017 Nominating Committee are Linda Sassaman, Leslie Feehrer, Jean Melton, Bobbie Goss, Mike Frye, and Matt Zerby. The Bulletin of Reports Annual Meeting is Sunday, February 26 following worship. This will be a time to hear not only reports but to explore ways that you can deepen your involvement with the ministries of our congregation.
BLC Thanksgiving Meal Celebrates 10 th Anniversary 2016 marked the 10 th year of helping feed those in need of food or in need of fellowship on Thanksgiving Day. Bonnie Mattern, once again served as our chief cook. She was helped out by the Fellowship & Evangelism Committee in the planning of this annual meal. The event was originally organized by the late Kim Rigel and her husband, Dan. This year s meal served 187. Much work went into the planning and food preparation in the days leading up to the meal and seeing people come together and give of their time for this event is clearly a demonstration of our commitment to the community and to each other. Finally, on the day of the event, members came together to insure that the meals were served to all who came to eat and saw to it that meals were delivered locally to those who were unable to come out. Some folks have made it a yearly tradition. Thanks go out to every member of Beaver Lutheran Church who contributed food items and their time to make this year s meal special. And, thanks to our friends from outside the church family and our neighbors at Conewago-Snyder for helping serve and clean-up. Bonnie Mattern prepares for the feast The fellowship hall fills to the brim each Thanksgiving Day. Plenty of helpers fill the kitchen. 3
First Advent Fair Provides Activities for All On Sunday, November 20, members of the church gathered following worship for our first Advent Fair to prepare for the arrival of Jesus. Devotions were held followed by two crafts. First was an Advent Log which was to be used as a table centerpiece to count the days until Christmas. A luminaria was also made from canning jars. Attached was an invitation to our Christmas services. The luminaries were to be given away to others in the community. Following the crafts, time was spent in song. Corinne Beaver and Chloe Wagner make an Advent Log for their tables. Blue Christmas Evening Prayer Though the days are now getting longer, December 21 marked the Longest Night, also known as the Winter Solstice. It marked the shortest day of the year, the official start of winter. Tradition says that nature and all her creatures stop and hold their breath to see if the sun will turn back from its wanderings, if the days will lengthen and the earth will once again feel the sun's warmth. On this darkest day of the year, we gathered for Vespers with our honest yearnings to seek the return of light and warmth. Blue Christmas Evening Prayer provided a much-needed moment of solace during the busy days surrounding the celebration of Christmas. Portions of Holden Evening Prayer were sung, along with other songs in a similar style. We had a prayer station for written prayer requests and candle lighting. Individual prayers for healing and anointing were also offered. Refreshments and conversation followed in the narthex. Those who attended were very appreciative for this unique worship opportunity, making it likely we will provide a similar option for worship during our next holiday season. Holy Baptism Baptism is God's free gift of eternal salvation for all and a gift we nurture in relationship with the church. Because this gift is so rich and meaningful, all the baptisms we celebrate are preceded and followed by learning, conversation, and support from a sponsor. The next opportunity for baptisms is the Easter Vigil next April. Pre-baptismal gatherings begin on Sunday, February 26. Contact Pastor Nathan or the church office if you would like to receive the sacrament of baptism for yourself or your children. 4 Gideon Visit Imagine life without God s Word. What if you wanted a copy of the Bible, but couldn t afford or find one? What if you didn t even know it existed? Millions of people are living their lives with no access to the Scriptures. With your help and prayers for Gideons International, we can get God s Word into their hands. A Gideon will be with us to share more about this remarkable ministry on Sunday, February 5. He will be visiting with the Adult Class and also give a brief testimonial during worship.
February Heritage Hymn: ELW 838 Beautiful Savior By Jennifer Baker-Trinity As is fitting, many Lutherans are marking the 500 th anniversary of the Reformation by celebrating Luther and his legacy. Yet another important feature of this anniversary is Lutherans and Roman Catholics coming together to forgive our past differences and move forward in hope. Beautiful Savior, a hymn that is likely very familiar to you is, in its very existence, a collaboration between Roman Catholics and Lutherans. The hymn text is anonymous, but it was first printed in the Roman Catholic Muensterisch Gesangbuch in 1677. As far as we know, it first appeared in an English translation in 1850. The translator responsible for the version we sing today, Joseph Seiss, lived much of his life in Pennsylvania, studying in Gettysburg and then serving congregations in Philadelphia until his death in 1904. I have heard many folks talk about this hymn being sung to them as a young child; I taught it last year to the St. Nicholas Choir. A folksong in origin, it is a tune that is memorized easily and sings well in four-part harmony. Many, if not most of the hymns we sing are the result of collaborations, of tunes and texts from different times and places merged together, frequently changing, always evolving. As we sing Beautiful Savior, we can recall our shared unity in Christ, striving for ways to live out our common baptism. Offering Envelopes The 2017 Offering Envelopes are now available for pick-up. They are located on a table outside the church office. Please let the office know if you cannot find your envelopes. Prayer for our Nation Lord of all the worlds, guide this nation by your Spirit to go forward in justice and freedom. Give to all your people the blessings of well-being and harmony, but above all things give us faith in you, that our nation may bring glory to your name and blessings to all peoples, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. A Word from Martin Luther "I believe in Jesus Christ." What is this? He has redeemed me, a lost and condemned human being. He has purchased and freed me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil, not with gold or silver but with his holy, precious blood and with his innocent suffer- Souper Bowl of Caring Feb. 5 This year s Souper Bowl of Caring will be held Sunday, February 5. Together we can turn the nation s largest weekend of football into the largest weekend of caring! Bring your donations to tackle hunger and poverty, and bring your appetite to enjoy some fresh, home-cooked soup following worship. Hosted by the Youth Group, Souper Bowl of Caring helps young people across America develop a stronger connection to their communities by caring for their neighbors in need. We will be collecting for Bread for the World, a collective Christian voice urging our nation s decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad. 5
Birthdays & Anniversaries Welcome Baby Colt! We welcome Colt Michael Portzline to our Family of God at Beaver Lutheran Church. Colt was born January 4 to Abby Gesselman and Travis Spark Portzline. He weighed 8 pounds, 3 ounces at birth and was 20 inches long. Proud grandparents are Nikki and Todd Gesselman and Charlotte and Grover Portzline. Great-grandparents are Tom and Teresa Hoffman and Robert and Helen Gesselman, and great-grandmother, Sandy Mengel. Congratulations! Youth Skiing/Tubing Trip As of this writing, the youth are planning a skiing/ tubing trip for Saturday, February 18. Contact Bryon Beaver or Leslie Feehrer, youth advisors, if you would like to attend. With Sympathy We extend our deepest sympathy to Betsy Ann and Dallas Klingler and family. Betsy Ann s brother, Ned Felker, passed away January 11. Our Heavenly Father is no stranger to sorrow. He sees and understands your pain. May you sense his loving hand and be comforted. Please prayer for the Klingler and Felker families during this time of sorrow. Altar Flowers We have many dates available for those who wish to purchase altar flowers during 2017. Cost remains at $35. Available are: Feb. 19 and 26; April 2, 9 and 23; June 18; July 23 and 30; Sept. 3 and 24; Oct. 22 and 29; Nov. 5 and 12; and, Dec. 3, 10, 24 and 31. Please sign-up on the Flower Chart located on the bulletin board. Those celebrating birthdays during the month of February are: Luke Baker-Trinity, Feb. 1 Eric Fogel, Feb. 3 Landen Thomas, Feb. 4 Shanin Miller, Feb. 10 Chloe Fegley, Feb. 13 Douglas Mattern, Feb. 14 Amber McCardle, Feb. 15 Deidre Hockenberry, Feb. 19 Tara Dively, Feb. 21 Timothy Benner and Lois Mattern, Feb. 23 Chad Briggs, Joseph Feehrer, Amber Furgison, Feb. 26 Teresa Bishop, James Etzler, Henry Zerby, Feb. 28 Those celebrating wedding anniversaries this month are: Joseph & Leslie Feehrer, Feb. 8 Todd & Nicole Gesselman, Feb. 19 Jack & Sandi Kaufman, Feb. 22 6