News from Advent Lutheran Church October 2012 Oct. 28th 9:15 am & 7:00 pm A Mighty Fortress is our God! For all have sinned, and fall short to the glory of God; and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ. Romans 3:23-24 Staff Earl Schafer Interim Pastor Ginny Sweeton Director of Music Jamie Hildebrand Administrative Assistant Church Council Larry Bentle President Adam Logemann Vice President Karen Smith Secretary Angie Hubble Treasurer Jared Fischer Stewardship Terrie Bentle Fellowship Mary Filpus-Luyckx Lay Ministry Linda Lawrence Service Lynn Reed Parish Education Gary Lawrence Property Marcy Jimenez Youth Ron Ricklefs Evangelism
Page 2 THE PASTOR S CORNER In Biblical times, water was a mixed blessing at best. Necessary for life, and often seen as a blessing, it was also associated with chaos and death. The waters of the flood were both promise and destruction; the Red Sea was a symbol of both liberation and death. In many of the communities where Lutheran World Relief works, water can also be a mixed blessing. The water is swimming with life, but it is far from life-giving. Parasites, bacteria and other microorganisms lurk in the waters, causing a multitude of illnesses. Children, whose bodies lack the resistance of their elders, are especially vulnerable. For them, drinking this living water can be the beginning of a downward spiral that includes malnutrition, school absence, and sometimes even death. We the people of faith know the powerful promise that God brings through the water. We recently witnessed two adult baptisms and a number of youth baptisms. God gives eternal life through the sacrament of Baptism. Jesus used water to teach us about God. Water is essential to life, and in John, we read where Jesus met a woman at a well and asked her for a drink of water. Jesus spoke to her heart, telling her that he could give her living water, bubbling up to eternal life. This living water that Jesus promised is alive not with microorganisms, but with God s lasting promise. Our youth have undertaken a wonderful task. They are raising money to purchase a well for a Kenyan community. They are working to provide clean drinking water for thirsty people. I say Thanks be to God for the care and concern! And...please continue to support them by donating your change and bills. Pastor Schafer CHURCH COUNCIL MEETINGS: What s New with the Council? October 1, 2012 6:30pm October 29, 2012 6:30pm CONGREGATIONAL MEETING Our fall Congregational Meeting will be held on Sunday, November 11, 2012. The meeting will be held in Advent s sanctuary immediately following our Sunday worship service. Please place this date on your calendars and plan to stay after service to attend. Advent needs your support. We will be voting on several constitutional changes that have been approved by Council and also on Advent s 2013 budget. You will receive the proposed constitution changes by email for those with valid email addresses, or by US mail if no email address is on file. In addition, copies of the proposals will be available in Advent s office.
Praise His Holy Name! Weekly Worship Celebrate the presence of Jesus in worship each week! Refresh your Spirit! Nurture your Faith! Come to the Lord s Table! Be blessed by the fellowship of His Spirit! See you in Church this Sunday! Invite a neighbor to worship with you this week! Page 3 Sunday, October 7 19th Sunday After Pentecost Worship & Holy Communion 9:15 a.m. Sunday School for all ages 10:30 a.m. Sunday, October 14 20th Sunday After Pentecost Worship & Holy Communion 9:15 a.m. Sunday School for all ages 10:30 a.m. Sunday, October 21 21st Sunday After Pentecost Worship & Holy Communion 9:15 a.m. Sunday School for all ages 10:30 a.m. Sunday, October 28 Reformation Sunday Worship & Holy Communion 9:15 a.m. Sunday School for all ages 10:30 a.m. Special Reformation Sunday Worship Celebration 7:00 p.m. HOW DO I ORDER FLOWERS FOR WOR- SHIP?? A sign up chart is posted on the bulletin board just outside the sanctuary doors, adjacent to the church office. Flowers for Sunday morning cost 20.00 You may order flowers in honor or in memory of a loved one. You may also order an eternal candle or contribute to our missionary fund. Information is posted on the bulletin board. All are welcome to contribute towards the blessing of the Lord s House each Sunday morning! Thank you! ACOLYTE SCHEDULE has been posted in the educational hallway. Children and parents, please check our rotation schedule! If you are unable to serve, please consider trading with a friend. Thank you! REFORMATION SUNDAY IS OCTOBER 28! Special evening worship service at 7:00 pm, here at Advent, with the Lutheran churches of the greater Augusta area. It will be a wonderful night of worship! Advent s 50th Anniversary is coming up next year and we need your input! If you could like to serve on the planning committee, or have some interesting history to contribute, please sign up on the poster in the Narthex, or see Lynn Reed.
Page 4 Keep Them in Your Prayers The Adventurer We extend our prayers to those within and outside our church family: Dee Alderson, Faye Hoops, Doug Clark, Marge Rahn, Edgar Bollinger, Johnny Jones, Ruth Neumann, Ericka Blanchard, Carol Billings, Jane Drake, Nicole Fiegen, Trey Tonsing, Twila Alwine, Ward McKnight, Ray Schneider, Beverly Prouty, Maitland Van Nostrand, Hilda Sullivan, Jackie Laurence, John & Jeannie Curtis, Mike & Kathy Fiegen, Tyler Tonsing We pray for our deployed military: Peggy Martin, Aaron Hanes-Dodd, Kirsten Ullman, Dale Tupper, Kristofer Nichols, Andrew Studdard We pray for comfort for: Family of Hilda Pollich Evangelism CATCH THE SPIRIT DINNER, OCTOBER 17, 6:15pm Bratwurst, pork, out-of-this-world sauerkraut, German potato salad Music, dancing, polka time everything but the beer! Wear your lederhosen! Be sure to come for great food, fellowship, and fun! Check out our website! www.adventaugusta.org Find upcoming events, ministry info & lots more!
Page 5 You re invited! Save the date! Lutheranch is having an Open House on Sunday, November 18,2012. Come out and tour the site. The day kicks off at 3:00 with site tours and a Bluegrass Band. At 4:00 pm there will be a special program with Bishop Gordy, and at 4:30 pm there will be fellowship and BBQ for dinner. Pastor Schafer is loading up the church van and heading over after worship on that Sunday. Look for a sign up sheet in the Narthex this fall and put it on your calendar. Enjoy Reading? Join us at Book Club on the 4th Monday of each month at 7:30p.m. for fun, food and fellowship. ADVENT BOOK CLUB 2012-2013 Schedule DATE BOOK AUTHOR DISCUSSION 9-24-12 Major Pettegrew s Last Stand LEADER HOSTESSES Helen Simonson Leslie Heavener Jan Lamke 10-22-12 Paris Wife Paula McClain Jan Lamke Betsy Benson-Walker 11-26-12 Firefly Lane Kristin Hannah Donna Meisner Patty Williams 1-27-13 Gods and Kings Lynn Austin Gayle Ricklefs Pat Grim 2-25-13 Hotel at the Corner of Bitter & Sweet Jamie Ford Trudy Groves Martha Ostendorff 3-25-13 Sunday Wife Sandra King Pat Grim Gayle Ricklefs 4-22-13 The Lake of Dreams Kim Edwards Mary Suprek Leslie Heavener 5-20-13 State of Wonder Ann Patchett Martha Ostendorff Trudy Groves Coordinator: Patty Williams W: 706-738-4448 H: 706-863-1418 C:706-399-9787
Page 6 Fellowship The Adventurer October starts a busy season for Fellowship opportunities. We have some fun and exciting plans. October events: Catch the Spirit dinner will be held October 17th at 6:15pm. It is hosted by Evangelism and Stewardship. On October 27th we are having a special high tea for our Ladies at 3:00pm. All guests are welcome. We will have a special guest speaker, Marsha Maurer. She is an award-winning spiritual and inspirational author and speaker. She will discuss her most recent book, Whatever is Lovely: Design for an Elegant Spirit. This should be both fun and inspirational. Sign up poster will be in the Narthex beginning September 30th. Reformation Sunday will be October 28th. This year it is Advent s turn to host the service and light dessert reception following the service., We are looking for a chairman for the yard sale. No time has been set. That can be up to the person(s) who volunteer to take the job. There are always plenty of willing workers to help, we just need someone to organize it. Jim Plumley said he would be happy to coach and give guidance to the new organizer. If you are interested, please contact Terrie Bentle. How about a cookie exchange? We would schedule one day in mid-december if there is any interest. Bake 12 dozen of your special cookie recipe to exchange. Include a copy of the recipe and we will compile and share with the group. You will go home with 12 dozen of a variety of cookies. These are fun social occasions to relax from the hectic activity of the Season and a time to refocus on the meaning of Christmas. Refreshments will be served., If there is interest, please contact Terrie Bentle. Looking ahead: A catered luncheon will be held on November 11th following the Congregational Meeting. We are asking everyone to bring a canned good or a shelf staple food product to donate to the Gap Food Pantry. They have been running very low on food and could use the help. We will also have a free will offering to help cover the cost of lunch. The Advent Season begins on December 2nd and our pot-luck dinners will start on December 5th. This year we will have a theme for each dinner. Advent evening services will follow all the dinners. December 5th Theme: Christmas Around the World We are asking each person attending to bring a dish or dessert that reflects your cultural heritage. (We request that you also attach the recipe because of food allergies.) December 12th Theme: Christmas in America Please bring a dish or dessert that reflects the part of the country from which you come. (Also, we request the recipe.) December 19th will be our Christmas Gala. Dinner will be provided and we ask the congregation to provide desserts. (Include the recipe, please.) Get ready for the 4th Annual Chili Cook-off on January 16, 2013. Start practicing your best Chili recipes to get ready. Categories will be announced in November.
Worship al- Choir Notes Page 7 Chancel Choir Rehearsal Schedule for October: October 2, 6:30pm; October 10, 6:30pm; October 17 no rehearsal; October 24, 6:30pm, October 31, 6:30pm. As always, we are open to new members at any time. Handbell Choir Rehearsals: Monday nights at 6:15pm. See Maggie Heaney or Ginny Sweeton for more information. New members are ways welcome! Kids and Youth Choir Rehearsals: Sunday mornings at 10:30am. All students in PreK-3rd grade. Wednesdays at 5:30pm for youth in fourth grade and older. Youth Activities Saturday, October 13 Sunday, October 28 YOUTH HAPPENINGS ATTEND ADVENT TEENS! Southeastern Synod Lutheran Youth Organization Conference in Rincon, GA Canned food drive for GAP Ministries. Lunch provided. The youth group continues to fill the well. We are about halfway to clean water! Did you know that the average child in Africa spends 25% of their day traveling to collect clean water! Help these children stay healthy and in school by donating to our project. Look for our water jug in the Narthex or in the Sunday School hall. Thank you to everyone who came to our August Catch the Spirit dinner and Pampered Chef party and to those who purchased products. With supplemental funds from Thrivent Financial, the youth reached their goal and earned ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS! The funds will be used to pay for our trip to Rincon, GA, for the youth conference. Parish Education SUNDAY MORNING ADULT CLASS: Health Care Decision-Making (10:30 am) Sandy Schafer will be teaching a four-session discussion/class beginning on October 7 following the worship service. This class will be centered on making decisions ahead of the fact, how you want to be treated near the end of life. This is not a discussion of the much-debated Healthcare Bill, but an exploration of the what if questions as related to your life, history, goals, spirituality, hopes, dreams, and fears. Sandy has had many years of experience in the healthcare field as a nurse in hospitals and nursing homes, as well as teaching in the university setting. Her most recent experience included teaching disease management, managing chronically ill clients in the home setting and service as a member of the Palliative Care Team in a large Metro-Atlanta HMO.
Page 8 Property Board Service Board The Adventurer Thank you for supporting our 2012 Lutheran World Relief ministry. We sent 23 Personal Hygiene Kits for distribution in refugee camps. As you gear up for fall cleaning, please keep in mind our ongoing need for the following items in support of ministries: hotel toiletries, eye glasses (reading or prescription), plastic grocery bags, costume jewelry, and mardi gras beads. Please place any items on the service board table outside the adult Sunday School room. This year we will be asking for donations of food items for our Holiday Food Baskets. These items will include Stove Top stuffing, cranberry sauce, Old Glory beans, and packages of turkey gravy. If you see a sale on these items, please pick up a few. We also are looking for good prices on 50 pound bags of sweet potatoes and white potatoes. So far we have a price of $35 for 50 pounds of sweet potatoes. Our best estimate is we will assemble 25 baskets for distribution. Angel Tree will go up in the Narthex on November 18th. Dear Members of Advent Lutheran, When meeting a new church you never know what to expect. In our three years of existence, we have only done it twice and I was surprised and honored to meet a congregation with such welcoming arms and open hearts. I know that I can speak for my entire board when I say that Augusta exceeded our expectations in every way. Not only was that Sunday our single largest fundraiser to date, we met so many people who supported our mission,. As a direct result of your generosity our board has voted to start our first capital improvement plan. Currently our students study in a narrow mud-walled classroom with only limited natural lighting. Our new classrooms will be two-story brick and mortar buildings with electricity and lighting. Eventually we plan on removing all of the mud building and expanding the school, which currently goes through junior high, to include a high school. In Isaiah 1:17 we are told to learn how to do good, seek justice, rescue the oppressed and defend the orphan. Thank you for defending the orphans. Your brother in mission, Matt Schafer, Chairman, Mwangaza Lutheran Children s Foundation
Page 9 Special Thank You Thanks to all who helped make Interfaith week a success. Youth helped to move furniture, make beds and get the rooms ready for our families. Many meals were cooked, delicious desserts supplied, helping caring hands cleaned and gave comfort. Once a new family arrived, our overnight hosts even gave up their bed. It was a wonderful week and our guests expressed over and over how welcome they felt. One of the girls even cried when she told me how safe she felt. It s a blessing to be able to help these families and it wouldn t happen without a caring congregation who, by their works, shoed their faith. Once again thanks Advent! In Other News. The Convent of St. Helena, 3042 Eagle Drive, Augusta, GA, invites you to attend their Series for Spiritual Growth. Rabbi Rami Shapiro will be present on October 12th and 13th presenting Learning to Read the Bible Like a Mystic. Sometime beginning in the 4th century BC, a small group of radical Jews lost their faith; not their faith in God, but their faith in what people were saying about God. Like everyone else, they were taught that if they obeyed God, God would take care of them, but when they looked at life, they saw good people suffering and wicked people prospering. Something was terribly wrong. A new notion of God and a new understanding of life and how best to live it was needed, and they began to supply it. They challenged and rejected the conventional thinking of their time, and left us with books of deep brilliance that speak to our time no less than theirs. These are the books of the biblical Wisdom Tradition: Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, Sirach, and Wisdom of Solomon, and their spiritual offspring, The Gospel of Thomas and Pirke Avot, the Ethics for the Sages. The cost of the weekend event is $135.00 with a $65.00 deposit. For more information or to register, call the Convent of St. Helena at 706-798-5201. Senior Adult Days at Camp Kinard Hide Me from the Secret Plots of My Enemies October 25, 2012 from 9:30am to 3:30pm. Cost is $20 per person. Special presentation by Jeff Flanders, a member of the Lexington County Sheriff s department. Also includes craft time and a hayride. See Pastor Earl for a brochure. Camp Kinard, 6053 Two Notch Road, Batesburg-Leesville, SC 29070. (800) 532-2235
Faithful Servants Assistant Ministers *Mary Suprek 706-860-7767* 1o/7 Kip Hamilton 10/14 Karen Smith 10/21 Bobby Bisbee 10/28 Lynn Reed Lectors/Lay Readers *Sign up in the Narthex!* 10/7 Sister Barbara Lee 10/14 10/21 10/28 Communion Assistants *Mary Suprek 706-860-7767* 10/7 Individual Cups 10/14 Daisy Morgan, Patty Williams 10/21 Maria & Angela Pravato 10/28 Al Trappe, Maggie Heaney Crucifer/Acolytes *Kim Aiello 706-650-8512* 10/7 Samantha & Jamie Jimenez 10/14 Hayden Morrison, Ina Prescott 10/21 Stormy Hubble, Colin Weis 10/28 Remie Jones, Derek Paulus Ushers *Joe Pravato 706-447-4308* *Steve Merzlak 706-855-8006* 10/7 Eric Jablonski, Sam Jimenez 10/14 Jim Williams, Bill Fincher 10/21 Maria & Angela Pravato 10/28 Noah Smith, Bryce Boeke Greeters *Ron Ricklefs 706-738-2166* 10/7 Maggie Heaney & Judy McQueen 10/14 Dieter & Ulrike Beck 10/21 Julie Fillgrove, Alice Glisson 10/28 Gary & Linda Lawrence Altar Flowers *Sign up in the Narthex!* 10/7 10/14 10/21 10/28 Jimenez Family in memory of our Fafa, Earl Hildebrandt Missionary Support *Sign up in the Narthex!* 10/7 Ron & Gayle Ricklefs Hospital/Shut-In Visitor *Martha Ostendorff 706-736-8673* 10/7 Ron Ricklefs 10/14 Hilda Sullivan 10/21 Judy McQueen 10/28 Martha Ostendorff Visitor of Visitors *Ron Ricklefs 706-738-2166* 10/7 Ron & Gayle Ricklefs 10/14 Jim & Barbara Plumley 10/21 Linda Lawrence & Shirley Chipman 10/27 Don & Mable Plueger Fellowship Coffee Hour Host/Special Brunch *Sign up in the Narthex!* 10/7 Advent Youth 10/14 Rose Blake 10/21 Pancake Breakfast 10/28 Altar Guild *Maria Pravato 706-447-4308* (Early/Saturday) Linda Lawrence (Late) Julie Filgrove Eternal Candles Jane & John Burnette There are empty spaces that need to be filled Sign up in the Narthex if you can help!
Regular Sunday Services 8:15 AM Worship & Holy Communion 9:30 AM Sunday School for All Ages 10:30 AM Worship & Holy Communion Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 6 Golf Marathon @ Ft. Gordon 5:30 Youth Choir Council 6:30 Adult Choir Meeting 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 2:30 Service Board 5:30 Youth Choir 6:30 Adult Choir 14 15 16 17 Catch The Spirit Dinner 18 19 20 6:15pm 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 5:30 Youth Choir 6:30 Adult Choir Special Worship 7:00pm Council Meeting 6:30 Adult Choir Regular Sunday Services 9:15 AM Worship & Holy Communion 10:30 AM Sunday School for All Ages
Look Who s Celebrating! 10/ 7 & 10/ 9 & 10/ 11 & 10/ 17 & Have a special event that you would like to share? Call or email the church office to add it to the newsletter! (706) 860-0439 or E-mail advluch@adventaugusta.org 10/ 1 10/ 2 10/ 8 10/ 10 10/ 11 10/ 13 10/ 15 10/ 16 10/ 20 10/ 21 10/ 22 10/ 23 10/ 24 10/ 25 10/ 26 10/ 27 10/ 28 10/ 28 10/ 30 10/ 31 3232 Washington Road Augusta, GA 30907 Phone: 706-860-0439 Web: adventaugusta.org Email: advluch@adventaugusta.org DATED MATERIAL ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED Deadline For November Newsletter Entries October 19th