JULY 2018 IMMANUEL EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH Connecting people with God and with other people to make a difference! 14100 WORTHINGTON ROAD PHILADELPHIA, PA 19116 Phone: 215-464-1540 www.immanuelphilly.org Immanuel Newsletter GOD S WORK OUR HANDS TIME-SENSITIVE MATERIAL Table of Contents Connecting With God From Pastor Hahn Pg. 2 Thank you Pg. 2 Pg. 2 A Different Kind of Holy Trinity Pg. 3 I-SEE Pg. 4 Connecting With Other People Birthdays Pg. 5 Annual Picnic Pg. 6 Making A Difference Social Ministry Pg. 7 A Thank You Pg. 7 Calendar Pg. 8 Immanuel Campus
IMMANUEL NEWSLETTER Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church 14100 Worthington Road, Philadelphia, PA 19116 Telephone: 215-464-1540 FAX: 215-677-2433 E-mail: office@immanuelphilly.org Websites: www.immanuelphilly.org and www.hillhappenings.org Facebook: Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church, Philadelphia Ministers: Members and Friends of the Congregation Pastor: Rev. Norbert F. Hahn, Ph.D. 215-464-1540 PastorHahnILC@gmail.com Secretary: Diane Burgess 215-464-1540 office@immanuelphilly.org Council President: Barbara Hannon 215-637-8478 CHURCH ORGANIZATIONS, MEETING TIMES, LEADERS Wednesdays 10:00 AM, Pastor Hahn Choir As needed Dr. James M. Clements Congregation Council 2 nd Monday Barbara Hannon Christian Event Team 1 ST Tuesday Eileen Szentjobi Finance Team As needed David W. Cook Frauenverein 3 rd Wednesday 12:00 Noon Marianne Haug German Circle/Deutscher Kreis 1 st Sunday Ruth Muggler Girl Scouts Wednesdays Nancy Smith Hand Bell Choir As needed Dr. James M. Clements Immanuel German School Saturdays 9:30 AM Dr. Del Hausman Ladies Guild 2 nd Tuesday Barbara Hannon Member Care Team 1 ST Tuesday 10:00 AM Judy Friedman Mutual Ministry Team TBA John Scholtz Social Ministry Team 3rd Wednesday 12:30 PM Michele Cook Sunday School Sundays 9:30 AM Eileen Szentjobi Women s Book Club TBA Judy Friedman Worship Planning Team 2nd Tuesday 10:00 AM Pastor Hahn Youth Group TBA Chris Blankenhorn and Eileen Szentjobi NEWSLETTER EDITORAL STAFF Diane Burgess David W. Cook Pastor Norbert F. Hahn Marianne Haug Immanuel Church needs your help in ensuring its future ministry. Please include the church in your will. You may want to at least tithe (give 10%) of your estate to the Lord. Remember to include the church s name and address along with the amount of your bequest. Should you wish, Pastor Hahn will provide you with the name of a caring and capable lawyer who can assist you. - 2 -
From Pastor Hahn My dear church family, A police officer is admitted to the hospital and treated for burn injuries. His head is completely covered with bandages, except for small openings for his eyes, nostrils and mouth. A nurse wheels his bed into a hospital room and introduces him to the patient in the other bed: We got you a roomie; he s a burn victim. The other patient has a broken leg, a broken arm, and a broken nose. He hobbles over to the newly arrived patient and offers to bring him some orange juice with a straw, due to the small opening for the mouth. The police officer begins to sob and mutters, please forgive me, please forgive me. And, I am sorry. I am so sorry. The other man does not understand. What are you talking about? The police officer adds a few details: I am sorry for throwing you out of the window of your office. I didn t mean to. I was angry and I lost control. Indeed, the other patient s broken body parts are the result of the officer s act of unprovoked violence against him the day before. The broken man realizes that his attacker lies before him in a state of helplessness. He stares at him. There is a long silence. Then he hobbles back to his bed, reaches for a bottle of orange juice, fills a cup, adds a straw, and takes the cup and straw to the officer s bedside table. Without a word he returns to his bed. This powerful scene about confession and forgiveness is from the award-winning movie, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. (I have a copy and will gladly loan it to you.) There are theories of power and philosophies of life which propose that power should be met with more power, that violence should be revenged with greater violence, that love and forgiveness are signs of weakness. There are other theories and philosophies which propose that, if left unchecked and unbroken, cycles of violence and spirals of power will lead to more pain and suffering. And then there is the story of Jesus Christ, the master story of the Christian Tradition, where we see how confession, love, and forgiveness have lifechanging and world-transforming impact. Which approach do you favor? God s Peace, Pastor Hahn Thank you for giving special financial gifts to assist a family in our community that had fallen on hard times due to serious illness of both breadwinners as well as foul-ups in the insurance and public support systems. Thank you for filling and returning the brown bags filled with personal hygiene items for residents at the Protestant Home. These items are given to residents who do not have sufficient financial funds to afford them. Thank you to everyone who is helping with this year s feed our hungry neighbor vegetable garden. If you care to give the occasional 30 or 60 minutes of help, please contact Michele Cook. in July will be on THURSDAYS, 10 AM and 7 PM. NO BIBLE STUDY on July 19. - 3 -
Vater, Sohn und Hl. Geist Einmal Anders Elena Filipescu hat eine Ikone gemalt, auf der die Heilige Dreifaltigkeit auf eine sehr ungewöhnliche Art und Weise abgebildet ist. Da ist kein Thron zu sehen, auf dem der allmächtige Gott-Vater sitzt und den Gekreuzigten Sohn trägt. Keine Insignien der Macht wie Zepter oder Reichsapfel. Keine Präsentation von überirdischer Herrlichkeit, keine Wolken oder Engel. Die Mitte dieser Dreifaltigkeitsikone wird nicht von der Herrlichkeit und Macht Gottes ausgefüllt, sondern von der Hilfsbedürftigkeit des Menschen. Den drei göttlichen Personen reicht es nicht, den Betrachter majestätisch anzuschauen und zu repräsentieren. Sie sind völlig der armseligen Gestalt des Menschen zugewandt, greifen ihm unter die Arme, berühren liebevoll seine Füße, stehen bereit, ihm neues Leben aus der Kraft des Geistes einzuhauchen. Es ist ungewöhnliche, eine herausfordernde Darstellung. Die herkömmlichen Bilder der Dreifaltigkeit in Macht und Herrlichkeit sind uns sicher vertrauter. Wir sind es gewohnt, vor Gott auf die Knie zu gehen. Es ist ein Ausdruck dafür, dass wir bereit sind, uns zu unterstellen und Anweisung zu empfangen, so wie der Herr es verfügen möchte. Die Ikone vertauscht die Rollen. Da geht Gott- Vater vor dem Menschen auf die Knie und Gott- Sohn umfasst und küsst seine Füße. Vater und Sohn kümmern sich in ihrer liebevollen Hinwendung um Seele und Leib, der Geistvogel (Gott-Geist) aber um den Geist des Menschen. Hier wird dargestellt, wie Gott an uns Menschen handeln möchte. Für Pater Thomas Heck, der dieses Bild interpretiert hat, entspricht diese Ikone der Wirklichkeit Gottes, so wie sie uns in Jesus Christus offenbart ist. A Different Kind of Holy Trinity On Trinity Sunday, which is always the first Sunday Sunday, worshipers encountered an unusual representation of the Holy Trinity: an icon painted by artist Elena Filipescu. The picture has none of the traditional symbols: Almight God does not sit on a throne; God does not hold the crucified Christ. There are no symbols of power like a scepter or an orb of Judgment and no signs of heavenly glory like clouds or angels. At the center of the depiction of the Holy Trinity is not the glory or power of God, but a human being in need. The three divine persons do not simply project an aura of royal reservedness or majestic distance. No, they are fully engaged with the poor and pitiful person. They try to lift him up, lovingly touch his feet, and are ready to imbue him with new life via the power of the Holy Spirit. It is, indeed, an unusual depiction and it challenges the more familiar traditional perspectives of a Holy Trinity that is glorious and powerful. People are used to kneeling before God s glory and power as an expression of their submission to God and their willingness to receive God s instructions and to obey them. This icon reverses the roles. God, the Father, kneels before the human being. God, the Son, grasps the human s feet and kisses them. With loving dedication, Father and Son care for body and soul of the human being, while God, the Holy Spirit (depicted here as the flaming dove), cares for the spirit of the human being. This icon depicts how God would like to care for each of us. Father Thomas Heck who tried to interpret this icon, put it this way: this icon shows how God really is and how God revealed Godself to be in Jesus Christ. - 4 -
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ANNUAL CONGREGATIONAL PICNIC JUNE 10, 2018 We had a great turn out at our indoor church picnic. There were around 70 people who joined us! Thanks to everyone for their generous food donations. We had fun playing a few games, singing along with the power point presentation, great conversations and fellowship! - 6 -
SOCIAL MINISTRY The Social Ministry Team tries to lead and inspire the members and friends of our church famiy to make a difference in the lives of people in need. CAUGHT DOING MINISTRY Thank you to Karin and her friend, Rose, doing yard work. Hunger in the Summer Millions of American kids live in food-insecure households. In the summers, many go hungry. Roughly 54 percent of America s school kids receive free or reduced priced lunches. Many of the same students participate in free or reduced price breakfast programs. Families that rely on Supplemental Assistance Programs (SNAP) don t get extra money because school is out. The Social Ministry Committee asks that during the month of July you make a special effort to bring non-perishable items for the Somerton Food Bank. Our goal is 250 items. They also donated the special smoker s receptacle at the main entrance. Matthew 25:35 For I was hungry and you gave me food Feed Our Hungry Neighbors Garden The garden has gotten a late start, because we were waiting for it to be tilled. Many people ask about the status of the vegetable garden, but don t offer to help with the garden. We need helpers. Contact Michele Cook at 215-637-0252. Thank you to Judy Friedman and the Christian Events Team for donating the proceeds from the Women s Night Event titled God s Garden to the church s vegetable garden. - 7 -
1 IMMANUEL LUTHERAN CHURCH JULY 2018 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sixth Sunday 9:30 AM English Service with Holy Communion 10:30 AM Fellowship 11:00 AM German Service with Holy Communion 2 3 11:30 PM Staff Christian Event Team 4 JULY 4 HOLIDAY (Office closed) 5 10:00 AM Member Care Team 10:00 AM 6 7 8 Seventh Sunday 9:30 AM English Worship 10:00 AM Coffee Break 10:30 AM I-SEE 11:30 AM German Worship 9 Council 10 1:30 PM Staff 11 7:30 PM Girl Scouts 12 9:30 AM Lower Bucks Conference 10:00 AM 13 14 15 Eighth Sunday 9:30 AM English Worship 10:00 AM Coffee Break 10:30 AM I-SEE 11:30 AM German Worship 16 17 1:30 PM Staff 18 12:00 Noon Frauenverein 7:30 PM Girl Scouts 19 20 9:30 AM Newsletter Mailing 21 Newsletter Deadline 22 Ninth Sunday 9:30 AM English Worship 10:00 AM Coffee Break 10:30 AM I-SEE 11:30 AM German Worship 23 24 1:30 PM Staff Finance Team 25 7:30 PM Girl Scouts 26 10:00 AM 27 28 29 Tenth Sunday 9:30 AM English Worship 10:00 AM Coffee Break 10:30 AM I-SEE 11:30 AM German Worship 30 31