Georgetown Lutheran Church Volume 1, Issue 2 November 19, 2014 At Your Service Rev. Dr. Janice Mynchenberg Pastor revjem@msn.com Patricia Henry Music Director, Organist pathenry33@gmail.com Jill Schwartz Council President jillannsch@aol.com Chris Traugott Vice President traugottcm@aol.com Mike Solberg Treasurer glctreasurer@mail.com New Church Council Members of Georgetown Lutheran Church elected new officers and council members during the annual church meeting on Sunday, November 16 th. During the meeting, the congregation also approved the 2015 budget, examined financial records of the church, and discussed the overall state of the congregation. These newly elected officers and council members will be installed during the 10am worship service on Sunday, November 23 rd : President Jill Schwartz Vice President Chris Traugott Treasurer Sara Kauffman Financial Secretary Jackie Hibbard Recording Secretary Tanya Lervik Council Members Connie Baker, Charles Bushman, and George Eckert. Jackie Hibbard Financial Secretary glcfinancialsecretary@gmail.com Tanya Lervik Recording Secretary tanyalervik@gmail.com Other council members: Connie Baker Scott Miller Sara Kauffman Bethany Adamec Kay Swift Parish Administrator georgetownlutheranchurch@gmail.com Front row: Jill Schwartz and George Eckert; middle row: Jackie Hibbard, Pastor Mynchenberg, and Charles Bushman; and back row: Chris Traugott, Connie Baker, and Sara Kauffman. Not pictured: Tanya Lervik. Georgetown Lutheran Church 1556 Wisconsin Ave, NW Washington D.C. 20007 Office: (202)337-9070 Church Website: http://www.byfaithhopelove.com/gtl/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/george town-lutheran- Church/148393905186150
Business of the Church November Council Highlights After hearing the various reports, the council spent the bulk of its time discussing the annual meeting and checking that everything was on track for November 16th. Some adjustments had been made to the budget which reduced the projected deficit, and council approved those revisions. There was a lengthy discussion of the council s recommendation to the congregation regarding the payment of the IRS liens and the plans for rebuilding the congregation in the coming year. Please join us in the Parish Hall after the 10am worship service each Sunday for coffee and fellowship! Thank you Janet Sharp for coordinating this every week! The financial secretary reported that congregational income in October surpassed both 2012 and 2013 levels due to the large donation of one anonymous donor. Luke Frazier of the National Broadway Chorus has asked permission to do some renovations in the parish hall. The council was enthusiastic but had some questions about the proposal. The matter was deferred to a possible email vote when we receive a response to our concerns. The transition to the new payroll firm is underway, though a few kinks need to be worked out. The firm hired to help us with the IRS issues we face is still gathering data from our congregation and from the IRS. The council approved signing our congregation s name to the Good Faith Coalition s 2015 covenant to make housing for low income individuals and families a citywide priority in D.C. The Coalition s goal is to reach 100 church signatures to present to the new mayor and to then ask him to sign the covenant as well. The church office will be closed November 27 and 28 and from December 24 through January 6. The next church council meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 9 th at 7:15pm. N E W S L E T T E R Submissions Please email your newsletter suggestions, input, and updates to Karol Stanley at karolstanley@gmail.com Deadline for all submissions is the 15 th of each month. Moved recently or in the process of doing so? Has your telephone number or email address changed? Help us keep the church directory up to date! Please send your changes or updates to Kay Swift at georgetownlutheranchurch@gmail.com or contact the church staff at (202) 337-9070. Faith & Fiction Book Club Georgetown Lutheran Church has started an ecumenical and interfaith book group. The group meets at the Georgetown Public Library, located at 3260 R St., NW, typically on the first Thursday of each month at 7pm. The focus is on works of fiction that explore how God acts in the world and how people express the convictions of their faith in their daily lives. On December 4th, we will discuss Sing You Home by popular novelist Jodi Picoult. The central character is a music therapist and a special CD of songs composed for the story is attached to hardback copies of the book. Come join us!
GLC is a Happening Place! Your Help is Needed The Brown Bags & Bibles study group meets at noon each Monday. The group is currently studying the Gospel of Mark using a book by N.T. Wright as a resource for the discussion. Don t forget to bring a brown bag lunch with you to each session! Please contact the Pastor at glcpastor100@gmail.com with any questions. Come join the choir and help make a joyful noise unto the Lord! Everyone is welcome and no experience is necessary! Join us in the sanctuary for an hour of practice starting at 8:45am every Sunday. The choir then sings at the 10am worship service. time. The choir works on anthems several weeks in advance, so even frequent travelers have plenty of time to master the music. Contact Pat Henry, our Music Director, or any choir member. Help the Altar Guild prepare the altar for worship! Arriving about half an hour before the service, the Altar Guild prepares the wine, communion wafers, and anything else needed for the service. If you are interested in joining the Altar Guild, contact Cindy DeGrood Morrison at cgrotius@verizon.net and she will arrange a convenient training G.R.A.T.E. Patrol Ministry GLC members and friends prepare sandwiches and pack individual meals for the needy of our community. Join us in the church kitchen at 9am on the second and fifth Sunday of every month to assist in this congregational ministry. Come lend a hand and share in the fellowship! Please contact Ted and Sarah Chase at sarahachase@yahoo.com with any questions. Ushers, communion assistants, greeters, scripture and prayer readers, offering counters, Altar Guild, and coffee fellowship--these servant areas not only help worship run smoothly for all, but they offer you an opportunity to be connected with those in worship while you offer your time to the Lord. This is YOUR Garden Club Do you have a green thumb or would you like to learn the basics of gardening? Then come join this small group of individuals which helps our volunteer landscaper half a dozen times a year with planting and bed clean-up and periodic weeding, watering, and mowing the lawn. We have truly been blessed with some of the most beautiful gardens in all of Georgetown. Thank you, Valentine! To join this group and lend a hand, email valentingardens@gmail.com. church family! YOU are the body of Christ! If you d like to volunteer, please speak with or email Pastor Mynchenberg at glcpastor100@gmail.com or send an email to Kay Swift at georgetownlutheranchurch@gmail.com. M E M O I R Writing Do you have a memory full of funny stories to pass on to your family? Ever thought it would be fun to write? Let this be your forum to do so! People with all levels of writing ability are welcome to attend. The facilitator is a journalist and able to offer expert advice where needed. If you are writing a book, the weekly meeting and short reading will help you keep on track and motivated. The group currently meets at the church each Wednesday from 7pm to 9pm. Contact the church office at georgetownlutheranchurch@gmail.com for more information.
Dear Friends, The holiday season is upon us with all its festivity and all its demands upon our time and tempers. When I worked retail, I dreaded the Christmas crowds. They were so pushy and short-tempered and frustrated when our store didn t have exactly what they were looking for at a price that suited them. Ironic, isn t it? That a season celebrating the birth of God s grace and peace in human form should bring out the worst in people. But the holidays bring out the best in us as well. Tis the season for charitable donations and actions, for spending time with those we love and those who need us, for giving gifts to others, for carols and cards announcing the Lord has come and calling upon all the earth to be glad of it. Here at Georgetown Lutheran Church we putting on a special Thanksgiving dinner, open to any and all who want to join us. Bill Schilling is organizing it and is looking for some good men, women, and children to help him serve the dinner to the guests who will come through our doors. Please email Bill or call the office to participate in this holiday party. Also, here at Georgetown Lutheran Church, we put together some paper piggy banks to gather our loose coins together for a special offering on December 7. All the money in those banks will be our congregation s gift to the ELCA World Hunger Appeal, helping to feed starving people around the world in the name of Jesus Christ. If you didn t get a bank of your own yet, there are several still available at church. And here at Georgetown Lutheran Church we ve signed a covenant with numerous other faith communities in Washington D.C. to make housing for low income and homeless individuals and families a priority in 2015. The goal of the Good Faith Coalition is to gather 100 signatures from faith communities and present the covenant to the new D.C. mayor, inviting his signature as well. In addition, I ve been asked to help write daily devotions for the month of December for the churches in Georgetown and others who are being asked to sign this covenant (see page 7). No doubt several individuals and families connected with our congregation are dedicating themselves to many other acts of human kindness over the holiday season. Let me take this opportunity to pray that all these gifts given in the name of Jesus be blessed. May they brighten the spirits of those who give and those who receive. May they remind us all of the gift of that tiny child in a manger, come to save the world in the name of its God. Amen. Happy Holy Days to one and all! Rev. Dr. Janice Mynchenberg Attention Women of Georgetown Lutheran Church! The Metro DC Synodical Women s Organization publishes a newsletter three times per year. If you would like to follow the SWO news, go to the SWO website at http://dwyercl2.wix.com/welca-metrodcsynod and click on The Joyful News (found at the bottom of the home page). GLC members enjoying themselves at the Maryland Renaissance Festival.
The Season of Giving is Upon Us! Come join fellow church members and friends in hosting GLC s pre-thanksgiving dinner! Held in the Parish Hall of the church at 6pm on Wednesday, November 26 th, the dinner is FREE for everyone--the homeless or lonely, those in need, or those searching for fellowship. However, we cannot do this without your help! Volunteers are needed--kitchen workers, servers, beverage makers, greeters, etc. We also need donations of desserts and side dishes to complete our Thanksgiving dinner! No matter your talent or amount of time, come help GLC make a difference in the local community through this special event! If interested in volunteering or bringing food items, please contact Bill Schilling at william.schilling@verizon.net. Please note that Bill will be out of town November 13-19 and responses and acknowledgements may be delayed. There will also be a Thanksgiving worship service at 7:30pm. Come share the fellowship of this special season! You Shop. Georgetown Lutheran Church Gets Money. For FREE! Go to www.igive.com/georgetownlutheranchurch to become a member, download the igive button, and start shopping today! By doing my online shopping through igive.com, GLC will receive a donation of $9.63 for my purchase of cat food. It s so incredibly easy--- simply download the button, go to a store website, and start shopping while taking advantage of special igive.com coupons and savings! No extra steps, no hassle and GLC benefits. ~Member of GLC Just Shop Online! Shop great stores you know and love. Save money with exclusive coupons and free shipping deals. FREE Membership! igive.com is totally FREE and has a network of 1,500+ stores. Join today to get a $5 bonus and start helping GLC every time you shop! Help the Homeless in Georgetown! Georgetown Ministry Center needs your donations of adult men s and women s gently used or new athletic socks, new men s and women s underwear, gently used or new t-shirts and undershirts, and travel sized toiletries. Due to recent changes in its storage capacity, the Center is accepting only these items at this time. Visit the Center s website at www.gmcgt.org to find out other ways you can help! Give a Gift of Hope and Make a Difference! Looking for a unique gift for your loved one this Christmas season? Do you want to make a difference in your community? You can do both with a purchase of a Gift of Hope, sponsored by our local Metro DC Synod. The Gifts of Hope Catalog is available online and has 39 different gifts, with prices ranging from $10 to $250. These gifts support the mission and programs of area Lutheran social service organizations, camps, college and seminary, and our Synod s companion synods abroad. Your Gifts of Hope purchases will bring hope to others while you honor those on your gift list. View all gifts and the participating organizations at our new website: www.giftsofhopedc.org/ Select gifts from the online catalog and you will receive, by mail, Christmas cards to present to your honored loved ones and descriptions of your selected gifts. Your Gift of Hope will benefit those in need and please those on your shopping list.
We are an alliance of faith communities in the District of Columbia serving persons who are homeless and marginalized. Our mission is to advocate with those we serve for adequate and affordable housing for all District residents. Good Faith Communities Coalition, firmly rooted in the shared tenets of our faith communities, provides an opportunity for individual congregations to join together so that their voices are heard loudly and clearly in the District of Columbia government as local priorities are discussed and the budget allocated. Working together we can make a difference! Visit http://goodfaithdc.org/ for more information!
W H O W E A RE Georgetown Lutheran Church was founded in 1769 and is the oldest Lutheran church in the District of Columbia. We seek to know God and our neighborhood; to grow the gifts that God has given us and grow disciples of Jesus; and to go into the world to serve God and God s people. A Reconciling in Christ congregation, we affirm with St. Paul that in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, and we welcome all people regardless of sexual orientation or S UNDAY S E R V I C E T I M E S 8:30am Informal Half-Hour Service 10:00am Full Liturgical Service with Music Intergenerational Sunday School begins at 9:00am. Holy Communion is celebrated at both Sunday morning worship services. race. Georgetown Lutheran Church 1556 Wisconsin Avenue, NW Washington D.C. 20007 Return Service Requested - Dated Material - Do Not Delay
N O V E M B E R SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 1 2 All Saints Sunday 9 9:00 AM G.R.A.T.E. Patrol 3 10 4 4-6:30 PM Little Steps 11 Veteran s Day 4-6:30 PM Little Steps 7:15 PM Council Mtng 5 9 AM-1 PM Little Steps 7-9 PM Memoir Writing 12 9 AM-1 PM Little Steps 6 7 PM Faith & Fiction Book Club at Library 7 9 AM-12 PM Little Steps 13 14 9 AM-12 PM Little Steps 8 15 16 The Annual Congregational Meeting will immediately follow the 10 AM worship service. A pot luck luncheon will be held following the meeting. 23 17 24 18 4-6:30 PM Little Steps 19 9 AM-1 PM Little Steps 7-9 PM Memoir Writing 25 26 6:00 PM Pre-Thanksgiving Dinner 7:30 PM Worship Service 20 12 PM Meeting of the Georgetown Clergy Association 27 Thanksgiving Day 21 9 AM-12 PM Little Steps 28 22 29 30 First Sunday of Advent 9:00 AM G.R.A.T.E. Patrol BB&B Brown Bags & Bibles study group Note: Pastor Mynchenberg will be on vacation from October 29 th to November 5 th. NBC National Broadway Chorus Kay Swift, Parish Administrator, will be on vacation the week of November 10 th.
D E C E M B E R SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 PM Faith & Fiction Book Club at Library 7 Second Sunday of Advent 8 9 4-6:30 PM Little Steps 7:15 PM Council Mtng (in Sanctuary) 7:30-10 PM NBC 10 9 AM-1 PM Little Steps 7-9 PM Memoir Writing 11 12 9 AM-12 PM Little Steps 13 5 PM Carol Sing-a-Long 14 Third Sunday of Advent 9:00 AM G.R.A.T.E. Patrol 10:00 AM Lessons & Carols 15 16 17 18 19 NBC s All day dress rehearsal 8 PM Christmas By The Letter * An NBC production 20 21 Fourth Sunday of Advent 22 23 24 Christmas Eve 25 Christmas 26 27 5 PM Worship Service 10:30 PM Worship Service 28 29 30 31 New Year s Eve BB&B Brown Bags & Bibles study group Note: The church office will be closed from December 24 th to January 6 th. NBC National Broadway Chorus