Inside this issue: Anniversaries for July 2 Birthdays for July 2 Calendar for July 11 Call Team Update 4 Christian Life Formation 6 CLT Update 4 Crosstalk 3 Finance Team News 9 Financial Update 7 Haven of Rest 9 Human Care News 10 Lutheran Witness 7 Musing Along the. 5 Open Forum 4 Outdoor Sign Ministry 8 Stewardship Article 8 Thrivent Article 9 May Attendance 5 43 156 69 12 38 186 76 19 30 164 50 26 27 150 45 3 Dale & Alison Miller 21 Phil & Cindy Gilreath 4 Bill & Karen Feth 21 Scott & Natalie Shellhorn 5 Bill & Jeri Montalto 24 Walter & Mary Yoder 7 Paul & Ali Federwitz 25 Steve & Toula Elefter 12 Bob & Delores Wascher 28 Joe & Jessica Fister 13 Arnie & Cherie Melby 30 Harry & Jennifer Zaremba 17 Michael & Deedra Zwisler 31 Gary & Tracey Reinecke 21 Paul & Judy Madachik 31 Dustin & Katherine Shepherd 1 Kari Evans 2 George Pristic 3 Mike Lupo 4 Judy Madachik 5 Lloyd Goettler 5 Sophia Elefter 5 Zach Reinecke 6 Barb Reynolds 7 Lori Albright 8 Olivia Gross 9 Lee Gsellman 9 Becky Leu 9 Christa Kohlmeier 10 Ben Sloan 10 Katie Pflueger 11 Devin Berresford 12 Alex Lupo 11 Chuck Eckberg 12 Donna Preiksa 13 Kathryn Pinter 13 Mitch Hamidi 14 Skip Bray 15 Cheryl Zito 16 Griffin Albright Happy Anniversary Happy Birthday Submissions for August Connections are due July 22, 2013 Please Email: kim.hornyak@ fairlawnlutheran.org Connections mailing will be Thur., July 25, 2013 16 Bill Glause 16 David Weninger 16 John Hoffman 17 Tyler McCarty 18 Sandra Cannata 20 Ron Gsellman 21 Julie Burkett 22 Zach Riley 23 David Sheets 25 Kiera Francis 26 Mia Aberth 26 Griffin Hornyak 26 Roseann Pace 26 Tom Thompson 26 Dan Sheets 27 Kim Traverse 27 Charlie Reinecke 28 Karen Feth 28 Ursula Gould 28 Jordyn Hornyak 28 Eric Krenz 28 Melissa Renner 30 Carla Hamsher 31 Joanne Gillette P A G E 2
Crosstalk Kim Hornyak, Office Admin. The focus of this month s Connections Newsletter is GENEROSITY and what that looks like in the life of a Christian. My initial thought, and maybe yours too, was to think of generosity solely in the financial sense, but God has a much broader vision than that. Christian generosity can be expressed in many ways: taking the extra minute to chat with a person despite being short on time, happily offering to lend a hand to get the job done, freely sharing of oneself to all, encouraging others, quietly serving while no one else is looking. The list could go on and on. God s Word can provide us with many reasons and direction when considering the subject of generosity. Delving into God s Word can provide us with more reasons and directions when trying to understand generosity and what that means as children of the Risen Lord. Let s see what God s Word has to say: What does God give us so that we may be generous? You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. 2 Corinthians 9:11 NIV But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Gal. 5:22-23 NIV For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. Romans 12:4-8 NIV How are we able to be generous? Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people Eph. 6:7 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism. Col. 3:23-25 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Romans 12:9 NIV Why are we to be generous? Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized whoever. I didn t take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn t just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it! 2 Corinthians 9:19-25 MSG But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. 1 Chronicles 29:14 NIV Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 2 Corinthians 9:6 NIV P A G E 3
Crosstalk Cont. What happens when we are generous: 2 A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. Proverbs 11:25 NIV The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor. Proverbs 22:9 NIV Generosity springs from a joyful heart that is responding to the boundless love, mercy and grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That type of joy flows freely from the heart, often times without us even realizing it. Inner joy is a tangible expression of Christ s love generously shared with others as part of His plan. May the joy, love and peace of Christ flow generously from your heart to all those around you; now and always. CLT Update Community Life Team is pleased to welcome its newest member Betty Huber who was appointed to complete Dan Sears term. Please uplift Betty in prayer as she servers Fairlawn Lutheran Church and School in this new capacity. Pastor Bok Open Forum Pastor Vern Bok is finishing his conflict resolution project and will be presenting his report in July. Everyone is encouraged to attend one of two sessions to hear his observations and recommendations, and receive a copy of the report. These open forums will be held on Wednesday July 17 th and Wednesday July 24 th, both from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. Please attend the session that fits with your calendar. On Tuesday July 30 th from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., Pastor Bok will lead another open forum to discuss specific actions and timelines to implement the recommendations. You are invited to attend this session as well. All of the forums will be held at FLC, and additional details will be communicated as we get closer. Please continue to pray for the successful resolution of conflict and disharmony within our church, and the furthering of God s kingdom and work at, and through, Fairlawn Lutheran. Call Team Update The Call Team has received 10 new names from Synod and have reviewed them. Two stood out above the rest and phone interviews will be set up with them. Most others were determined not to be a suitable fit. The call process seems to move slowly, but there are steps that must be followed, so we ask the patience of the congregation as we attempt to find just the perfect candidate. Prayers are much appreciated as we move through the deliberative stages. Team Members: Judy Corbett, Paul Dougall, Earl Evans, Dan Sears, Mark Seevers, Gayle Seymour, Arin Sloan, Kelly Starkey, Ilona Stroupe, Pastor Tauscher P A G E 4
Musing Along the Highway Generous people have been on my mind this month. Recently I heard a raucous gathering in the fellowship hall at church. The room was mostly empty and since the children from school were in another part of the building, I knew it was not a birthday party or tag game. Out of curiosity, because the voices were adult, I came out of my office and there I met a group of people laughing and sharing and having a good old time. Their fun was interrupted by my inquisitive intrusion and one of them explained, Oh, hi Pastor, we just got done serving lunch at Open M in Akron and we were telling stories. The stories and their attitudes were the kinds of things that people who had generously given of their time and talents often share. I learned from them that they had served lunch to more than 200 people. They brought cookies for dessert, manned the serving line, did some preparations and served freely. I learned that this same crowd of mostly retired folks, served regularly in the community supporting the Open M ministry and its service to many who would otherwise, have to do without. Some of the folks in this crowd were tired, some we energized, and some were quiet. However, even the quiet ones were sharing in the fun. Their generous service was freely and joyfully given. They wished others would join them. Generosity and joy go hand in hand. Generous people are moved to act from within a heart that has been touched by the loving Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Jesus brings joy, especially to anyone who has struggled with sin, for it answers with the assurance of God s acceptance and articulates forgiveness through trust that the sacrifice of Jesus covers us. Yikes, what a relief! Go ahead laugh out loud, because you have been won and saved and delivered into the grace undeserved love- of God. You are an, heir of salvation. You are His fully accepted child. His property is yours now. His property is the very Kingdom of Heaven itself. What a treasure! Thoughts such as these moved one ancient group of believers in ways that made the Apostle Paul take note in 2 Corinthians chapter eight. He wrote about some Christians in the,...macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in... generosity. The joy of the Gospel moves some, and I guess it should be all, to generosity. Generous people respond almost without thought to what it takes when they meet a need. They see and immediately, self- assess, asking, What can I do to help. This almost inevitably, means they respond with service or by spending time to help. Moved by joy in the Gospel, they act generously and give joyfully. When moved by joy, the joy is returned. They have fun in serving. That fun makes them laugh out loud in small gatherings in the church fellowship hall after their time of service. Generosity emerges from joy in the Gospel the returns can be fun and fellowship in serving and delight in seeking the Lord s work done. God looks at that and responds. What they leave in their wake is thankful people and an affirmation of the Biblical truth. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. (2 nd Corinthians 9:11) ~ Pastor Wesolik Interim Administrative Pastor P A G E 5
Christian Life Formation ~ Tim & Heidi Koehler International Mission Trip 2013 Our mission team is finishing up final preparations before heading to an orphanage in Guatemala. We all feel so blessed to help the least of these. God writes in his word Matthew 25:40 And the King will answer them, Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me. We are so humbled to be able to work tirelessly for the least of these We know that your prayers and your support are with us as we go in the name of Fairlawn Lutheran to care for and encourage 150 orphans in Guatemala. Please feel free to follow us one of two ways (please note that these ways will only work if internet access is available): Facebook Fairlawn Lutheran Church or our blog page extremeserviceflcs.wordpress.com. We also look forward to sharing our experiences in a worship service some time in August or September. High School Guys and Girls night out This is a Bible study designed specifically high school guys and girls. Girls night out is every Monday night at Starbucks from 6:30-7:30 Guys night out is every Sunday night 6:30-7:00 at Chick fil -A Please contact Heidi or Tim Koehler for any questions. Thank you to each and every person who volunteered to help out with VBS this year and in year s past! We could not have done it with out you. FLCS volunteers are amazing and our congregation is blessed to have so many. New Men s Bible study Tender Warrior Beginning July 23, 2013 at 6:30am at The Landing (lower level under the main staircase) Questions? Contact Tim Koehler A special thank you to everyone who signed up to buy and bring supplies in. These donations are essential to the success of the program. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you! P A G E 6
FINANCIAL ACTIVITY REPORT OPERATIONS BUILDING FUND Month of May, 2013 Year-to-Date Income $34,527 $4,650 Expenses $51,873 $7,837 Net Cash Income / (Loss) ($17,346) ($3,187) Income $205,923 $30,820 Expenses $238,995 $39,187 Net Cash Income / (Loss) ($33,072) ($8,367) Special Edition Of The Lutheran Witness Take a moment to stop by the church library or the counter by the mailboxes to peruse the special edition of the Lutheran Witness for May/June. This issue focuses on the many, many missions fields the LCMS is currently serving in and supporting financially. P A G E 7
Outdoor Sign Changing Ministry ~ Volunteers Still Needed The Sign Changing Ministry is still in need of additional volunteers to serve an ongoing ministry that changes the messages our church provides for the community on the signboards by the Market Street and Smith Road entrances. If we can increase the number of church members on this squad to six, each person would need to serve on average only every third week and we would have the flexibility to accommodate schedule conflicts and vacations. Sign changes are typically performed weekly on Monday afternoons by two people working together and do require lifting the boxes of letters weighing about twenty pounds on and off of the transport cart. It usually takes 60-90 minutes to complete both signs. If you would be willing to help, please contact either Richard Kotick (330-666-5617, rkotick@neo.rr.com) or Lloyd Goettler (330-666-5180, goet30@aol.com). Stewardship & Generosity How Do You View Money? As Financial Peace University teaches, contentment is the greatest financial principle. While discontentment has us constantly aching for more, contentment provides the peace and strength we need to win with money. In order to walk in that peace, we must first address how we view money. There are really just three ways to look at money: a spirit of poverty, a spirit of pride or a spirit of gratitude. One view is biblical and the other two are wrong. Of course, like most things in life, it s much easier to drift toward the world s ways than God s ways. The Spirit of Poverty: You believe wealth is evil. It s okay to get by, but having more money that you need is from the devil. It s bad, and it will ultimately make you a bad person. If you succeed, you feel guilty. If others succeed, you judge. This view is not biblical. The Spirit of Pride: You believe wealth is a result of your hard work. You ve put in the hours and the years, you deserve every dollar you bring home. You ve made wise choices with your money, so you re obviously the reason you re doing well. You, you, you. This view is not biblical either. The Spirit of Gratitude: You recognize that wealth is not evil and it didn t come from you. Any financial blessings you receive are from God. He loves you. He wants you to use His resources to take care of your household, prepare for the future, change your family tree, and bless others. You see, when we recognize that our money is really from Him, we can face temptation to spend recklessly and win. We can budget for big purchases and win. We can save for retirement and our kid s college and win. We can look for ways to help others and win. This view is biblical. 2 Corinthians 9:10-11 says, For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity. Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. Contentment leads to generosity. Generosity points others to Christ. There truly is no greater financial principal. Printed with permission from Dave Ramsey P A G E 8
Thrivent Looking for help with your career? Unemployment hovers around 8% nationally.* If you re part of that statistic and looking for some positive news concerning the job market, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans can help. Our online Job Transition resources offer: Practical advice for job seekers, including interview skills, building a resume, networking, using social media and more. Help with making smart decisions about money. Ways to find emotional and spiritual support. Visit Thrivent.com/careers/nextcareer. The information is free and available to everyone. If you have other questions, contact Brian or Stephanie McCarty at (330)668-4720 or brian.mccarty@thrivent.com or Stephanie.mccarty@thrivent.com. Finance Team Reminder for Senior members of Fairlawn Lutheran Church: The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, enacted January 2, 2013, extended for 2012 and 2013 the provision authorizing Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCD s). These are distributions that can be made from an IRA to an eligible charitable organization (e.g., Fairlawn Lutheran Church) without tax consequences. The contributions must be from an IRA owner 70-1/2 years old or older, and must be made directly as a transfer to the organization from the IRA. The IRA owner can exclude from gross income up to $100,000 of these QCD s. The option is available regardless of whether or not an eligible IRA owner itemizes deductions on 1040 Schedule A. QCD s are also counted in determining whether or not the IRA owner has met his or her IRA Required Minimum Distribution for the year. It s a good deal if you are eligible!! Finance Team Haven of Rest THANK YOU, THANK YOU!! This year s collection of personal care items for Haven of Rest was a great success thanks to the generous donations from our congregation. FLCS members can always be counted on to share with those in need. Varied toiletries will be delivered to Haven of Rest July 1. Chick-fil-A Thursday, July 11, 2013 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. To Benefit Haven Of Rest Ministries Give 2 cans of fruits or vegetables Get a coupon for a Chick-fil-A sandwich (Limit 1 coupon per customer) Haven of Rest Aero Baseball Nights at Canal Park Sat. July 13, Sun July 28, Fri Aug 23 - See the Mission Tower for details P A G E 9
Human Care What s Happening this Summer at OPEN M We are sending from our FLC congregation a budgeted $750 total to sponsor one child each in the OPEN M BUILDING BLOCKS, DIAMOND LADIES, AND YME YEAR-ROUND EDUCATION PROGRAMS FOR 2013: BUILDING BLOCKS A YEAR-ROUND KINDERGARTEN READINESS PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN AGES 3-5,Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10am-2pm. The regularly scheduled program ended on June 20 and a summer camp program will begin July 1. Helpers are needed. Contact Felicia Bronner, 330-434-0110, ext. 410. TEEN L.I.N.K.S (Loving, Investing and Nurturing Kids for Success): DIAMOND LADIES A leadership program for teens 12-17 years of age. Their summer enrichment program will be held on Wednesdays and Fridays from noon to 4pm. This program offers job readiness preparation, financial literacy, interview skills, life skills, and since its summer they will have access to recreation and field trips and hope to offer tutoring. Contact Felicia Bronner for more information. YME (Young Men of Empowerment) summer camp will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 6pm starting June 18 and ending August 22. Contact Johnny Osby for more details, ext. 423, 330-434-0110. NIGHT AT THE BALL GAME + ONE! Looking for a fun night out? Join OPEN M at the Akron Aeros Canal stadium on Tuesday, July 16 at 7:05 pm for OPEN M night! Tickets are $10 and includes a $1 donation to the OPEN M Teen L.I.N.K.S program. To purchase tickets, call Tina Thelin at 330-434-0110, ext. 418, or email her at eventvol@openm.org. SAVE THE DATE: It s going to be a hole-in-one of an event! Monday, August 5, 2013 from 9am 3pm at Fox Den Golf Course in Stow is OPEN M s 13th Annual Golf Outing. $115/golfer or $460 for a group of four. Includes 18 holes of golf with a cart, games of skill, breakfast, lunch and a steak dinner! Bring your foursome together for this worthwhile fundraiser for the OPEN M Free Clinic, which serves over 800 individuals annually with lifesaving healthcare and medications. For more information contact Tina Thelin, ext. 418 or by email at eventvol.@openm.org. DON T FORGET OUR NEXT OPEN M FREE HOT LUNCH ON AUGUST 20, 10:30am- 2pm! We will need 10-12 people to help prepare and serve especially if 200 people show up as they did in May. We will also need 25 doz. cookies. Please sign up on the Mission Tower in August. Questions? Jacquie Kyle, 330-666-5725 or email jmkyle@msn.com. LCMS WORLD RELIEF AND HUMAN CARE: Our congregation will be sending a budgeted $2,200 to LCMS WR/HC for U.S. Disaster Relief. Please check the Mission Tower for information on the Oklahoma tornado relief quickly provided to the people of Oklahoma. P A G E 1 0
F L C J U L Y 2 0 1 3 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 6:30pm HS Girls Night 2 9:30-11:30am Staff Mtg. 6:30pm Facilities Mtg. 7:00pm Prayer Ministry 8:00pm AA Support Group 3 6:15am Men s Bible Study (Bob Evans) 9:30am Moms of Faith. 4 Happy 4th of July! 5 9:30am F.A.A. 6 Church Office Closed International Mission Trip 7 9:30am Collision Jr & Sr High 12:30pm Praise Band Practice 8 6:30pm School Board Mtg. 9 9:30-11:30am Staff Mtg 1:00pm Thrivent Retirement & Estate Planning Event 7:00pm Prayer Ministry 8:00pm AA Support Group 10 6:15am Men s Bible Study (Bob Evans) 9:30am Moms of Faith 9:30am Kindermusik 7:00pm Finance Team Mtg. 7:00pm Stewardship Team Mtg. 11 6:30pm Church Council 12 9:30am F.A.A. 9:30am Kindermusik 13 International Mission Trip 14 9:30am Collision Jr & Sr High 12:30pm Praise Band Practice 6:30pm HS Boys Night 15 6:30pm HS Girls Night 16 9:30-11:30am Staff Mtg 7:00pm Prayer Ministry 8:00pm AA Support Group 17 6:15am Men s Bible Study (Bob Evans) 9:30am Moms of Faith 9:30am Kindermusik 18 19 9:30am F.A.A. 9:30am Kindermusik 20 21 9:30am Collision Jr & Sr High9:30am 12:30pm Praise Band Practice 6:30pm HS Boys Night 22 Connections Newsletter Articles Due 11:00am Kindermusik 6:30pm HS Girls Night 23 6:30am Tender Warrior Bible Study 9:30-11:30am Staff Mtg 11:00am Kindermusik 7:00pm Prayer Ministry 8:00pm AA Support Group 24 6:15am Men s Bible Study (Bob Evans) 9:30am Moms of Faith 11:00am Kindermusik 1:00 Brownbaggers 25 11:00am Kindermusik 1:00pm Connections Newsletter Folding & Mailing 2:00pm Alzheimer s 7:30pm CLT Mtg. 26 9:30am F.A.A. 11:00am Kindermusik 27 BRAILLE WORKSHOP 28 9:30am Collision Jr & Sr High 12:30pm Praise Band Practice 6:30pm HS Boys Night 29 6:30pm HS Girls Night 30 6:30am Tender Warrior Bible Study 9:30-11:30am Staff Mtg 7:00pm Prayer Ministry 8:00pm AA Support Group 31 6:15am Men s Bible Study (Bob Evans) 9:30am Kindermusik 9:30am Moms of Faith 9am. M, W,Th 12:30pm..M-Th 6:30pm M 7pm.Th No Wrkshp on Fri. EACH SUNDAY.Join Us! 8:00am Liturgical Worship (Sanctuary) 9:30am Liturgical Worship (Sanctuary) 9:30am Collision~ Jr. & Sr. High Youth 11:00am Contemporary Worship (Sanctuary) P A G E 1 1