The Epiphany Star November 2018 Newsletter of Epiphany Lutheran Church Fort Wayne, Indiana Dear Epiphany Lutheran Church, Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. Amen Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. 1 Chronicles 16:34 When was the last time you prayed a pray of thanksgiving? Through out the month of October I started praying a prayer of thanksgiving each morning as I awakened. It was amazing the difference of how I started looking at the day. Instead of focusing on the aches and pains of moving a body that had been in a state of rest to looking at a body that was giving thanks to God for just the simple act of getting up in the morning. Thank You God! Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. 1 Chronicles 16:34 Some of you may have noticed that the physical building of Epiphany looks a little different. You may not have been able to put your finger on what was different but there is just something that has changed. We were blessed to have a person who needed to do some community service hours come to our facilities and was willing work. He has cleaned and organized the garages, and completed a number of painting projects including painting all of the outside trim (including the pinnacles!). What a gift God has put into our midst. These were projects that needed to be done but we just didn t have anyone to complete them. Thank You God! Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. 1 Chronicles 16:34 This past month we have changed out the light fixtures in Dia s office, the library, the hallway, and my office. WHAT a difference they have made. I can tell a big difference in the morning when I come into the office and flip the light switch. WOW! WE HAVE LIGHT! These new fixtures are LED and will save us money in the long run with the use of less energy. The other major part of this is that they do not have light bulbs that need to be changed. According to the information that came with them the lights should last us a minimum of eight years before we will need to start thinking of changing them. Thank You God!
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. 1 Chronicles16:34 At the time of this writing, we are getting ready to load well over 50 boxes of supplies to be used all over the world through Lutheran World Relief. What a gift to be able to supply people who are in need with quilts, back-to-school bags, health-kits, and baby -layettes. These are just some of the projects we have been able to complete together as the family of God here at Epiphany. What a blessing to be able to share with the rest of the world. Maybe one of the things we need to do as a faith community is to pause and give thanks for the many blessings we have in our faith community. We live with it everyday and we begin to become complacent it becomes so common for us that we don t think of the blessings we have been given! Each day during the month of November, pause for a moment to say a prayer of thanksgiving for your life and for the life of Epiphany Lutheran Church. As a faith community we are so blessed to have you be a part of our mission and ministry! In Christ, Pastor Richard Hartman We are Christians, called by God, committed to: Sharing the Gospel, Serving others as Christ taught us, and Creating disciples for witness. Epiphany Lutheran Church s Vision Statement: A Christian family of God committed to sharing the Gospel and serving others, through joyful worship, education and fellowship. 2
Comfort Ye My People Our quilting group will meet, on Sunday, November 11th, at 9:00 am to start a new year of quilting. We sent off 94 quilts & blankets to Lutheran World Relief last month, thanks to many hours of dedication this past year. New members are always welcome to our group; if you can use a pin or tie a knot, you can help! Thank you for being a blessing to others all around the world! Please feel free to stop in or call for any of your Pastoral needs. Our office hours are as follows: Pastor: Sunday - Thursday 8:00 am - 2:30 pm Monday & Wednesday evenings Some Saturdays Dia: Monday - Evenings through November 9th. On Vacation November 15-30th Due to unexpected circumstances, these hours may be subject to change. E-mail Us: Pastor s office... pastor@epiphanyfw.com Pastor s home... rlhart49@frontier.com Dia s office... dia@epiphanyfw.com WEB SITE: Epiphany Lutheran Church www.epiphanyfw.com
Thank you for your continued support of this vital mission in our community. Epiphany members donated a total of $49 in the month of September, bringing our total donations to over $9,100! Please let Dia in the office know if you would like to be added to the list to give to this worthy cause. Thank you for sharing the Our next Quarterly Voters Meeting is scheduled for Sunday, November 18 th, at 9:00 am. The Fellowship committee will be providing breakfast Please sign up on the bulletin board so we know how much food to prepare. All are welcome! Angels Among Us! We have members of our congregation who do many things behind the scenes, and we want to take the time to recognize just a few in this month s issue. Angels, you know who you are! Thank you for your contributions of time and talent! Mowing has continued through the fall. Quilts and Kits were counted, packed up, and shipped Paraments were changed for festival Sundays Altar Flowers beautify our sanctuary every week Painting of classrooms, entry way and outside facia boards. 4
November 4 th All Saint s Day Isaiah 25:6-9 Revelation 21:1-6a John 11:32-44 November 11 th 26 th Sunday after Pentecost 1 Kings 17:8-16 Hebrews 9:24-28 Mark 12:38-44 November 18 th 27 th Sunday after Pentecost Daniel 12:1-3 Hebrews 10:11-25 Mark 13:1-8 Thanksgiving Worship Service Please join us at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, November 20, 2017 November 25 th Christ the King Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 Revelation 1:4b-8 John 18:33-37
All Saints Crosses On Saturday, November 3rd, beginning at 9am, we will be placing the crosses along the drive for All Saints Day. We are still in need of a few more volunteers to help with this project; if you can help, please sign up on the bulletin board outside of the church office. Thank you for helping us to honor and remember our family and friends who have been called to the Church Triumphant. Let s Decorate! The date has been set to decorate Epiphany for the Christmas season! Please join the fun on Saturday, December 1 st, at 10:00 am. There are jobs for all ages, so consider making this a part of your family s holiday tradition! We hope to see you there! 6
Lutheran World Relief Kits Collected at St. John s 2018 The Fort Wayne Area has been very generous this year! Quilts - 2,306 Health Kits - 999 Layettes - 566 School Kits - 1,631 Plus 63 Sewing/Fabric Kits and 784 lbs. of Soap Check out how our donations to Lutheran World Relief have grown over the past few years: 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Quilts 87 89 95 87 101 94 Layettes 45 61 70 92 129 124 Health kits 56 62 65 93 104 114 School kits 50 72 145 171 209 256 This congregation continues to answer the call to help others in need just a little bit more each year. Thank you!
MISSION MOMENT NOVEMBER Thank you so much to everyone who donated toiletry items for the Associated churches Food Bank. We filled the barrel! Thanks too to Dia for clipping coupons to make our giving dollars go farther. Throughout November we will be collecting coats, hats, gloves and scarves for clients who utilize the food bank at St. James Lutheran Church in New Haven. Volunteers at the food bank have noted that those needing the food bank often arrive without the items they need for the cold weather and with our help they have been able to supply them. Items donated maybe new or gently used. Let s clean out those closets and drawers and help our neighbors! Jane Dawkins 8
Quilts Thank you so much for contributing to our Lutheran World Relief missions! After our great year in 2018, we are already looking forward to next year! Here is a list of items that are always needed if you happen upon a sale or are doing house cleaning! Items in italics are most desperately needed. Bath towels Combs Nail clippers Gentle bath-size bar soap Toothbrushes Diaper pins Cloth diapers (medium/large) Flannel baby blankets* Footless sleepers/gowns* Hand towels Baby hats* Socks Sweaters* (up to 2T) T-shirts* (up to 2T) Large baby blankets or afghans* Adult t-shirts* (size large and up) to be into diapers made Blankets* (full or queen) Mattress Pads* Flat Sheets* (full or queen) *Items can be new or gently used.
Cookie Walk/Craft Bazaar On December 15 th, we will have our annual Cookie Walk. We will also have tables set up with Craft Items for Sale from 9:00 am-12:00 pm. Set up will be at 8:00 am. If you or anyone you know would like to set up a table for crafts, there is a sign up sheet on the Bulletin Board. Table fee for non-members is $15. Set up time is 8 am. We will also be needing cookies, preferable 5 to 6 dozen each. There is a sign up sheet for that on the Board also. Bring cookies to church on Friday from 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm See Sandi if you need to drop off at another time. Any questions on either of these, please stop me at church, call or email me. Thank You, Sandi Swanson 10
St. James Lutheran Church - New Haven with Associated Churches Food Bank We are collecting for the clients that visit St. James Food Bank some winter clothing. Looking for winter coats, gloves, hats and scarves. Infant through adult sizes, new or very gently used. Neighborhood Leaf Pick-Up Program 2018 As autumn leaves will soon begin to fall you may be sure the City of Fort Wayne is planning for the annual curbside leaf pick-up for City residents. The City Street Dept will conduct two cycles of leaf collection in each neighborhood. Leaf collection will begin on Monday, October 29, 2018 in the Central area. Crews will then move to the South area on Monday, November 5, 2018 for a week and then to the North area of the City on Monday, November 12, 2018. A 2 nd round of leaf pick-up will follow, all collection scheduled to be finished on 12/14. The week of November 26th will be a catch-up week if needed. To help make leaf pick-up most effective for your neighborhood, please keep the following in mind: Have leaves raked to the park strip or curb and ready for pick-up on the first day of your scheduled weeks. Please do not rake leaves into the street. This will help avoid having leaves clog storm drain inlets and will help prevent street flooding in the event of heaving rains. REMEMBER: burning leaves within City limits is a violation of City Code 74.70. The fine is $50 and increases to $75 if not paid within 30 days. For collection of leaves that have been bagged in biodegradable bags, please call 311. Bags will be picked up within two business days after you call.
Lutheran Senior Care Ministry Update November 2018 Our soon-to-be Executive Chaplain, Rev. Dan May, has been serving as the chaplain on Thursday mornings at the Life Care Center and Summit City Nursing/Rehab facilities, both located on Spy Run Blvd. He will continue as their chaplain for the remainder of the year and perhaps beyond. He and Pastor Art Klausmeier have been meeting several times each week and plan to visit all of the remaining area Lutheran Churches prior to the year end. The purpose of these visits is to share the mission and ministry of LSCM and invite them to join us. Thanks to Epiphany and other area Lutheran congregations for financially and spiritually supporting this mission. We look forward to providing worship services at more community facilities in the next year and work continues to develop the LSCM website. It is exciting to see this organization flourish. God bless you for your support of this ministry to elders in our community, many of whom can t attend their own church and some who are receiving the Word of the Lord for the first time. Peace! Sue 12
November Baptismal Birthdays Molly Bowman Richard Lee Joyce Husted Kristen Davis Minda Hartman Jonathan Hartman Cathy Rumfield Linda Jancso Mark Herb Happy birthday to those who celebrate their second birthday during the month of November! Martin Luther said, When you wash your face remember your baptism. Take time to remember and celebrate this month! College Care Packages As Finals Week rapidly approaches, we would like to let our college students know that we are thinking of them and support them in their studies. Throughout the month of November, we will be collecting items for care packages to be sent to them. Here are some of the items that every college student might need or enjoy: Food: microwaveable mac and cheese or soup, granola bars Snacks: microwave popcorn, gum, candy, Rice Krispy treats Drinks: hot cocoa mix, tea, water flavors Food Cards: McDonald s, Burger King, Subway, etc. Other: pens, pencils, gas cards, snacks, chips Please donate 4 of any of these items so no one is left out, and bring donations to church by November 19 th. Thanks!
Nov. 4 th Nov. 11 th Nov. 18 th Nov. 20 th Nov. 25 th LBW II WOV Now the Feast Thanksgiving LBW II Organist/ Pianist Amanda Pickett Sara Davis Sara Davis Amanda Pickett Sara Davis Assisting Minister Rebecca Hartman Alicia Davis Jim Davis Jane Dawkins Amber Logan Lector 8:00 am Cheryl Ralston Kurt Unrue Sue Davis Molly Bowman Lector 10:15 am Bob Havers Becky Roemer Vicki Khouli Mark Herb Steve Haag Acolyte Zoey Osheskie Rachael Pickett Erin Robinson Corey Davis David Osheskie Communion Assistant 8:00 am N/A Charlene Schroeder Hank Schroeder Devin Meunier Communion Assistant 10:15 am N/A Cathy Rumfield David Dawkins Ron Roemer Becky Roemer Altar Guild N/A Becky Cathy Becky Amanda Greeter(s) Hedin Roemer Rumfield Barb Werling USHERS This Month Capt. Lee Hedin Amber Logan Sandy Hedin Steve Auman Thanks for Serving! 14