The Epiphany Star May 2015

The Epiphany Star
May 2015
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.
On May 17, we will have our Annual Congregational Meeting at 9:00 a.m. in
the Fellowship Hall. There will be the usual breakfast food to draw us in and gather
us around the table with family and friends. There will also be the usual reports from
the Secretary of the Church Council, the Treasurer, and our various committees.
There will be opportunities for everyone to voice their opinion on a variety of
subjects. Each year, your church council presents a budget for the coming year that
supports the mission and ministry of our faith community. For some of the members
of our congregation, it really doesn’t matter what kind of budget is presented as they
attend weekly worship and attend the congregational meetings. For others, the
budget reflects a real desire to support the mission and ministry of our congregation.
As a faith community, Epiphany Lutheran Church has a very rich tradition of reaching
out beyond the four walls of our church facility into the community of Fort Wayne and
beyond. I, for one, am very thankful for the mission and ministry we do collectively.
While we may not be one of the largest congregations in the Fort Wayne area, we
certainly share of our “Time, Talents, and Treasures” with a number of people.
There are some changes that will be coming to our faith community over the
next several months. If you have been attending the quarterly congregational
meetings, then you know that we are in the process of making some amendments to
the Epiphany Lutheran Church constitution and adding to our outreach with a
daycare called “Bullfrogs and Butterflies Daycare Ministries.” Periodically, as a
congregation, we need to make amendments and changes in our constitution to
better reflect our faith community and to make changes to the constitution that are
required by the ELCA and the Indiana/Kentucky Synod governing bodies. It is a long
process, as there are procedures that need to be followed to make those changes.
The first one is that the changes have to be written, read at a regularly called
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congregational meeting, voted on, read and voted on again at a congregational
meeting, then submitted to the Indiana/Kentucky Synod for its approval, and then
read again to the congregation at a called congregational meeting. It is after all of
these procedures that the changes then become part of our constitution. Why is it so
difficult to make constitutional changes? It is to help prevent changes that may
cause us problems in the long term. The “checks and balances” system is to be a
help and to allow us to make changes for the better in our life together.
Over the past several months and at least two quarterly congregational
meetings, there has been discussion about starting a new daycare for infants
through school age here at Epiphany. Megan and Steven Behm will be the directors
of the new ministry. They have been busy working on all of the required paperwork
to be licensed by the State of Indiana to be a licensed daycare facility. It is a very
detailed process that has a number of checks and balances in making sure that the
childcare providers meet certain standards and the facility meets certain standards.
It is an opportunity for young families to come into our building and be provided with
a wholesome and healthy daycare program. It will also mean that we will have to
undergo some changes in the use of our facilities. We will have to work together. It
also means that our facilities will be being used at least six days a week all year long.
So what does all of this mean for Epiphany Lutheran Church? It means that
we are trying some new ministries. It means that we doing some things that may
cause us to feel uncomfortable for a while because it will be strange and different…
which isn’t always a negative. It means that all of us should be praying to God for
guidance and discernment as we venture into new ministries. God can use each of
us to shape these new ministries and make a difference in the lives of others as well
as in our own.
I look forward to the mission and ministry that God is calling each of us to be a
part of here at Epiphany Lutheran Church. I am thankful that we have this new
opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives. Together, we can reflect that we
are the Body of Christ located at 6606 Maplecrest Road, Fort Wayne, IN. Let us go
into our community showing God’s love in all that we do.
In Christ,
Pastor Richard Hartman
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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.
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 and Wednesday evenings
Some Saturdays
Amanda: Tuesday & Thursday 9:00 am - 1:00 pm,
Wednesday 12:00 - 6:00 pm
Other times as needed*
Due to unexpected circumstances, these hours may be subject to change.
*Hours through May 8th; summer hours will be different, so please
watch for more information coming soon!
E-mail Us:
Pastor’s office .................................. [email protected]
Pastor’s home...................................... [email protected]
Amanda’s office ............................ [email protected]
WEB SITE:
Epiphany Lutheran Church
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www.epiphanyfw.com
Annual Congregational Breakfast Meeting
We will be having our annual congregational meeting on
Sunday, May 17th, at 9:00 am. There are a number of
things on the agenda, including some constitutional issues,
so please plan to attend and be a part of the decisions
made here at Epiphany! Breakfast will be served — menu
information will be coming soon. If you plan to attend,
please sign up on the sheet outside Amanda’s office. Hope
to see you there!
Epiphany recently signed up with Kroger’s Community Rewards
program, and we just received our first quarterly earnings
statement. So far, this program has brought in $425 for our
church! If you have a Kroger Plus card, you can enroll in the
program, and a portion of your purchases will come back to
Epiphany! Just go to krogercommunityrewards.com, create an
account and register your card, and assign Epiphany as your
organization (you’ll need our ID number, which is 10348). See Amanda if you
have questions. Thank you for taking this easy step to help our church!
We have several changes to our church directory. Please note these in your
directory at home.
Dan & Wyatt Mueller (rejoined)
(260) 209-2112
[email protected]
Address coming soon!
Marceile Teeple (moved)
Auguste’s Cottage Room 115
Coventry Meadows
7843 W. Jefferson Blvd
Fort Wayne, IN 46804
The Behms (moved)
4439 Trierwood Dr
Fort Wayne, IN 46815
(260) 755-2030
Lois Markoff (moved)
2002 Heritage Park Dr Apt. #1
Fort Wayne, IN 46805
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Join us for Worship this month!
Every Sunday at 8:00 am
and 10:15 am
Every Monday at 7:00 pm
Sunday School & Confirmation
Classes at 9:00 am on Sunday
(September-April)
May 3rd
5 Sunday of Easter
Acts 8:26-40
1 John 4:7-21
John 15:1-8
th
Please join us!
May 10th
6 Sunday of Easter
Acts 10:44-48
1 John 5:1-6
John 15:9-17
th
May 17th
Ascension Sunday
Acts 1:1-11
Ephesians 1:15-23
Luke 24:44-53
May 24th
Day of Pentecost
Acts 2:1-21
Romans 8:22-27
John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15
The Saturday morning Men’s
Bible Study will continue
their study out of the book
The Man In The Mirror. We
will meet Saturday, May 9th
at 7:00 am for breakfast and
the Word. Please join us - all
are welcome!
May 31st
The Holy Trinity
Isaiah 6:1-8
Romans 8:12-17
John 3:1-17
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Mission Moment May 2015
This month, we are continuing our collection of items for the Baby Layettes
and the Health Kits. There are lists of the items needed on the following page
and on the table in the narthex. Some of these items may be found at garage
sales or during your spring cleaning. These kits are a blessing to the families
that receive them. The donation of t-shirts, which will be used to make diapers,
is going well.
The Layettes include baby blankets and sweaters. If any of you are interested
in either knitting or crocheting any of these items, we have yarn in the Mission
Room. Please see me and I will take you back there to pick some out to use.
This month is the city-wide food drive by our postal workers, and while 100’s of
pounds of food will be collected, this will only last for a few months. We have
the blue barrel out in the gathering area for a continuing collection of food
items which will be delivered to Associated Churches.
Your donations to the troops have been picked up and are on the way to bring
a little bit of home to our soldiers overseas. We are now working with the
group HOOSIERS FOR HEROES; they will update us on changes in needs,
and they will make monthly pickups when contacted. There is a brochure
about them as well as an updated list on the table by the red bin.
Thank you for your generosity—you have been a blessing to so many people.
Written by Sandi Swanson
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Comfort Ye My People
Our quilting group will meet on Sunday, May 10th, at 9 am.
We have been making great progress so far this year!
Please consider joining us this month, and help us to be a
blessing to others around the world!
Thank you so much for contributing to our Lutheran World Relief missions! Here
is a list of items that we are most in need of at this time if you happen upon a sale
or are doing spring cleaning! Items in italics are most desperately needed. Please
help us meet our ambitious goal for this year!
Bath towels
Combs
Nail clippers
Gentle bath-size bar soap
Toothbrushes
Quilts
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 made into diapers
Blankets* (full or queen)
Mattress Pads*
Flat Sheets* (full or queen)
*Items can be new or gently used.
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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 of them in this month’s newsletter.
Thank you, Angels!
Seder Meal was prepared to enhance Holy Week worship
Easter Breakfast was cooked and enjoyed by many
Worship Assistants made Holy Week services meaningful
Heifer International received over $500 from the congregation
Emergency Lights were installed where needed
Donations were sent to members of the armed services
College Care Packages helped our students during finals
Meals on Wheels received $170, bringing donations to $4,800
Faithful for Fifty continued to improve the line of credit
Summer Camp Information
Summer camp information will be going home soon to
youth and their parents. The dates for confirmation
camp this year are June 14th-19th at Lake Luther. If you
are interested, please see Pastor or Amanda for more
information, as we will register as a group. You can
also check out www.lomik.org if you are interested in
other summer camping opportunities. Please plan to
join us for a fun-filled week!
Epiphany Softball 2015
Anyone who is interested in playing softball for Epiphany this
summer should see Jim Davis as soon as possible. Our first
game is fast approaching, and we would love to have you join us
as a player or a fan! Due to changes in the league, games will
now be on Monday evenings at Kreager Park. We will be
playing May 4th at 8 pm, May 11th at 9 pm, and May 18th at
7 pm. Please come out and join us — we have lots of fun!
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May Baptismal Birthdays
Corey Davis
Sean Rumfield
Samantha Williams
Cheryl Ralston
Awa Behm
Samuel Behm
Rachael Pickett
Jim Davis
Robert Lohman
“Happy birthday” to those who celebrate their second birthday during the month
of May! Martin Luther said, “When you wash your face remember your baptism.”
Take time to remember and celebrate this month!
The Youth are scheduled to meet on Sunday, May 10th, after the
10:15 am worship service. We also hope to do a service project
during the month of May — watch for more information coming
soon. All youth are always welcome to join us!
Help “Stamp Out Hunger”
Saturday, May 9th, is the annual “Stamp Out Hunger” food drive sponsored by
the National Association of Letter Carriers and benefitting the Associated
Churches Food Banks. Volunteers are needed at the Northwood Plaza Post
Office in the afternoon that day to help unload and sort items as they are
brought in. If you would like to be involved, just meet behind
the post office anytime between 12:00 and 4:00 pm that day,
and someone will put you to work! Youth group members
may be going as group — watch for more information coming
soon. Even if you can’t volunteer that day, be sure to leave
your non-perishable food donations near your mailbox in the
bag provided by your mail carrier, and help our local food
banks stock their shelves for the summer months! Thanks!
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May 3rd
May 10th
May 17th
May 24th
May 31st
WOV
Setting 5
HS 1991
Now the Feast
LBW
Setting II
Feast of Life
(Janzow)
LBW
Setting II
Organist/
Pianist
Sara
Davis
Amanda
Pickett
Sara
Davis
Amanda
Pickett
Sara
Davis
Assisting
Minister
Rebecca
Hartman
Alicia
Davis
Dia
Herb
Jim
Davis
Jane
Dawkins
Lector
8:00 am
Cheryl
Ralston
Anne
Lohman
Kurt
Unrue
Deb
Crawford
Sue
Johnson
Lector
10:15 am
Alicia
Davis
David
Dawkins
Karen
Payne
Mike
Rumfield
Sue
Davis
Acolyte
Robert
Lohman
Mason
McKenna
Jacob
Flennery
Kristen Davis/
Rachael
Pickett
Zoey
Osheskie
Communion
Assistant
8:00 am
Devin
Meunier
Tammy
Aschliman
Richard
Lee
Connie
York
Kurt
Unrue
Communion
Assistant
10:15 am
Dave
Black
Molly
Davis
Cathy
Rumfield
Becky
Roemer
David
Dawkins
Altar Guild
need
need
need
Jane
Dawkins
need
Greeter(s)
Dawkins
Family
Kay
Evans
The
Khoulis
Pickett
Family
The
Roemers
Capt. Bill Williams
Ron Roemer
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Marisa Williams
Mike Rumfield