Mar 2014 newsletter

Faith Lutheran LINK
MARCH 2014
WWW.ENERGIZEDBYFAITH.COM
ISSUE TWO
We are a family of
professing
Christians inspired
by Christ’s grace
and love
Notes from the Pastor
We no longer live in
a world where people feel
comfortable knowing too much
about each other, or by being
known by too many people. I
don’t wonder if one of the
reasons we have such a high
divorce rate is that we cannot
even let ourselves be known by
the people, we are claiming to
love without
limit and
cherish
without
condition. I
don’t claim to
know where this phenomenon
comes from either. I wish I
knew how to isolate it and then
isolate myself from it and those
I loved as well. As it stands, I
have the same amount of
control over the things that
come into my head, the
societal cues and cultural
inputs that the rest of you do:
I can turn the stupid television
off. Do I truly deserve a break
today? Is it really better for
me to “have it my way?” I
know that with wealth comes a
certain amount of selfindulgence, but does that
necessarily extend to an entire
Pastor: Rev. R.
Timothy Carnahan
country or culture? Do we, as
perhapps the richest richest
country ever insofar as
Come and See!
Bible Study/ Sunday
School 9:00 - 9:45 AM
Worship: 10:00 Am
material wealth is concerned,
deserve to have things tailored
to our desires? Is it a good
thing for us to even have a
(cont. on next page)
Faith Lutheran Church
4930 Newanga Ave.
Santa Rosa, CA 95405
a concept of
“instant gratification?”
The problem that
I see with the devotion to
all things me as it is
playing out in the world
today is that we do not,
cannot live alone on
individual islands and
tailor our existence to suit
ourselves. There are just
too many of us and not
enough room.
needs and desires which
are just as valid as yours,
then you lose the skill set
of coping with
disappointment, of dealing
with loss, of forming true
relationships.
worth having, the values
that are worth defending,
the friendships and
marriages and
communities that we will
not let pass from this
earth.
Try and sustain a
marriage inside that
paradigm. (for illustrations
of what I mean, look, well,
EVERYWHERE)
In the coming
months we will be
embarking on a series of
talking sessions, meetings
to better get to know one
another, to learn what it is
that makes each of us tick,
to draw together and knit
us into a body worthy of
being the Body of Christ
because it is by His voice
that we gather, it is to His
banner we cling.
And if we
continue down the path
toward ever more selfindulgent, pleasureseeking, solitary
impressions of what life
can and should be like,
then when we are forced
to interact with other
people we will inevitably
either offend and alienate
them or, to satisfy our own
selves, oppress them in
some way to suit our
needs.
Marriages
become disposable,
friendships become ever
more shallow, churches
become rest-homes for
any folks either old
enough or old-fashioned
enough to want things to
be different, who want a
better way. It is time, I
think, to make a stand.
There is no guarantee at
all that we will be
victorious in this
endeavor, but if we fail to
make a stand, to defend
the family we win in
Christ (a hundredfold in
this age), to say that
marriage s a worthwhile
endeavor, to say that
community is a value not
just for us and for our
community, but for
humanity; then we have
already lost.
Once you lose the
understanding that the
other person also has
It isn’t about the
fights we can win or not, it
is about the fights that are
So we have to be
interactive, even if we are
just talking about taking
God’s word for it and
acceding to the word in
Genesis “It is not good for
(people) to be alone” we
are compelled to deal with
other people.
Look for the
notices, wait for word, it
will not be long in
coming. Then gather in
love and know that Christ
is there, among His
people, building us up for
ministry in the world.
Keep in Prayer
A friend of the congregation
suffering from cancer, who wishes to
remain anonymous; Larry Babb
and Caroyln Huntington, struggling
with cancer; Tammi Barajas (Larry
and Blythe’s daughter) and Elena
Barajas family; family of Nelia
Crews, David Lorenzen recovering
from chemotherapy; Pastor Flak;
Marianne Burns;
Faith Parson,
Carolyn Huntington; Nelia Crews;
Jack Marsh;
Mary (Helen
O’Donnell’s mother); Eleanor and
Hal Martin (Mariann Hubbs’
mother and stepfather, battling
cancer); Donna Besser who has
been in pain with her knees.
“He said to her, ‘Daughter,
your faith has healed you. Go in peace
and be freed from your suffering.”
-Mark 5:34
Your 2014 Church Council
POSITION
NAME
PHONE
Pastor
Rev. Tim Carnahan
539-2521/490-5340
President
Lauren Morris
523-0310/217-0218
Vice President
Ed Rybat
536-9855
Secretary
aNna rybaT
536-9855
Buildings & Grounds
Norm Nielsen
542-9597
Personnel
Luara Tighe
591-8810
PreSchool
Steve Norton
538-3748
Sharing Faith
Diane Cohen
539-6382/291-1003
Treasurer
Connie Duncan
573-1762
Worship Experience
Chris Carson
837-5400/239-6332
Finance/Stewardship
Rita McGowan
578-3114
Social Ministry
Terri Abramson
523-1670
Financial Secretary
Katherine Sayer
539-2521
Christian Ed/Youth
Rose Knight
544-4404
Would you like to avoid all the hassle of writing your offering check
“Grieving Parents”, by Kathe
Kollwitz
each month? Would you like to make sure that your offering is here
even if your body is not? We've been able to offer electronic
offering for a while but have never seemed to get it off the ground.
Well let's get this thing flying! Contact the office, you'll need a
cancelled check and a signature and then we will get you going
To include friends and loved ones on
the prayer list, please fill out the back
of a pew card and place in the offering
plate. Be sure to include your contact
information on the card! Thank you!
image by aNna rybaT
Celebrate!
Birthdays and
Anniversaries in March
TREASURER’S REPORT
The total General (non-Designated) income for January was $15,788.00
The General expenses for January were $13,040.83.
The total income for January was $2,747.17.
3 Lillianna Anderson 10 Bob Bell
13 Ed Rybat
15 Mathew Lantz
15 Lauren Morris
17 Alice Curtis
19 Mary Lou Christian
21 Marianne Burns
30 Al Mansoor
If you do not see your name here, or
you would like to make a correction, please
contact aNna rybaT, editor [email protected].
Thank you! (image by August and Desmond
Schutzenhofer - grandchildren of Ed &
aNna rybaT)
The amount transfers to the Benevolence was $1,067.20 (This was paid in
February)
Special funds received were $25.00 for flowers, $80.00 for the Hand on Faith
Brick, $230.00 for the Deacon's Fund, $390.00 for the Memorial Fund,
$90.00 from the holiday shopping spree, and $86.10 from the Script.
1) Offering donations for January were over budget by 3,190.00
2) Total income for January were over budget by 2,656.26
3) Total expenses for January were under budget by 165.48
4) Net income for January was over budget by 2,821.74. There was an
overage in giving so we can transfer $85.25 (1,705.00 x 5%) to the restricted
savings fund for this month
5) There was an overage in giving so we can transfer $159.50 (3,190 x 5%)
to the restricted savings fund for this month
SPRING CLEANUP!!!
We are getting ready for Easter
and the summer season that
follows and we are going to
gather here at the church on
three separate days:
March 8 - clean the buildings
March 29 - yard work and
planting flowers
April 12 (just before Palm
Sunday) as Pastor Carnahan
has said a bit of “fluff and buff.”
The Wine and Food Fest was a tremendous success, raising over
$1400! Congratulations to:
Maddie Haase (first pl. Food),
Pastor Carnahan & Rita McGowan
(tied for 2nd pl. Food); Laurie
Wennes (3rd pl. Food); Janis
Motley & Rita McGowan (first pl.
decorative); Maddie Haase (2nd pl.
decorative) & Connie Duncan (3rd pl.
decorative.
Worship Committee
Report: Walk to
Jerusalem
A Lenten Journey
A devotional booklet will be
provided for you to study as we
“Walk to Jerusalem”.
Objectives: A Program to:
1. Care for your Body, Mind,
and Spirit
a. Care for the body
by exercising it
through walking,
jogging, bike riding
or any other form of
exercise.
b. Care for the mind
by exercising it
through
participating in
Bible studies,
memorizing bible
passages and doing
the daily devotions.
c. Care for the spirit
by exercising it
through worship,
prayer and praise.
2. As a congregation, walk the
6437 nautical miles from
Faith Lutheran to Jerusalem
during the season of Lent.
Who can participate?
All ages and physical abilities
are encouraged to participate.
As spring approaches, this will
be a good way to begin to get
into shape.
You can:
Pray and talk with God about
anything and everything.
Participate at Bible study here
at FLC, in your neighborhood,
at another church, with friends
or on your own. (Study the
devotional included with this
program)
Exercise in any form with your
friends, family, in a group or on
your own.
Challenge other groups or
teams to a little side
competition
How will the program work?
Sign up on the sign-up sheet
before Ash Wednesday (March
5, 2014).
1. Beginning Ash Wednesday
start totaling the number of
miles you “walk” each day.
(15 minutes of any
exercise, study, worship,
prayer equals 2 miles)
2. Each Sunday bring to the
church or e-mail to Chris
Carson,
([email protected]
m) the total number of
miles you earned for the
whole week. If you miss a
Sunday, bring the total
miles you walked from
when you last turned in
your mileage or e-mail
them to Chris.
3. Each week the number of
miles walked by everyone
will be totaled and added to
the map. Each week we
will be able to see our
progress from FLC to
Jerusalem. Each week the
total miles accomplished
will be shared in the Faith
Notes.
- Chris Carson
Bible Study has MOVED! The Bible
Study once held on Wednesday evenings has
moved to Thursday evenings. We will be
meeting in Hummon Hall at seven and
studying until 8:30 PM. Materials are
often e-mailed to participants so if you
would like to be in the know when you
arrive, contact Pastor Carnahan for details. .
PreSchool Report
The Board regular meeting was
held on Tuesday February 11th
and we reviewed the results of
operations through the end of
January. Financial results were
solid: both income and expense
were above budget such that
there was a $2,128.86 operating
surplus for the month. The cash
balance in the bank at month end
was $17,699.26.
Kelli reported that current
enrollment has reached 50.
Twenty are in the 4 year old
class (Ladybugs) which we feel
is at its upper limit. Need and
opportunity met such that we
have hired another well qualified
teacher. We are confident that we
have the tools in place to manage
the additional expense. The
metrics that we watch are as
follows:
Payroll expense per registered
student : Jan 2012: $327.89, Jan
2013: $326.93, Jan 2014:
$363.17
Payroll expense per attendance
hour, Jan 2012 : $4.46, Jan 2013:
$5.87, Jan 2014: $4.92.
The major threat on the horizon
remains the possible epic shift in
the public school landscape to
add a 14th full year of public
education by providing
instruction for children who are
four years of age. We will have
to stay tuned to see what
happens in Sacramento.
Current facility needs include
planter boxes for the children to
have a garden and playground
shade to keep the dermatologist
away in 30 to 50 years. We wish
to thank John and Lauren Morris
for a new DVD player that they
have donated to the preschool.
Efforts continue for our
preschool to be designate as a
VIP Preschool. We have had
another official inspection and
there is a meeting scheduled for
February 21st to continue the
process.
Arrangements are in the works
for the major annual fund raiser.
April (or even early May) is the
month. Alternatives and
additions to the usual Tim Cain
program are being considered.
Submitted by Steve Norton.
We are still hoping to
receive some more orders
for bricks for the
preschool! We have
placed some more order
forms in the narthex.
Worship Committee
Report
We are in the season of Lent.
The word “epiphany” comes
from the Greek ἐπιφάνεια
(epiphanaie) meaning
“manifestation” or “striking
appearance.” (wikipedia). Our
second annual Walk to Jerusalem
begins on Ash Wednesday
(March 5). Don’t forget to invite
your family and friends to join
us in this Lenten journey. Log
books are available in the
Narthex for you to log your
miles. Objectives: 1. Care for
the body by exercising it through
walking, jogging, bike riding or
any other form of exercise, 2.
Care for the mind by exercising
it through participating in Bible
studies, memorizing Bible
passages and doing the daily
devotions, 3.Care for the spirit
by exercising it through worship,
prayer and praise. As a
congregation, we resolve to
“walk” the 6437 nautical miles
from Faith Lutheran Church to
Jerusalem during Lent. Let your
light shine and proclaim the
Good News!
Join us for “Soup Supper”
each Thursday at 6:00PM
and at 7:00PM for worship.
(Choir meets directly after
the service)
“A voice came to him and said
‘Listen to Him, for this is my Son
in whom I am well pleased.”
-2 Peter 1:17
We give thanks and pray for
those who are serving our nation:
Michael Bell, US Army, currently
in Virginia, Jeremy Thompson’s
best friend, Victor Villalobos,
USMC, now in Iraq, Kodie Ali
Yocham, USMC, Grand-aughter
of Don Lee, now in Afghanistan,
Eddie Rybat, USMC, in
Afghanistan.
Flowers on the altar are lovingly
given this month by: (March 2);
Anderson Family for Lillian’s
16th birthday, (March 9) for
the glory of God by Faith
Lutheran Altar Guild; (March
16) John Morris for Lauren’s
birthday, (March 23)
Maryellen Birkland. With
spring approaching, we would
love to have arrangements from
your garden! Flowers may be
distributed to members of the
congregation or community who
are in need of cheering. If you
prefer to keep your arrangement,
please pick it no later than
Monday morning. Flowers left
on the altar after Monday may
be delivered. If you would like
to participate in this ministry,
contact aNna rybaT
Announcements!
Like Bridge?
Join FLC Bridge Club, we meet here in
Hummon Hall on the 4th Tuesday of the month at 10:00 AM.
For more info, call Blanche at 578-4755.
Link newsletter editor: aNna rybaT,
[email protected] or 707-536-9855. Please
submit imput/corrections by the 20th of @
month. i welcome your photographs (.jpeg)!
Thank you!
Date
March 2
March 9
Worship Altar Guild Ushers
Sunday Assistant
School
Terry Karen Pat & Geni Larsen
Larson & Fleming
Diane Cohen
Terry Pat & Geni Larsen
Fleming
Bulletins
Counters
Flowers
Teri Elly Anderson Abramson Kensinger Family
Elly Kensinger
March 16 Terry Larsen
Janis Motley
Pat & Geni Fleming
Elly John Kensinger Morris
March 23 Terry Larsen
Karen Larson
Pat & Geni Fleming
Elly Maryellen Kensinger Birkland
Pat & Geni Fleming
Elly Kennsinger
March 30 Terry Larson
Coffee Snacks
Church Cleaned by
Janet and Chuck Hammond
Janet and Chuck Hammond
Janet and Chuck Hammond
Janet and Chuck Hammond
Janet and Chuck Hammond
A reading from Titus 3: 4 - 7
“ ...but when the goodness
and loving kindness of God
our Savior appeared, he
saved us, not because of
deeds done by us in
righteousness, but in virtue
of his own mercy, by the
washing of regeneration
and renewal in the Holy
Spirit, which he poured out
upon us richly through
Jesus Christ our Savior, so
that we might be justified
by his grace and become
heirs in hope of eternal
life.“
Did you know? This
illustration of Faith Lutheran
Church is by Peg Kensinger
Pownall, daughter of Elly
Kensinger
art by aNna rybaT
F A I T H
L U T H E R A N
C H U R C H
4930 Newanga Avenue
Santa Rosa, CA 95405
ph: 707-539-2521
[email protected]
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