Mar 2014 newsletter
Transcription
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] TO:
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