weekly newsletter - Lord of the Hills Lutheran Church

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Saturday 5pm
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Sunday
2 1 7 5 5
8 & 10:30 am
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Sunday School
9:15
The 23rd Sunday after
Pentecost
Jeremiah 14:7-10, 19-22
Psalm 84:1-7
2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18
Luke 18:9-14
Genuine repentance and pretentious piety stand
in stark contrast in
the gospel and all
around us. All creation stands in
need of God’s forgiveness. Keep the
faith. God’s people—“all who have
longed for his appearing”—shall be
accounted righteous for Jesus’
sake. Our God is
merciful to sinners. For all this
the assembly glorifies God forever.
E .
S M O K Y
C E N T E N N I A L ,
3 0 3 - 6 1 7 - 9 8 8 4
C O
H I L L
R O A D
8 0 0 1 5
October 17, 2016
W W W . L O R D O F T H E H I L L S . O R G
Backing into the Future, you are invited to share your hopes, dreams,
visions for Lord of the Hills Lutheran Church and Preschool.
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on
earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and
of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have
commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of
the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20
“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived
forwards.”
Søren Kierkegaard
Just a clarification before you start to read- just as Martin Luther was
not the one who gave the “I have a dream” speech this quote isn’t related to the movie Back to the Future.
When we took Sophie to her college orientation the dean of students
of the Global College of Long Island University said, “We must back
into the future. It is critical as we go forward we see from where we
have come.”
How we can together get really really really (yes at least 3 really’s)
clear about the mission of Lord of the Hills Lutheran Church and Preschool. What is God calling us to? And I mean- it fits on a t-shirtclear. We are a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA) whose mission statement is:
“Marked with the cross of Christ forever, we are claimed, gathered
and sent for the sake of the world. This is the mission statement of the
ELCA. As members of the ELCA, we believe that we are freed in
Christ to serve and love our neighbor. With our hands, we do God’s
work of restoring and reconciling communities in Jesus’ name
throughout the world.
Summarizing this to “fit on a t-shirt “the tagline was added God’s
work, Our hands. We as a congregation of the ELCA have been given
(continued)
Watchword for the 23rd
Sunday after Pentecost
Week: All who exalt themselves will be humbled, but
all who humble themselves will be exalted.
Luke 18:14
O that you would tear
open the heavens and
come down! Isaiah 64:1
He is our peace.
Ephesians 2:14
The mystery from which
true godliness springs is
great: he appeared in the
flesh, was vindicated by
the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among
the nations, was believed
on in the world, was taken
up in glory. 1 Timothy 3:16
Do not devise evil in your
hearts against one another.
Zechariah 7:10
Seek the Lord and his
strength; seek his presence continually.
Psalm 105:4
Lord, teach us to pray.
Luke 11:1
Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without
wavering, for he who has
promised is faithful.
Hebrews 10:23
Gideon said, “I will not rule
over you; the Lord will rule
over you.” Judges 8:23
They will see “the Son of
Man coming in clouds:
with great power and glory.
Mark 13:26
(Continuation)
much. If we start by looking at the outside- we have almost 10
acres of land and two large buildings (with over 16,000 square
-feet). Looking inside we worship every weekend as well as
mid-week during Lent and soon in Advent, we are blessed to
provide a preschool ministry serving over 70 students, we have
ways for folks to be connected, cared for and loved from birth
to death. We are blessed with a gifted staff and folks committed to sharing the good news of Jesus Christ in word and deed.
We know that the Church is not a building, a committee, or a
board, it’s not a corporation. We are the Church commissioned
to go and make disciples, baptize, teach and remember Jesus is
with us always. Here is how the current mission statement
from1996 reads:
Lord of the Hills Church is a welcoming home rooted in Jesus
Christ. We honor the past, meet the present, and change for the
future. Young and old, we have joined together in mission to:
Proclaim the Gospel, Serve the needs of the community, Grow
in faith, Experience God’s grace through worship, Welcome
the visitor, Celebrate our diversity.
On December 8 Lord of the Hills Lutheran Church will be
twenty years old. A lot has happened in twenty years. Just like a
20 year old person who needs to get clear about their major if
they are in college, their career if they are in the work-force, if
they serve in the military what path will they take to fulfill their
dreams. Not included in our mission statement is our Preschool
and our Lutheran/ELCA connection. Approaching age 20 it’s
timely for us to revisit God’s dreams for us as a congregation.
When I first arrived I regularly asked folks what brought them
to this church. The most consistent and common answer I got
was “Pastor Tom.” It has been three years since Pastor Tom’s
retired. We get to both give God thanks for the roots of this congregation and the hard work of Pastor Tom for 17 years and it’s
time to move toward the future. Together let’s use the faith
practices of Prayer, Study and Worship and ask “What in Jesus’ name are we being called to do with what God has given
us?” What is our “major”?
It helps sometimes to start with the end in mind. At the very
end of the gospel of Matthew (those verses at the start) we
have The Great Commission (the resurrected Jesus instructions
for his followers). How are we being called to share the Good
News of Jesus Christ? Let’s back into the future together fearlessly reflecting upon where we have been and where God is
calling us to move forward. Blessings on the journey.
Pastor Margot
In the Lord of the Hills family…
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A big thank you to the Middle School Youth Group for raking leaves, cleaning the kitchen,
washing out waste baskets and scrubbing those big white tables. What an awesome job and
much appreciated!
Prayers for :
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Shelly Garcia (daughter of Gordon & Betsie Tennell), who suffered a heart attack
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Phil Evans recuperating from ACL surgery last week
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Cordell Hendrickson (Paul’s mom), cancer in lungs & pancreas
Thanksgiving Baskets for Lutheran Family Services
We will be helping LFS provide Thanksgiving baskets for Foster Care families and Care Givers
The following items are being collected to fill the needs:
Packages of stuffing mix; cans of sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, vegetables, fruit cocktail, pumpkin pie mix, chicken broth; boxes of mashed potatoes, cornbread mix, apple cider, pie crust mix, pumpkin or banana bread mix, packets of hot chocolate of apple cider,
bottles of apple or cranberry juice, new reusable bags to put items in, $25 gift cards from
grocery stores for turkey and other perishable items.
Lists of items may be picked up at the table in the narthex. Please bring in your items no later
than Sunday, November 13th. Questions? Contact Carla or Kirstin Weidner at 215-962-5638 or
[email protected] or Wendy Myers at [email protected].
YOU ARE INVITED….in preparation for our 20th birthday as a
congregation (December 8, 2016) we want to “spruce up” the
place. A few folks are going to get started on the Parish Life Center in the next few weeks especially with all the Sunday School
supplies and rooms. Please contact Kalen Crane if you want to
help with the Sunday School office organization. We are going
to be contacting the groups with whom we share the gift of our
buildings, as well to invite them to be involved with the cleanup.
If you have the gift of time, enjoy getting things clean, or organizational skills, you can
also contact Pastor Margot or Sheri Peterson. We will keep INVITING you to share in
blessings of getting to be the church together.
Our supply is dwindling! Can you help?
We are looking for someone to make baptismal stoles, an embroidery machine would really make
the process a breeze. Can you help us or know someone who could? We have samples you can
look at but are open to suggestions as well. Please contact the office at 303-617-9884 or
[email protected]. Thanks.
Hospitality Ministry could use your help welcoming worshippers each Sunday.
Opportunities include set-up, providing finger food snacks, serving and clean-up.
Directions and sign-up are found on the following site:
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c094caea62aa6fc1-hospitality. Thank you.
The preschool is selling Butter Braids as their fall fundraiser! The proceeds will go to replacing worn equipment (inside and playground),
teaching materials, and to add to the scholarship fund. There will be a
table in the narthex on
October 23rd & 30th, and November 6th. Thank
you for your support!
Grace and Peace,
Meg
"A small preschool with a BIG heart!"
Birthdays October 17-23: Liam Tice, Eric Pinkston, Matthew Trembley, Mimi Hemmeter, Abigail Ashebo, Hudson Palumbo, Steve Talbot,
Nate York, Michael Brown, Julie Kayl, John Paul Yehle
All Saints Weekend is November 5 & 6. If you would like to have
names of loved ones who have died added to the Roll Call of
Saints, please let the office know no later than Tuesday, November
1st (303-617-9884 or [email protected]).
An offering from the Older Adult and Caregiver Services program of Lutheran Family Services
is a FREE monthly teleconference allowing you an opportunity to gain knowledge about aging
related topics from the comfort of your home or office. Join us Wednesday, November 9th from
12:00 PM to 1:00 PM for Understanding Caregiver Fatigue to learn about the signs and symptoms of caregiver fatigue and how to regain balance in your life. To register, visit our website at
www.lfsrm.org/caregiver-services or call 970-232-1180 or 303-217-5864.
Recycling has begun! You will see waste baskets with recycling labels on them
around both buildings. Please use these to dispose of empty cans, plastics, metals, glass and paper. There is a bin in our trash enclosure dedicated to recyclable
items. If you are taking items directly to the bins, please make sure you use the
correct one—they are marked. Thank you for your support in making recycling
possible at LOTH and being environmentally responsible.
Here is a brief summary of the Verizon Tower proposal. Please direct any questions
or comments to Pamela Birx at [email protected].
Week at Lord of the Hills
Monday, October 17
5:00 pm—Adult Children of Alcoholics
6:00 pm—Preschool Board Meeting
6:30 pm—Boy Scout Troop 494
Tuesday, October 18
7:00 pm—Smoky Hill Promises A.A. Meeting
7:00 pm—Apostles’ Creed Rehearsal
7:00 pm—Video Group
7:00 pm—Executive Council Committee
Wednesday, October 19
1:00 pm—Ladies Luncheon Group
6:00 pm—Angel & Hosanna Choir Rehearsal
6:30 pm—Confirmation Class
Thursday, October 20
10:00 am—Enneagram Group 2
7:00 pm—Bible Study
Friday, October 21
7:30 pm—Here’s H.O.W. A.A. Group
Saturday, October 22
5:00 pm—Worship
Sunday, October 23
8:00 am—Worship Service
9:15 am—Cantate Deo Rehearsal
9:15 am—Sunday School
10:30 am— Worship
Volunteer
Altar
Greeters
Ass’t Minister
Ushers
Reader
Comm. Ass’t.
Communion Bread
Acolyte
Teen in Nursery
Counters
Staff
Margot Wright, Pastor
[email protected]
Pastor Jerry Brown, Visitation Pastor
[email protected]
Pat Billington, Administrative Asst.
[email protected]
Erica Brown, Bookkeeper
[email protected]
Thomas Kielmeyer, Music Director
[email protected]
Sheri Peterson, Director of Small Groups
[email protected]
Meg Stenman, Director of Preschool
[email protected]
Office Number: 303-617-9884
11:45 am—Bells on the Hill rehearsal
12:00 pm—SPLAT (High School Youth Group)
5:00 pm—Let’s Eat Out Group
5:15 pm—Refuge
6:00 pm—Financial Peace University
Sunday Worship Volunteers: October 23
8:00 a.m.
10:30 a.m.
Janice Deverell
Larry & Von Brown
Theresa Beal
Bud Sittig
Steve Beal
Larry Brown
Pat Billington
Greg Houston
Molly Sullivan
Janice Deverell
Alice Robke
Sean Brady
Bud Sittig
Von Brown
Ben Miller
Joshua Brown
Erin Hayson/Brenna Peters