January 2014 - Immanuel Lutheran Church

Immanuel News
January 2014
Celebrating Christ’s abundant presence in our lives, neighborhood and world.
THE CHRISTMAS SEASON
THE HOLY INNOCENTS
On December 28 the Church
remembers “The Holy Innocents.”
We read the story in Matthew
2:13-18 of Mary and Joseph and
the young child Jesus fleeing to Egypt to escape Herod’s
soldiers who are headed to Bethlehem. And suddenly the
child Jesus, together with his mother and father, become
refugees, fleeing for their very lives.
In Herod’s attempt to kill Jesus, the soldiers are commanded to kill all the children of Bethlehem two and under. . . .the Holy Innocents. And Matthew quotes Jeremiah
speaking of matriarch Rachel weeping for her children
because they are no more.
This story has been part of the church’s telling of the
Christmas story from the earliest of days. It becomes a
shadow that reminds us who this child Jesus is, and how
the places of power and military might react to him—both
then and now. This story casts a long shadow that reaches
to the cross.
Matthew sounds an early warning that any kind of
association with Jesus, even as a helpless child, can be
dangerous—because of the hope he brings to earth. . . .
and because this hope will undo injustice and overthrow
oppression.
In remembering the Bethlehem Holy Innocents of
Jesus’ day, we are connected to the Holy Innocents of
every time and place. . . .from Auschwitz to Gaza, from El
Salvador to South Sudan. And we are invited to weep and
lament with Rachel, refusing to be consoled until God’s
promised and hoped for future is ours.
As Jesus was chased from Bethlehem, he joined refugees who flee Syria in the middle of the night, immigrants
in the United States who are raided in the middle of the
night or at their workplace, and children who are the innocent victims of gunshots at school.
When Jesus is grabbed from his bed as his family
flees, he has company on every continent, in every century. Fleeing with him are Cherokee and Lakota, Palestinians and Tutsi, Serbs and Bosnians and Croations. Fleeing
with him are Jews of every generation.
And as Jesus grows up as a refugee in Egypt, he
joins generations of Palestinians born in refugee camps
in the West Bank. As the Bethlehem of Jesus’ day suffered under military occupation, so does it still today.
It is not only genocide and refugee camps that
haunt us. As Jesus is born in a stable because there was
no room for him in the inn, children today in Seattle
sleep outdoors with their parents, without housing. Others are afraid to sleep because of a loved one whom they
cannot trust.
On December 28, just three days after celebrating
the birth of Jesus, we come both in praise of the child,
and in lamentation for the children. And in this terrible
story, we are invited to conversion—conversion from
deafness and indifference to the suffering of our world;
and also conversion from despair and cynicism at what
seems so far beyond our control.
We are invited to remember the little suffering ones
and to tell their stories—
for thereby, we open ourselves to God
and to God’s word of hope for a new future.
In the coming year let us take courage to listen for
and to tell the stories of the holy innocents in our world,
the stories of refugees and immigrants, of political oppression and violence. And let us agree to lament with
Rachel, refusing to be consoled until God’s new day
takes root and grows in our midst. And let us trust the
word that God who became one of us in Jesus to share
our life and our death. . . .this God loves us dearly.
In this way we will be able to hear the angel’s
words to the shepherds: Do not fear! Good news! Great
Joy! Peace to all!
A Blessed Christmas and New Year to you all!
Pastor Susan Burchfield
Immanuel Annual Meeting and Potluck Dinner
Sunday, February 9
IMMANUEL LUTHERAN CONGREGATION
Thank You January Sunday Partners
1215 Thomas Street – Seattle, WA 98109-5427
www.immanuelseattle.org
Office: 206-622-1930
[email protected]
January’s food bank item is: canned or boxed soup broth.
Please bring personal size containers so they can easily be
carried on the bus. Thank you!
We are a Reconciling in Christ / Open and Affirming
Congregation, welcoming all persons
to our worship and to our Communion table
Assisting Ministers:
January 5
Robert Boreson
January 12
Holly Lund
January 19
Holly Lund
January 26
Robert Boreson
Lectors:
January 5
January 12
January 19
January 26
Selima Carol Asmann
Mary Ann Napravnik
Karen Wahlstrom
Sherianne Caldwell
Altar Care:
January 5
January 12
January 19
January 26
Holly Lund
Mary Peterson
Ann Wolfe
Karen Wahlstrom
Immanuel Council President: Terrill Chang
Immanuel Lutheran Church Staff:
Rev. Susan Vanhoy Burchfield, Pastor
Candi Olson, Office Administrator
Gil Proctor, Custodian
Joan Lundquist, Music Director
Jennifer Faul, Choir Director
Ann Adam, Bookkeeper
Immanuel Community Services President: Wayne Hillard
Immanuel Community Services Staff:
Patricia Turnberg, Executive Director
Terrence Lewis Sr., Recovery Program
Annaliese Stelzer-Terminello, Food Bank Coordinator
Dave Saluskin, Hygiene Center
Janet Watness, Community Lunch Coordinator
Ann Adam, Bookkeeper
Newsletter Staff:
Candi Olson, Newsletter Editor
Jack Colman, Thelma Colman, Sally Smith, Assembly
January deadline: December 15th
Ushers/Greeters:
January 5
Sherianne Caldwell, Dena Lee
January 12
Jan Faull, Terrill Chang
January 19
Stan Sivesind, Jayne Riggs
January 26
Carol Asmann, Karen Erlander
Coffee Hour:
January 5
January 12
January 19
January 26
Send articles to: [email protected]
Immanuel Core Values
As people called to be Christ’s living presence in the world,
we value and are guided by our commitment to:
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Lori Roehl
RubyJoy & Scheila Pikes
Roger Carlstrom
Community Lunch
celebrate and share God’s love
invite and welcome all
build relationships, nurture community
rekindle hope
Expect God’s love to change us
January Birthdays and Anniversaries
Offering Tellers:
January
Carl Field, Iain Quigley
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Inspired: Churches of
Seattle—Author to
make presentation
during coffee hour on
Sunday, January 19
Immanuel is featured in a
new book: INSPIRED, a richly
illustrated coffee-table book
showcasing the ministry and
architecture of 52 prominent
churches in the Greater Seattle
area. Written by Pastoral Counselor Rick Grant and photographed by award-winning photographer Lara Swimmer, the
book can be found on Amazon.com and is and local bookstores. On January 19 we can purchase copies at a reduced
price. Read about Inspired at www.inspired-seattle.com
Marilyn Bode, Joey Lesh
Harold & Martha Bakke anniversary
Chris & Steve Christensen anniversary
Al Roehl
Alfie Koll-Williams
Mikiah Rigg Hillard
Jack Colman
Diane Labrenz, Chris Lindberg
Megan Eastman, Bron Taylor
Zac Clark, Kristy Messler
Fred Eastman
Sarah Lundquist, Donna Opsal
Kelly Goddard
Jim Schoeld
Josh Debner
LaVonne Rasmussen
Cate & Wayne Hillard anniversary
If your birthday or anniversary is missing from this list,
please contact the church office so we can update the church
database.
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Immanuel
Goes to
Olympia
9:00 am Sunday Adult Forum
Jan 12
Immanuel Budget Discussion
Immanuel’s Finance Committee presents the 2014
ILC budget for discussion and input. Let’s ask: how are
our core values reflected in our budget? Does our budget
reflect sabbath gratitude and sabbath relationships?
Jan 19—Feb Mar 2 Sabbath Spirituality: The Journey
of a Lifetime
Leaders: Sally Parker-Henderson & Kathy Strand
We meet to explore the spiritual/faith journey. The
class will wrestle with such questions as: Is the spiritual
journey a particular path or something different? Have
you given any thought to your spiritual/faith journey since
childhood? Was there an event in your life that was pivotal
to my spiritual journey, perhaps sending it in a new direction, or inspiring me deeply? These questions and many,
many others will be shared by people of our congregation
in engaging and intimate ways. Each week will feature a
panel of our fellow members sharing their own personal
spiritual/faith journeys with us. Join us and be part of sharing the spiritual/faith journey with people we know and
trust
“Mudhouse Sabbath” Book Group
Mondays in February we will reading Mudhouse
Sabbath; An Invitation to a Life of Spiritual Discipline by
Lauren F. Winner. After her conversion from Orthodox
Judaism to Christianity, the author found that her life was
still marked by traditions and spiritual practices of Judaism. She uses some of these practices in her everyday
life.
Come join us on Monday evenings in February to
discuss 11 spiritual practices from Judaism that can transform the way we view the world, God, meals, grief, marriage, candle-lighting and other aspects of life. The book
is available from the public library, many bookstores, and
from Amazon. We will decide the time of the meetings
once a list of interested folks has been compiled. There
will be a signup sheet available in the office and at
church starting on January 5th. Questions? Call or email
Sherianne Caldwell at 206-892-8816 or [email protected] or talk to her in church!
Lauren Winner to speak in Seattle Feb 7-8
Lauren Winner, author of Mudhouse Sabbath, and
professor of Christian Spirituality at Duke Divinity
School, will speak on sabbath and “living in time” on
February 7 and 8 at University Congregational. Tickets
go on sale December 7th. More information at
www.universityucc.org.
InterFaith
Advocacy Day
is January 30
8:30 am to 3 pm
InterFaith Advocacy Day in Olympia is a chance to
listen to and speak to elected officials in Olympia. The
theme this year is “Dismantling the Culture of Violence”.
Some of the issues in Olympia in 2014 are:
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Preventing Wage Theft
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Preventing Violence
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Sufficient Revenue for the Budget

Preserving Our State’s Safety Net

The DREAM Act
Meeting with legislators and/or their staff is one of the
most important acts that faith advocates can take in bringing our voices of compassion and justice to Olympia. We
partner at this event with people of all faiths.
Early registration is $ 15.00 by January 15 and $ 20.00
afterwards. FAN provides lunch, materials, arranging
workshops on issues, and scheduling of meetings with
representatives.
There will be a signup sheet available after January 1,
2014. Please register so we can arrange transportation to
the event. You can register on-line at fanwa.org.
“A Taste of Immanuel”
Sunday, Jan 26, following worship
12 Noon to 1:30 pm Lunch will be served
Are you looking for partners to explore faith questions
and journeys? Are you hoping to find a community that is
serious about following Jesus’ way of justice and peace,
welcoming all people? Do you wonder if Immanuel might
be such a place for you? Then join us on Sunday, January
26 for A Taste of Immanuel.
“A Taste of Immanuel” will give you an opportunity
to find out more about Immanuel and what we’re passionate about. It will be a time for conversation with Pastor
Susan and other Immanuel folk; with an opportunity to ask
questions, and also to meet others like yourselves who are
finding out more.
At Immanuel we receive members once a year—this
year, on May 18 . The first step in the journey to membership is to check “interested in membership” on the worship welcome card, and attend a “Taste of Immanuel.”
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New Immanuel Photo Directory Coming
Compass Center
Annual Service of
Remembrance
Smile for the camera!
It's a new year, which means it's time for a new pictorial
directory! The Community Life team is coordinating with
Lifetouch for this important project, and we need YOU to
make our directory complete.
Friday, January 4, 4:00pm
A time to remember, honor and pray
for those who have died on the streets
or as a result of being homeless.
To celebrate our growing and vibrant congregation, Lifetouch provides the directory at no cost to our church.
Lifetouch will be on site on Friday, Feb. 7 from 12:30
- 8:30 pm, and Saturday, Feb. 8 from 9 am - 5
pm. You can sign up for your free one-hour sitting on the
church website at www.immanuelseattle.org, or after
worship in the fellowship hall in January.
Join us at 4:00 p.m. in the Compass Center chapel. 77
South Washington Street, (under the viaduct)
Seattle, WA 98104.
Christmas Pageant
Every family or individual photographed will receive a
free 8x10 portrait and directory. Lifetouch provides a nopressure opportunity to purchase additional poses or
prints, if you're interested.
Everyone is welcome and invited to participate! Please
reserve your place today. The directory won't be complete without YOU!
P.S. Interested in volunteering with the directory? Contact Christy Olsen Field at [email protected]
or 253-298-5280 to see how you can help!
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Our Prayer Concerns
“O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to
come, still be our guard while troubles last and our
eternal home.” [ELW #632]
God promises to continue to be our guard, so we pray:
For healing: for John Scherer for relief from his sciatica
and other issues; for Martha and Harold Bakke, back at Foss
Home; for Jan Faull for an eye allergy; for Jim Jagow for a
Malaria medication allergy; for Mark Hsselbrock’s sister-inlaw diagnosed with cancer; for Jimmy Beamon’s son Tyrone, gang-beaten resulting in broken bones; for Roger
Anderson’s knee surgery; for Diane Labrenz in home care
with diabetes complications; for Kiersten Boreson diagnosed
with MS; for Maryann Lund’s son-in-law, Fred Diedrich, for
knee replacement; for Rev. Ron Storz, neighbor of M. Lund
and LaVonne Rasmussen following a stroke.
We give thanks: for answers to our intercessory
prayers, and for our compassionate Pastor Susan!
Women of Immanuel
The Women will meet on Thursday
January 3, 2013 at 11 a.m. The Bible Study
is entitled “Getting Away” and is based
on Mark 6:7-13 and Mark 6:30-34. We will have Pastor Mary Lindberg as our visiting Bible Study
Leader. All women are welcome. Just bring a pot- luck
dish to share. Coffee And desert will be provided.
The remaining Thursdays of January will be spent
making quilts for Lutheran World Relief. Just come at
10 a.m. with a sack lunch. Coffee will be provided. No
experience is necessary. We would love to have you join
us as we strive to produce more quilts than ever due to
the world-wide need.
Coming soon to the Immanuel Lutheran
Community
“Rotating Art Show”
We pray for our shut-ins: Bob Erdman; Jim Gamrath;
Carole Haney; Laurie McGibbon.
The Visual Arts Committee is proud to announce
Immanuel’s “Rotating Art Show”. There are so many
talented artists of many different mediums; we feel our
parish hall walls are crying out for a display of our talents! It is our intention to feature as many artists who are
willing to share over the coming year. Each artist, or
group of artists will have an opportunity to write a short
biography for Immanuel’s newsletter as well as host an
“opening” one Sunday over the 6 week run of each show
following worship service.
We pray for our Church: for Pastor Susan and the
other pastors who assist her; staff; the church council; Children’s Church leaders, nursery care, ICS Director Patty,
Staff and Board; for all who serve: music director Joan and
choir director, Jan; lectors, ushers, altar care, assistants,
choir, etc.; for those who are served by Immanuel’s outreach; for Lay Eucharistic Ministers who bring communion
and minister to our shut-ins; and for our visitors. Bless us
that we may be a blessing!
For comfort in the loss of a loved one within the past
year: Barbara Byrne Alver and family in the death of her
husband, Ken; Terrill Chang’s family following his father’s
death; John Griffen’s family—Kirsten, Aiden and Jackson
on the death of father and grandfather; for Karen and Les
Wahlstrom in the death of nephew.
For all men and women in the Armed Forces.
We pray for our President and Congress that they
may keep the needs of people in their focus. We pray for all
world leaders that they will reach out in compassion to help
those in need—whether from natural disasters or oppression
in any form.
We invite you to join us on the Prayer Chain for intercessory prayer. If you don’t use the internet, you will be
called by ‘phone. If you need prayer for yourself or a loved
one, please call or email Maryann Lund, 425-347-0413 or
[email protected].
MAY 2014 BE A BLESSED AND HAPPY ONE!
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The visual fun begins February 2014 with a solo
show by Peggy Haug.
Mid- March will feature a group show featuring Dan
Erlander, Holly Lund, Sally Parker-Henderson and a few
other fine artists.
We hope to feature art by youth from the Orion
Youth Center at the beginning of May.
An art contest/showing featuring our Children would
be a fun thing to do…
If you have art to display and share, contact Dena
Lee to arrange your show! [email protected] or at
206-371-9446
everything from Pot Roast and mashed potatoes to more exotic recipes he has encountered in his travels. Doug shops, and does
prep work on Mondays and then comes in on
Tuesday to do the cooking and serving. All
in all, this takes about 15-20 hours of his
time a week.
Doug also loves to travel as does Sally,
whom he became reacquainted with in 1997,
having first known her in 1965. This meeting
was in the wine department in the QFC in
Ballard. One of their long spring road trips
was to visit all 13 Presidential Museums in
the United States. Word has it they may
travel to Alaska next spring, driving up the
Al-Can highway. Doug got a taste for travel
while working with Rick Steves.
Immanuel Staff
Back Row, L to R: Terrence Lewis (Recovery Program)
Gil Proctor (Custodian); Annaliese Stelzer-Terminello
(Food Bank); Janet Watness (Community Lunch)
Front Row: Jennifer Faul (Choir); Joan Lundquist
(Director Music Ministries); Patty Turnberg (Exec Director, ICS); Susan Burchfield (Pastor); Candi Olson
(Office Administrator).
Left: Dave Saluskin (Hygiene Program)
Plus Ann Adam (Bookkeeper)
Immanuel Story Corp
Among Our Members—
Doug Starup
Many of you know Doug Starup as one of the assisting ministers
on Sundays. Doug has been a Mr.
Fix-it man for Immanuel although
his shoulder now limits some of his activities.
For the past 15 years now, Doug has been cooking
once a week at Compass, (the men's housing program).
This program provides a safe place for 80 men to live. In
1997, after many suggestions from Nyer Urness, Doug
showed up to see how it all worked. He says it was "like
being grabbed by the shirt collar. Here's where you belong"!
Doug began at Compass by helping with breakfast
then, he changed to doing dinner once a week. He makes
up the menus, and shops for food on Monday, picking
and choosing what he wants to cook for them. He cooks
Doug says he has really enjoyed every job he has
held. He retired from Pacific North West Bell in 1981. One
of Doug's career highlights with the telephone company was
opening up engineering jobs for qualified women. After
retiring, he took a year off to see just what he wanted to do
next. He went to Europe where he met Steves and discovered he really liked the travel business which he worked in
for about 3 years. He then moved to a Charter Boat Business
in Anacortes, skippering boats and overseeing boat rentals.
He lived on his own boat while he did this job. After that, he
worked for the Port of Seattle as a property manager for an
office warehouse complex on Harbor Island. He retired from
the Port in 2009.
Doug and his wife, Gloria were married for 30 years
before she died of cancer in 1978. They had four children,
two boys and two girls. These children had 2 grandsons, and
2 granddaughters. The grand children had 2 great-grandsons
and 2 great-grand daughters. Doug and Gloria often went
camping and skiing as a family. His children, grandchildren
and great-grandchildren all love to camp and ski. Since
Doug feels travel broadens one's understanding of other peoples and cultures, he has funded a travel account for his
grandchildren and great-grandchildren. They can go study in
Europe or where ever, for a semester or so. A little bit of
World Peace may come from them getting to know that all
people are really alike in very basic ways.
Doug first came to Immanuel as a child. His mother's
best friend lived in the Cascade neighborhood. They
attended Dr. Stub's Christmas Eve Service once a year.
Much later, during the church refurbishment, Doug and
Sally came to Immanuel. He served on the Pastoral Call
Committee which eventually called Pastor Susan. He finds
the congregation to be a caring community. As we grow,
more wonderful people come into the congregations to help
with the mission.
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Immanuel Endowment Fund
Dear ILC Friends:
As I write this, it is December 24th and it’s easy to feel
the excitement in the air around the church in preparation of
a lovely Christmas Eve service celebrating the birth of
Jesus. Yesterday, I had the pleasure of taking all the men
living in our Recovery Shelter to Target to shop with gift
certificates provided to them by the members of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church on Mercer Island. They were all excited and happy about our little adventure. As we were
walking through the church, one of the guys saw the empty
manger and shouted “Amber Alert..baby Jesus is missing! “
We all had a good chuckle over that one. They made
me chuckle throughout the afternoon with their funny comments. When I remarked that I was going slightly over the
speed limit another guy laughed saying “if they pulled you
over and saw you had a van full of homeless addicts in
recovery, they would know this was a MISSION TRIP for
charity and they’d let you go.”
Despite their laughter, I know that the holidays are hard
for these guys. Some of them will be with family on Christmas Eve for a few hours, but they will all be here together
on Christmas day. For others, being with family is not
healthy for them and their recovery and it is better that they
are here. Still others have been rejected by their families
because of their past histories with drugs and alcohol.
The important point is that they have a home here with
us for awhile and I can tell they feel loved and embraced by
the members of this congregation. They can laugh at themselves on a shopping trip. There will be a delicious dinner
cooked for them on Christmas Eve by three women of Immanuel. They will have gift certificates, hats, socks, underwear, sheets, blankets, cookies and other gifts provided to
them by members of Immanuel and other Lutheran
Churches. And they all look forward to graduating and
earning their very own quilts!!
Jesus in not missing…he is here working though all of
you to help these guys, and the men and women in our
Hygiene Center, and the individuals and families who come
to our Food Bank and our Community Lunch. I thank you
all for your support throughout the year and especially as
we close 2013. You are an amazing congregation that
makes it so clear that Jesus is not missing. He’s here in the
hearts and actions of all of you.
I’m looking forward to a great year working together in
2014!
Blessings,
Patty Turnberg, Executive Director
The Immanuel Endowment Fund is a
living example of how stewardship
through thoughtful estate planning can ensure that ILC’s legacy of ministry continues for generations to come.
Here are the disbursements for this year.
Endowment Disbursements for 2013
Immanuel Church Capital Improvements
Immanuel Community Services
Immanuel Building Maintenance & Repair
Ministries that Reach Out (see below)
$12,000.00
$12,000.00
$ 4,000.00
$ 8,000.00
2014 Endowment Disbursements
Church of Steadfast Love-Compass Center $ 900.00
Compass Cascade Women’s Center (next door) 800.00
Compass Housing Alliance
1,000.00
Pacific Lutheran University
500.00
Lutheran Community Services
400.00
Operation Nightwatch
200.00
El Camino de Emmaus –Burlington, (ELCA)
400.00
End Malaria Campaign (ELCA)
400.00
ILC Emergency Fund
900.00
ILC Women – World Relief Quilts
1,000.00
Matt Talbot Center
500.00
Columbia City Church of Hope (ELCA)
250.00
Foss Home Foundation
200.00
Cascade Neighborhood Council
300.00
The Garden (Seattle ELCA mission start)
250.00
Total
$ 8,000.00
Immanuel Community Services received a special
memorial gift in memory of Wyatt Shellmon.
ICS was fortunate to receive a year-end gift from an
anonymous donor who made the gift in memory/honor of
the late Wyatt Shellmon, a dear friend and graduate of
ICS's recovery program. As the donor states " his courage
and final days inspired many of us."
This generous contribution was leveraged to match gifts made to ICS from
non-ILC members. We are so grateful for
this wonderful remembrance of Wyatt.
Wyatt Earl Shellmon
October 10, 1952 — March 21, 2011
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Immanuel Lutheran Congregation
1215 Thomas Street
Seattle, WA 98109-5427
Non-Profit
U.S. Postage
Paid
Seattle, WA
Permit No. 289
Change Service Requested
January 2014
Sunday
5 Epiphany
Monday
6
Tuesday
Wednesday
Friday
Saturday
1 NEW YEAR’S DAY
Office & Hygiene
CLOSED
2
11a Women’s Bible
Study
3
4p Compass Housing
Service of Remembrance
4
7
8
9
10a Quilting
10
11
12:30p Staff
11:30a Finance Team
16
10a Quilting
17
18
23
10a Quilting
24
25
9a Community Lunch
prep
30
10a Quilting
31
NO Education Hour
10:30a Worship
ILC Marketplace
Thursday
7:30p AA
7:30p Choir
12 Baptism of Our Lord
9a Budget Forum
10:30a Worship
13
26 Epiphany 3
9a Education Hour
10:30a Worship
12p Community Lunch
12p Taste of Immanuel
15 newsletter deadline
6p Exec Committee
7p Church Council
7:30p Choir
20 MLK Jr Day
Office & Hygiene
CLOSED
11a-1p Food Bank
7:30p AA
21
22
27
10a-11a ICS Coffee Tour
11a-1p Food Bank
7:30p AA
28
7:30p AA
19 Epiphany 2
9a Education Hour
10:30a Worship
14
12:30p Staff
12:30p Staff
7:30p Choir
29
12:30p Staff
6p ICS Board
7:30p Choir