November 2004 Voice
The Voice(Newsletter of Trinity Lutheran Church)
November 2004
STEWARDSHIP
The Stewardship committee meets the third Monday of each month at 6:30 in the lounge. If you want to assist in any way, plan on being there! All are welcome. The Member Commitment forms were mailed the last week of October. Please read the form through carefully. There are many opportunities for service and ministry, as well as for financial support. The signed form should be returned to the church by November 7th if at all possible. Please call Melanie L. if you have any questions.
OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE
(If you want to serve, call Brian H.
READERS - November
11/7 – Steve F.
11/14 – Kirsten R.
11/21 – Haylee S.
11/28 – Louise M.
GREETERS - November
11/7 – Feskos
11/14 – Readings
11/21 – Schwenk-Howells
11/28 –Mankes
READERS - December
11/7 – Ellen H.
11/14 – Louise M.
12/19 – Pageant
12/24 – to be announced
12/26 – to be announced
GREETERS - December
12/5 – Harbargers 12/24 – to be announced
12/12 – Mankes 12/26 – to be announced
12/19 – Pageant
ALTAR GUILD - November
Wendy K.
ALTAR GUILD - December
Melanie L.
ALTAR FLOWERS FOR 2004
The flower chart for 2004 is posted next to the church office door. Please note that the payments for altar flowers for this year are behind. If you haven’t yet paid for flowers that have already been on the altar, please drop off or send your payment to the Church Office. Thank you!!
VOICE CHANGE NOTE: The next issue of the Voice will be emailed to those for whom we have an email address. This will save on postage and printing supplies. If you have not supplied an email address and would like to receive the Voice electronically, please contact the church office or send your email address to me and I will forward it. Issues of the Voice and weekly bulletins are also posted at Trinity’s website. Print issues of the Voice will continue to be mailed to those for whom email is not available.
MISCELLANEOUS NEWS ITEMS
COUNCIL NOTES
Council meets the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. Please consider coming for a visit to see how the “business” of the church is accomplished. Talk to Pastor, Dave R. or any of the Council members for more information. Here are the names of the 2004 Council members: Bob D., Judy F., Arla F., Dave H., Wendy K., Tom K., Melanie L., Valerie M., Chuck M., Dave R., Bruce T., Peggy W.
COMMITTEE MEETINGS NOTICE
The Worship, Witness and Stewardship/Finance committees are meeting Monday, November 15th, at the church. Please take note and attend if you are able.
NEED HELP AROUND THE HOUSE?
Do you need tasks done around your house, such as yard work, house work, electrical, etc.? Consider calling Pastor for a name of someone who might help. Sophie W., Brenna C. and Pastor are looking for ways to make some extra $$$ for their S. Africa trip. Also, a number of Trinity members could use some odd job income to assist with family bills.
Let Us Know - Know of someone in the hospital? Call the church and let us know. We want to visit and be in ministry with our members and your assisting us in knowing when someone is ill is important. Hospitals no longer call churches to advise of a patient's entrance (unless asked by the patient) due to privacy laws.
THANK YOU!!
Thanks to Deaconess Deborah Nebel for preaching and leading worship on Reformation, October 31. It is a special privilege for Deaconess Nebel to do so. Distribution of communion in our pastor's absence is done with care taken in the wording of the liturgy and the ''reserving" (keeping) of bread and wine from a previous eucharist. Thanks also to Pastor David Connor and to Kirsten R., Altar Guild server for the month, for their dedicated assistance in the time Pastor was away.
Thanks to all who assisted in our quarterly "Fix It Sunday" in October. Among things accomplished: oven cleaning, removal of all valances for cleaning, removal of painter's tape from previously painted windows, taking out of Community Meal garden, and steam cleaning of carpets. Thanks to Thrivent for offering funds toward rental of steam cleaning equipment and for lunch!
“My heart-felt thanks goes out to all the “angels” at Trinity who supported me throughout my recent six-week stay at Lutheran Hospital. I am so thankful for your prayers, cards, visits, phone calls, treats, transportation, and “escapes”. God bless you!!” Donna H.
The Lutheran
Do you want to continue receiving THE LUTHERAN? One of the cost cutting measures being considered is our every member subscription. Inform Ruthanne at the church office.
South Africa 2005 Trip Update
Sophie W., Brenna C. and Pastor Paula continue their fundraising efforts. Any fundraising proceeds may be matched by Thrivent for Lutherans so all efforts are multiplied! Please call Ruthanne W. for more information.
Congratulations to Jonathan F. and Becky B. who were united in marriage on October 23 at Trinity. Becky and Jonathan have been members for a few years. Jonathan's four children assisted in the wedding as members of the wedding party and as ones who affirmed the marriage by lighting candles surrounding the unity candle. May God make their home and family one, loving, and committed. Thanks be to God! (One conversation included these words by Jonathan: "We ought to have more weddings here. The church is so beautiful!")
Congratulations to Katie M., granddaughter of Arline and Jim, who was nominated by her little sister Kelli and awarded the college “Big Sister of the Year” award on September 17th at the Centennial Celebration Volunteer awards ceremony. Katie is a junior at Muskingum College.
Getting to know our neighbors
An early evening of welcome is being planned for November 21. We are inviting our neighbors to see our church, tour our facility and share in refreshments. Our Witness Committee will be distributing door hangers to do the invitations! Watch weekly bulletins for a way you can assist! (Or call Brian H.and be proactive!)
Lutherans Concerned Corner
Friday, December 3rd will be a special holiday meeting with our usual pot luck dinner. Bp. Marcus Miller will be our guest for “Conversation with our Bishop”, and Eucharist. Bp. Miller is coming so that we can address our concerns on the 2005 vote, learn current information regarding the study (the report will not yet be available), and discuss options for our work within the church after the vote. Bishop Rimbo of SE Michigan Synod had a similar discussion time with us at the Assembly this past summer; it was most helpful, and so we propose a bit of the same, this from our own bishop's vision. Bp Miller is aware that the discussion will reflect the concerns of those attending – we hope you will be in attendance.
NOTE the change in date to December 3rd; this meeting will take the place of both the 11/26 and 12/24 meetings.
Our winter-spring meetings in 2005 are: January 28th, February 25th, and April 22nd. We will not be meeting in March because our meeting date falls on Good Friday.
ELCA Notes
About 45 scientists and pastors, members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, studied the links between their Christian faith and their vocations and avocations in science and technology. They gathered in Chicago Sept. 17-19 for a "Sunday Scientists! Symposium" sponsored by the ELCA Alliance for Faith, Science and Technology.
"The aim was twofold," said Dr. Kevin Powell, a member of the Alliance, symposium organizer and a pediatrician, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "One was to improve how Lutheran congregations relate to science, and the other was on a more personal level," he said. The symposium attracted Lutheran pastors, scientists, retired scientists and students. Some pastors were trained in the sciences as well as Christian ethics and congregational dynamics. The scientists represented such fields as astronomy, atomic physics, biochemistry, biotechnology, chemistry, computer science, environmental chemistry, mathematics, meteorology, molecular biology, neuroscience, nuclear chemistry, organizational biology, physics and public health. Participants came from California, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. Their ages ranged from early 20s to 80s.
"Our aim is to make congregations friendlier to science so they can understand the world they are living in, which is so profoundly influenced by science," Powell said. "People in the congregations, especially the non-scientists, recognize how much their lives are affected by science, but they can be very frustrated trying to figure out how to impact that change," he said.
Information about the ELCA Alliance for Faith, Science & Technology is at http://www.elca.org/faithandscience/ on the Web.
Dates to remember for activities at Trinity:
· December 4 - Advent Crafts with neighboring children
· December 19 - Christmas Pageant and shared lunch
· January 30, 2005 - Kitchen Shower and Silliness Lunch
More information will follow – look in the bulletins and the next issues of The Voice.
Christian Education
Adult Education - At 9:30 a.m. on Sundays, in the lounge is a Bible Study led by Nancy B.
Christmas Pageant is Sunday, December 19 in the Sanctuary. REHEARSALS begin Sunday, November 21 in the Community Room. Rehearsals will also be on Sundays November 28, December 5 and December 12. We will also have a rehearsal on Saturday, December 18 - time TBD. Volunteer assistants are welcome.
TEACHERS ARE NEEDED!! Sign up on the bulletin board by the Flower Chart or call Cathy A.
Women's Retreat at Camp Mowana is scheduled for the weekend of Nov. 12 -14! We will be reading/discussing the book The Friendship Factor. This is a wonderful weekend in a beautiful setting among friends. Please join us! Call the church office to sign up and receive more information.
PARISH NURSE NEWS
NOVEMBER – A TIME TO PREPARE
Dear Trinity Friends,
I pray that we are all strengthened by the knowledge that we are called to be Saints of God! November 1 is All Saint’s Day. We live our days as God’s saints, with the confidence that He is in control of all of our life. This month I would like to share some thoughts with you on Planning for Future Health Care Needs, especially Living Wills. In Proverbs we are reminded that “a simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps”(14:15). In light of this wisdom, we can consider how best to plan for our future health care needs.
What is a Living Will?
A Living Will is a document directing your doctor that certain life-sustaining procedures should not be used if you are in terminal condition and unable to make that decision. A life-sustaining procedure refers to any artificial means that sustains or supports a vital bodily function and which only prolongs the dying process for a person in a terminal condition. The definition of a terminal condition varies from state to state but in general it describes an irreversible condition that will result in death unless life-sustaining procedures are used. A Living Will goes into effect only when you are terminally ill and unable to make decisions.
Why are Living Wills Useful?
Living Wills can be useful in several different ways. First, with the vast array of health care technology available today, decisions about their use are complex and unavoidable. Second, Living Wills give the person a way to influence such decisions, rather than the decision being made by doctors and family members. Third, it spares family members from having to make health care decisions in a crisis situation.
How Do I Get a Living Will?
To get a Living Will developed, first consider your values and wishes about life-sustaining procedures. Second, contact the State bar Association in your state, your doctor, your lawyer or your Parish Nurse to get the proper forms. Thirdly, complete the forms, give a copy to your doctor, lawyer, and a close family member. Discuss your wishes with each of these people. Fourth, put the original form in a safe but assessable place.
What Principles Should Guide our Health Care Decisions?
Decisions about health care, like decisions about the rest of our life, should be based on Biblical truths. The following principles may be useful in guiding our health care decisions and are adapted from ”Twelve Guiding Principles on Euthanasia and End-of- Life Concerns”, by the Commission on Theology and Church Relations:
· Each person, no matter how infirm deserves to be accepted as being created in the image of God.
· As Creator, God alone knows with certainty if a condition is incurable.
· When the God-given powers of the body to sustain itself no longer function, and doctors conclude that there is no hope for recovery, a Christian may in good conscience “let nature take its course.”
· It is good ethical practice for doctors to receive a signed statement by the patient indicating wishes to terminate life-sustaining treatment in case of a terminal condition.
· Death is a crucial spiritual experience, not only a physical or psychological event.
· Any complex health care decisions, and/or actions that may later appear to be wrong, have been redeemed by Jesus. (Information Adapted from “Seasons of Life”)
I know that these are difficult things to think about. Please consider the information provided. If you have any questions or concerns related to health care decisions and Living Wills, please contact me. I would be happy to visit with you. In all of our decisions may we share David’s hope, “But I trust in You, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hands.” (Ps. 31:14-15)
God’s peace and love Kathy
REMINDERS AND NOTES
1. Look for a Program regarding Living Wills and other Legal Issues to be scheduled for late November.
2. I would like to have a program for those of us who are grieving or missing our loved ones throughout the Holidays. All are invited. More information to follow!
3. Thank you to all who participated in the events of the past several months such as Fit Families For Fun and Friend-to-Friend Breast Health Awareness. A special thank you to Donna H. and Ellen H. for their help!!!
Equal Exchange Coffee Club
The members of Hope, Bethlehem, and Trinity in Lakewood helped meet this goal with the 18 cases of coffees ordered in September alone ordered. Our last order for 2004 has an order deadline of Sunday, November 21, with distribution on Sunday, December 5th – in time for holiday gifts. Equal Exchange mugs are included. Order forms are on the church office window.
BIRTHDAYS
(Remember these birthday “children of God” in your prayers!)
NOVEMBER
Vivian D. 11/03
Katherine R. 11/03
Derek K. 11/03
Ellen H. 11/04
Gertrude W. 11/04
Wayne D. 11/04
Emma B. 11/06
Kathyrn S. 11/09
Danielle B. 11/10
Patricia L. 11/12
Bea H. 11/17
Kyle J. 11/18
Sean K. 11/19
Chuck M. 11/22
Gregory N. 11/23
Maria D. 11/24
David G. 11/26
Melanie J. 11/27
Noah S.r 11/29
Amanda C. 11/30
DECEMBER
Thomas K. 12/01
James W. 12/01
Valerie M. 12/06
Nicholas S. 12/11
Beatrice A. 12/13
Allan K. 12/14
Evan A. 12/15
Fran C. 12/18
Catherine K. 12/21
Steve F. 12/22
Sophia W. 12/26
Jeffrey J. 12/27
Pastor's Pen
Dear Friends,
By this reading we have another President. (At the time of this writing I have no clue who that is.) I have been somewhat quiet about the political process due to concerns of inappropriate leadings/leanings and its conflicts with the power of the pastoral office. This has been a constant struggle for me as I see other Christian denominational clergy actively pushing for one candidate or the next. (And, my undergraduate degree is in political science!)
It has been hard for me to watch war, to see people called up for service and kept after their time was over, to see the body count, to watch poverty increase, to know numbers of people without work or who have lost jobs, to listen to ones who never expected their 'earning potential' not to be met, to agonize with ones whose midlife crisis includes pink slips. How about you?
Meandering through the last months has been tough and touchy for all of us. Where has Jesus been? Could I even venture to ask 'How would Jesus have voted?' I hope you have read THE LUTHERAN over the last few issues and struggled with how your faith interacts with public life.
So, what now? I have been reading Michael Yaconelli's Messy Spirituality: God's Annoying Love for Imperfect People. Hear a few of his words from chapter one entitled "Messy: The Workshop of Spiritual Life":
"Spirituality is not a formula; it is not a test. It is a relationship. Spirituality is not about competency; it is about intimacy. Spirituality is not about perfection; it is about connection. The way of the spiritual life begins where we are NOW in the mess of our lives. Accepting the reality of our broken, flawed lives is the beginning of spirituality not because the spiritual life will remove our flaws but because we LET GO of seeking perfection and,
instead, seek God, the one is is present in the tangledness of our lives. Spirituality is not about being fixed; it is about God's being present in the mess of our unfixedness."
Well, we are a mess. Let's move into bringing grace and love into our mess and whoever is leading us. Our president, whoever he is, will not "fix" us or our country. God is in this with us.
Pastor Paula
If you have anything you would like to include in an issue, send it to me at mclong53@adelphia.net or leave it in The Voice mailbox in the church office by the 15th of each month.
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