Rooted in the Past; Sheltering the Present; Reaching Out to the Future; Empowered by the God of the Ages CHURCH NEWSLETTER September 2018 Mount Calvary Lutheran Church P. O. Box 484 5983 South Main Street Mt. Jackson, VA 22842 (540) 477-2421 [email protected]www.mountcalvaryva.org Mount Calvary Lutheran Church Virginia Rev. Matthew A. Diehl, Pastor ([email protected]) Members of Mount Calvary, Ministers Many of Mount Calvary’s Ministries Resume this Month! Throughout the year, the Mount Calvary family has many service, ministry, and faith-building opportunities. After a summer hiatus, several of these opportunities resume. There’s a place for you in all of them! These year-round ministries are also opportunities to serve the church. Contact Susan Foltz 984-4477 [email protected]Contact Roger Rudy Contact Susan Foltz Contact Pastor Diehl 477-2421 [email protected]
Transcript
Rooted in the Past; Sheltering the Present; Reaching Out to the Future; Empowered by the God of the Ages
CHURCH NEWSLETTER September 2018
Mount Calvary Lutheran Church
P. O. Box 484 5983 South Main Street Mt. Jackson, VA 22842 (540) 477-2421
[email protected] www.mountcalvaryva.org Mount Calvary Lutheran Church Virginia
Rev. Matthew A. Diehl, Pastor ([email protected]) Members of Mount Calvary, Ministers
Many of Mount Calvary’s Ministries Resume this Month!
Throughout the year, the Mount Calvary family has many service, ministry, and faith-building opportunities. After a summer hiatus, several of these opportunities resume. There’s a place for you in all of them!
These year-round ministries are also opportunities to serve the church.
FROM PASTOR DIEHL… “I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.”
Psalm 32:8 Dear Friends in Christ, How would you respond if you were asked, “What is faith formation?” In recent years the term “faith formation” has become a catch-all term that can mean just about anything a community of faith does. For example, faith formation could be anything from the congregational picnic, to Bingo night, to team sports in the gymnasium, to Sunday worship. It’s all faith formation, right? One way that we could define faith formation would be to say that it is equipping people to live as disciples of Jesus in the world today. John Roberto, in his book, Generations Together, affirms the traditional, but very rich idea that faith formation informs, forms, and transforms people. Whether a young child, youth, or adult, people are shaped to be vital and life-giving Christians in a holistic way through faith formation. Roberto says, “While expressed in many different ways, faith formation seeks to help people:
grow in their relationship with God for the whole of life; live as disciples of Jesus at home, at work, in the community, and in the world; develop an understanding of the Bible and their faith tradition; deepen their spiritual life and practices; engage in service and mission to the world; participate in the life and ministries of their faith community.”
So, faith formation has a lot to do with forming disciples in today’s world. Religious development and spiritual growth are important, regardless of our age. At a recent Christian Education Committee, members continued to struggle with making sense of declining Sunday School attendance, finding Sunday School teachers, and knowing what and how to offer a vibrant Christian education program for all ages. What do we do and how do we best do it? Congregations continuing to engage in maintenance conversations often find themselves focused on preserving who they are and what they usually do. These congregations are always concerned with ways to keep people happy and unchanged. A good example of this might reveal itself in maintaining a declining Sunday School program for those who show up. We live in rapidly evolving times, and it is critical that we empower one another to face this truth head on. Some might say that the future of our faith is hanging in the balance. Our faith asks us to move into a space of not knowing. At our recent Christian Education Committee meeting, this is where the terminology of “faith formation” rather than “Sunday School” was discussed. We may not be able to fully imagine or visualize the future of what “faith formation” will mean for us. We may experiment with new things that do not go as we had planned or hoped they would. But, it is okay to experiment and not succeed. To that end, our Christian Education Committee has decided to experiment with moving away from the traditional Sunday morning “Sunday School” approach to Christian education and experiment with a Sunday evening “faith formation” approach. This means that on the second and fourth Sunday evenings of each month, faith formation opportunities will be offered for children, youth, and adults. We will gather together in the Parish Hall at 5:30 for a simple dinner together and then our faith formation opportunities will be offered from 6:00-7:00. Our subject matter will continue to be biblically based and provide participants with a powerful sense of God’s faithfulness, grace, and love for us in daily life. I applaud our Christian Education Committee for paying attention to the shifting needs of our families and children, releasing ourselves from the rigid structures of our past, and boldly experimenting with a different approach to our Christian education offerings. I, along with our Christian Education committee, invite you to support this new and different approach to an important ministry of our congregation. With your support, our faith formation opportunities can make an impact on the faith life of every church member, young and old. I look forward to greeting you in church next Sunday AND on Sunday, September 9th, for our first evening together for faith formation. The peace of the Lord be with you,
The Congregation Council met at the Parsonage Monday even-ing, August 20. The following members were present: Pastor Diehl, Rebecca Diehl, Judy Fultz (Treasurer), Lynn Holtzman, Mary Ann Mahoney, Anita Miller, John Minnick, Barb Pifer, and Kay Whetzel. Susan Foltz and Joe Proctor were unable to attend. Church members Charlie Frye and Jim Miller were also in attendance. Refreshments for this meeting included Charlie Frye’s homemade ice cream and Barb Pifer’s homemade fudge sauce. Meeting announcements, discussions, and actions included the following: The Council voted to make a $100 gift to the Mission Endowment Scholarship of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in memory of Pastor Senger.
Council voted to accept a proposal of approximately $4,000 for new window treatments in the Social Hall. Currently, $3,000 in memorial fund gifts are designated for this project.
The church received the offer of a pipe organ that is much larger than our current organ. Presently in storage, the organ is available as a result of the merger of two Tidewater area churches. If pursued, Mount Calvary’s cost would be limited to the expenses of organ transportation and installation. The Council will be exploring the possibility of accepting this offer.
The beautiful, iris-themed, queen-size quilt on the narthex display case is yours for the highest bid in the Quilters Guild’s latest silent auction. The quilt’s cross-stitching is the work of Guild member Crystal Minnick. Bidding will be open until Homecoming Sunday (October 21). Bids should be made in $5 increments. The winning bidder will be announced at the Homecoming Lunch.
Shenandoah Herald, December 14, 1885
Our thanks to Barb Pifer for researching and sharing this and other Mount Calvary history.
Used Stamps = Spanish Sunday School Curriculum
Hello friends! Our new classes started a few weeks ago. Everyone has adjusted well to their new classes and are having a lot of fun! Next month we will have volunteers from United Way com e to the center and put new mulch on the playground. You may have noticed that we have a few new toys on the playground. We were able to purchase toys from a center who recently went out of business. The climbing plastic "rock" wall was donated to us from Shenandoah County Public Schools’ preschool department The children sure have enjoyed the new toys.
We would like to say a big “THANK YOU” to Mary Ann Mahoney. Mary Ann has been volunteering at our center for a year. We do not know what we would do without her! We have had several new children start at our center in the last few weeks and having Mary Ann to help us has been a tremendous help. Speaking of new children, we now have 62 children enrolled. We have expanded our infant room and can
now keep eight babies instead of four. We have added a third staff member to the infant room. Amy Meadows has had a state-licensed in-home center for over 30 years. We are glad Amy has joined us.
We would also like to welcome Tamara Hart as our floater. Tamara worked for Disney as a cast member. Tamara is currently taking college classes to become a teacher. We hope you have a blessed September.
Regina and Anabel
Kaitlyn Nebgen September 22 Jane Grant Burner September 28
Micah Miller September 25 Jennifer Hoye September 29
September 5, 1646 First Lutheran church edifice in America is dedicated at Tinicum Island, Pennsylvania. September 7, 1643 Reorus Torkillus, first Lutheran pastor of a parish in the American colonies, dies. September 10, 1819 Joseph Scriven, author of “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” is born. September 11, 1728 John Stoever, first Lutheran pastor in Virginia, arrives to the Commonwealth. September 14, 1814 Francis Scott Key writes“The Star Spangled Banner.” September 22, 1871 Charlotte Elliot, author of “Just As I Am,” dies. September 26, 1896 William Tomer, composer of the music for“God Be With You Till We Meet Again,” dies. September 29, 1907 The cornerstone of Washington National Cathedral is laid. September 29, 1990 Washington National Cathedral is completed.
Apple Butter Preparation, Boiling
& Sales
Friday-Saturday October 26-27
First Reading Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9 First Reading Jeremiah 11:18-20 The Psalm Psalm 15 The Psalm Psalm 54 Second Reading James 1:17-27 Second Reading James 3:13 – 4:3, 7-8a The Holy Gospel Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 The Holy Gospel Mark 9:30-37
First Reading Isaiah 35:4-7a First Reading Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29
7-10 The Psalm Psalm 146 The Psalm Psalm 19:7-14 Second Reading James 2:1-17 Second Reading James 5:13-20 The Holy Gospel Mark 7:24-37 The Holy Gospel Mark 9:38-50
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
Matthew 24:35
First Reading Isaiah 50:4-9a The Psalm Psalm 116:1-9 Second Reading James 3:1-12 The Holy Gospel Mark 8:27-38
♥ Terry and Gloria Chambers ♥ Dwight Frye ♥ Eleanor
Funkhouser ♥ Pat Funkhouser ♥ Frances Gerow ♥ Jeanette
Jones ♥ Bill Lloyd ♥ Stephanie Melbourne ♥ Kim Miller
♥ Emma Smith ♥ Geraldine Whetzel ♥ Mickey Williams
♥ William Ballance, former pastor of Mount Calvary ♥ Lauren Barnett, daughter of
Tammy Barnett ♥ Lorenzo Bean, husband of Dorothy Bean ♥ Bob Blackburn,
brother-in-law of Anita Miller ♥ Victoria Bohus, friend of Bucky Miller ♥ Ken
Chambers, son of Terry and Gloria Chambers ♥ Phyllis Clark, sister of Walter
Marston ♥ Alice Coffelt, friend of Reba Thompson ♥ Christopher Diehl, cousin of
Pastor Dieh ♥ Mary Beth Foltz, sister-in-law of G.B. and Susan Foltz ♥ Carol Griffin,
sister-in-law of Jill Griffin ♥ Mike Grim, son of Dorothy Bean ♥ Larry Heltebran, step-
father of Steve Povlish ♥ Daryl Kingree, nephew of Donnie Pifer ♥ Dick Krol, friend of
Kay Whetzel ♥ Shirley Leake, friend of Mickey Williams ♥ Joe Lewis, husband of
Roger Rudy ♥ Matt Long, father of Stella Long ♥ Barbara McDonald, aunt of Lisa
McDonald Miller ♥ Johnny McDonald, brother of Lisa McDonald Miller ♥ Spencer
McIntosh, father of Noel Frye ♥ Shirley McWilliams, niece of Frances Gerow ♥ Donna
Painter, friend of the G.B. Foltz family ♥ Linda Ryman, sister of Paul Ryman ♥ Wilson
Ryman, friend of G.B. and Susan Foltz ♥ Ann Thompson Shirkey, friend of G.B. and
Susan Foltz ♥ Neil Showalter, friend of Donnie Pifer ♥ Charlie Stephens, father of
Regina Clements ♥ Heather Taylor, friend of Bucky Miller, Donnie Pifer, and Roger
Rudy ♥ Ryan Tomoff, friend of Susan Foltz ♥ Steve Weaver, co-worker of Diana
Steadman ♥ Naomi Wine, friend of Mickey Williams ♥ Nancy Zirkle, friend of Jane
