February 2014

Faith calls Vermont native, former Calumet staffer as pastor

Faith Lutheran Church

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Volume 7, Issue 10

• About Pastor Joe, p.2• Belitsky on Faith, p.4• Birthday cards to

McGarry children, p.5• Music retreat, p.5• Mission to Liberia, p.6

The Rev. Joe McGarry, his wife Katie and their children Addyson (left), who turns seven on Feb. 14, and Logan, who turns 10 on Feb. 26. Happy birthdays!

Inside

Continues on next page

In a special congregational meeting Jan. 19, Faith Lutheran Church called the Rev. Joe McGarry from

the Upstate New York Synod as pastor. His first Sunday with us will be March 9.He comes to Faith after serving five years as pastor of St. Mark Lutheran Church, Baldwinsville, N.Y. (near Syracuse), his first call.Pastor Joe was confirmed at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Rutland, Vt. His parents, youngest brother and uncle still live in Rutland – in the same house in which he grew up. His father is retired and his mother works for the Rutland City Public School System. Pastor Joe served on the summer staff at Calumet Lutheran Camp and Conference Center, Freedom, N.H., for 10 summers before seminary. He also worked on the year round staff at Calumet as a program director.

Annual meeting elects six

Six people were elected to the Congregational

Council at our annual meeting Jan. 26:Paul Carlberg and Tamara Taylor for one year, terms ending 2015; and Joyce Hosnander, Dot LaRoche, Bob Marinelli and Liz Reiser for three years, terms ending 2017. Marinelli is our new church treasurer, replacing John Liddy, who has moved out of town. Taylor will fill Jena Hardy’s unexpired term.Other council members include Jeff Belitsky, Susan Horvath, Doug Rau, Ottmar Rau, Megan Reiser and Kelly Schaeffer.Faith approved a budget of $166,028 for fiscal year 2014, an increase of $39,000 over 2013.

It’s time to move on to new things

“It’s time to move on to new things.” That was the message

that God once gave to Moses and the Israelite people after they had been camped at the base of Mount Sinai for quite some time (Exodus 33). During their time at that place some very significant things had

happened, but now the time had come for a new stage on their journey. And, as with anything new, there is naturally some anxiety and some reluctance – it’s nice to stay with what is familiar. But now, it was time to move

By Pastor John Nieman, our transitional pastor

IT’S TIME, continued from p.1

Note: The Rev. John Nieman of Holden, Mass., began serving as our transitional pastor in mid-February 2013 during our search for a new pastor. He has served us well and faithfully. We thank him.

on, for God had greater plans for them; and so he made the promise: “My presence will go with you ...” And Moses replied, “If your promise will not go, do not carry us up from here.” But God was with them, and He did lead them on from there, and new, creative things did happen. And in it all, His ongoing presence did enable them to fulfill an earlier promise He had made to their ancient ancestors when He said, “I will bless you that you may be a blessing” (Genesis 12).There may be a similar history in store for Faith Lutheran Church, as new pastoral leadership will bring the people of this congregation into a new stage on this congregation’s journey, which not only will bring new challenges but also new blessings. And with the new challenges and the new blessings, those same promises apply now as then, the promises that God gave to his people when he said, “My presence will go with you,” and the promise he made to our spiritual ancestors when he said, “I will bless you that you may be a blessing.” Then, as this congregation moves on to a new stage in its journey, know His ongoing presence, see His blessings, and be a blessing to this community.

Pastor John Nieman

More to know about Pastor Joe

Pastor Joe McGarry has been a part of the church as long as he can

remember. As a child, he was active at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Rutland, Vt., as president of the youth group, assisting minister and choir member. As a teenager, he joined the staff at Camp Calumet in Freedom, N.H. He was on the summer staff for 10 summers. He served as a

‘Our hearts are in New England’

Our new pastor and his family have a strong

connection to New England.“After seminary, God called us to Baldwinsville, N.Y.,” writes Pastor Joe McGarry. “It was not like anything we expected. However, we have been blessed with a great community, a great church, a great school for our kids and great friends.“However, our hearts are in New England,” he continues. “We have friends and family all over New England, and we have a very strong connection with Camp Calumet. We are happy and excited to build upon our current relationships, to make new friends and to get settled in our new home.”

Katie: Mother and TeacherKatie McGarry works “wonderfully” with children, according to her husband. She has spent time over the last 10 years raising their two children and working in day care. She also is “a very talented teacher.” Upon moving to Gardner, Katie

hopes to work with children in a day care or school setting and finish her degree. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, traveling and being with friends and family.

Addyson and LoganAddyson, their daughter, turns 7 on Feb. 14. She loves art and has an incredible imagination. A first grader, her favorite subjects in school are science and math. She is a cheerleader and a Girl Scout, who is working on her white belt in karate. She also loves horses and wants to be a jockey when she grows up. Logan, their son, who plays the trombone and drums, turns 10 on Feb. 26. His favorite subjects in the fourth grade are science and social studies. Logan just completed his Weblos badge for Cub Scouts. He is a very active kid who loves to play football and lacrosse. Unlike his father, his favorite football team is the New York Giants.

summer counselor, department head, worked with the Calumet Day Camp, and was program director for family camp.His favorite ministry in college was FOCUS, a student run ministry where he played guitar in a worship band. In 1999, he joined the year round staff at Calumet as a program director for three years, helping to plan and host retreats for congregations all around the New England Synod. It was

at Calumet that he felt his strongest call to ministry. In 2002, Pastor Joe left Calumet to join the staff at Hope Lutheran Church, Reading, Pa., as a youth director, after school director and assistant music minister. In 2003, he received a degree in youth development from Concordia University, St. Paul, Minn.Pastor Joe entered the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia in 2004. While in seminary, he worked as a youth director for Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Southampton, Pa., and St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Telford, Pa. During seminary, he also served as an intern at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Red Hill, Pa., and completed a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education as a trauma bay chaplain at Cooper Hospital in Camden, N.J.In 2008, he graduated from LTSP with a Master of Divinity degree, and was called to St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, Baldwinsville, N.Y., in the Upstate New York Synod. Active in synod ministry, he served as president of the board for Vanderkamp Center, a Lutheran-Presbyterian camp in Cleveland, N.Y. He organized young adult ministry around the synod, and served as chaplain for the synod’s candidacy committee and as chair for Vanderkamp’s summer confirmation camp. In Baldwinsville, he was active in the Cub Scout program and a member of the Baldwinsville Chamber of Commerce.Three things he enjoys most about ministry are faith, community and leadership.

He also enjoys watching New England Patriots Football, playing his guitar and blogging.On his blog (http://www.pastorjoemcgarry.com), he posts faith insights, inspirational essays, and reflections on his life as a father, husband, brother, uncle, son, pastor, New England Patriots fan and friend. He also enjoys technology and social media.Who God created me to bePastor Joe writes: “I realize that God has blessed me with many gifts in my life, and I try to be thankful every day for those gifts. The way I write is the lens that I see the world. There are three ways in which this happens.”I. Family and Community“This means that those who are involved in my life are important to me. I enjoy feeling connected to something bigger than myself. Community and family have a lot of the same meaning for me because the communities that I am involved in and close to become like family to me. For me communities exist because God is in, with and under the people gathered. God’s presence allows people to look past the outside, and see the heart of one another. One of my favorite parables is Luke 15:11-32 – the Prodigal Son. The parable reminds me of God’s love for me even when I mess up.”II. Care for Names and how someone is known“Whenever I tell a story, I include people’s names (unless confidentiality forces me not to say their name). But names and how someone is known

is important to me. When you use someone’s name, you are building a deeper relationship with that person. We are all given names and they mean something to us, to those who gave us the name and to God. “Here is my favorite Bible verse:Isaiah 43: 1

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.

“God tells us that he has called our name. What better news can you get than the creator of the universe calling out your name because of how much he loves you!”

III. Receptivity of God – God Moments

“Being receptive to God in our lives means that we are open to God’s call to us. In order to do this, God needs to be accessible to everyone. The Gospel not only needs to be preached, but it needs to be preached in a way that means something to people. How do we speak to our world in a way that brings life-changing results? This is a question that I ask myself every day. God is in the business of changing lives.”

“God tells us that he has called our name. What better news can you get than the creator of the universe calling out your name because of how much he loves you!”

February7 – Celia Letendre7 – Kendal Marinelli7 – Vincent Marinelli14 – Addyson McGarry (7)15 – Ottmar Rau19 – Allison Lehoux21 – Richard Anderson24 – Whitney Ashmore25 – Marie Johnson26 – Logan McGarry (10)29 – Martha Johnson

March1 – Jeremy Bourque7 – Mark Sawyer8 – Christine Belitsky13– Larry McClurken17 – Max Rocheleau19 – Jean Henrie25 – Wayne Hobby28 – Marliese Rau

Birthdays

If your birthday is missing, please notify the Church

Office at 978.632.2271 as soon as possible so that we may celebrate the day God introduced you to the world.

Birthday blessings toThelma Koczan

who turned 85 Jan. 31. Members of our Outreach Committee brought her flowers at the Baldwinville Nursing Home.

I’ve been sitting here thinking over our worship service today (Jan. 26) and the

annual meeting that followed.We are facing some real challenges this year, especially in terms of the budget we approved today ($166,028). At our current rate of income and expenses, we have about 18 or so months before we have to close our doors. If we were a business, we would be thinking in terms of cutting expenses, laying off employees and trying to increase sales.But – there are two points that I want to make about what I just said. The first is the phrase “at the current rate of income and expenses.” The second is we are NOT a business!We are a Christian church commissioned to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, aid the poor, and bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to the community around us. We are to show the Love of God to the outside world through our words and our actions.I’m not saying that we can ignore the financial side of our church. What I am saying is that we need to commit ourselves to fulfill the promises we made when we were confirmed as adults in the church of Jesus Christ.There is no such thing as a “passive Christian” – that is a contradiction in terms. Last October, I gave a “Temple Talk” where I told all of you that at some point we were going to come to you and ask you what you would be doing to help our new pastor to turn our avowed faith into a demonstrated faith – a

TheYear of Faith

faith of actions. That time is fast approaching! Have you considered what you are going to do to help? Remember: “God’s Work. Our Hands”!I know that many of you are concerned about your physical capabilities. I promise you that we won’t ask you to do anything beyond your abilities. But we will ask you to go beyond your comfort zone! Some of you also may feel that you’ve done your part. To those of you who feel that way, I respectfully point out that there is no such thing as a retired Christian – there are just Christians who do a little less that they use to. Challenge yourself – with the help of the Holy Spirit, you can do more than you think possible!I also believe we can do a lot more in terms of our giving – both in terms of time and money. Remember – everything we have we were given by God. Is it so much to ask that we give some back to help carry out His work? I certainly hope not!We have many ideas of how to take us out of our four walls and into the greater Gardner community. Increasing our “footprint” at the Relay for Life, putting together a table at the Gardner Sidewalk Sale to showcase our church, inviting the entire Gardner community to the (eventual) installation of our new pastor, and regularly advertising our presence in The Gardner News are some of the ideas in development. We want more ideas! Give your ideas to the us – your Congregation Council – and they will be considered.Together, we can make 2014 “The Year of Faith” in the Greater Gardner community. With God’s help and our work, we can make this happen!God’s Blessings to all of you.

By Jeff Belitsky, Congregtion Vice President

Our hospital connection: 17

Complete minutes from meetings of the Congregation Council will be posted regularly on the bulletin board in the narthex.Discussion Dec. 16 and 21, 2013:Quest for a new pastor: Council approved presenting a candidate for pastor to the congregation Jan. 18 (meet and greet) and Jan. 19 (sermon). Food service: The Gardner Board of Health will prohibit Faith from serving food from our kitchen unless we pass a new inspection; we need a person on the license who is ServSafe, first aid and CPR certified. Snow removal: Megan Resier volunteered to clear our walkway after snowfall.

Congregation Council

Dorothy Sund’s name was unintentionally left off the list of volunteers in the article on Faith’s connection to Heywood

Hospital in our December issue. Dot has served in the Social Services Deptartment at the hospital for many years. What a great ministry! Here is the updated list:Employees• Bruce Blouin, Facility Services• Carol Nolin, Nutrition• Sandy Turula, Radiology• Lynn Kvingedal, Pre-registration• Megan Reiser, Cafeteria• Heidi Blouin, Hospital Pharmacy• Katherine Thompson, NurseVolunteers• Dorothy Sund, Social Services• Marliese Rau, Information Desk• Eleanor Roder, Radiology• Betty Wiinikainen, Employee Health• Eleanor Ares, Gift Shop and Baker for Oncology• Jean Kiewel, Human Resources• Ed Thompson,, Transport• Gail Hoisington (new volunteer)Physicians• Dr. Jennifer Ryan, family physician• Dr. Tricia Vorderstrasse, family physician(Dr. Ryan has no office at the hospital, but refers patients to the hospital for tests and surgery.)

It’s been “our thing” here at Faith for the past 18 years. The Calumet van will pick us up for “Sing to the Lord,” a three-day retreat March

10-12 at Calumet Lutheran Camp and Conference Center, Freedom, N.H. Cost is about $190, which includes lodging, meals and transportation.

This Lutherhostel is open to everyone age 50 and over who loves to sing the good old-fashioned hymns and spirituals, along with a few contemporary hymns, as well. Steve Reed and Judy Smith will lead the traditional “Name That Tune” hymn game and talk about the backgrounds of the composers and hymnists that wrote these beloved songs of the church.

The theme night dinner will offer delicious foods from Austria and Germany, as participants enjoy music from the beloved musical, Sound of Music.

Want to be part of the fun? Contact Evelyn Anderson at 978-632-3714 for more information. To register, call or email Betsy at Calumet at 603-539-3223 x 219 or betsy@calumet.org.

To view a video showing members from Faith at last year’s music retreat click on:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNyatyeIzD4 .

‘Sing to the Lord’ LutherhostelMarch 10-12 at Calumet

Birthday cardsfor Pastor Joe’s two children

Our new pastor’s two children both have birthdays in February. Addyson McGarry, a sweet little girl

who loves horses and wants to become a jockey, turns seven on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14. Logan McGarry, a growing boy who plays drums and loves football, turns 10 on Feb. 26. If you’d like to send the children birthday cards, as a way to welcome the McGarry family to Faith, please mail them or bring them to Faith. They will be given to the children when the family arrives in Gardner. Questions? Contact Sister Virginia.

Faith fills one barrel for Liberia,starts a second barrel

Faith is like Wi-Fi; it’s invisible but it has

the power to connect you to what you need.I recently read the quote above on a friend’s Facebook wall. I love little sayings like this. It makes sense to me and for some it really simplifies something that can be very difficult for many people – faith.There are many people in this world that struggle to find faith. They may not realize how important it is to meet their most basic human needs. For a long time faith was a necessity because we didn’t have science to help explain the laws of nature; but as our world advances, as technology advances, as access to information advances, we may feel like we have outgrown our faith, or we don’t need a place to go to worship because we can worship on our own.I don’t believe that the need for something greater than ourselves has disappeared. What I believe we are losing is a need for structure, a need for community. The question

is how do we connect our faith with the church?We are all born with faith. It is neither acquired nor taught; it is our most natural state. A young child, for instance, just has natural faith. The church talks about a belief in God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit – that takes faith. But I believe there is more.Faith is not so much about what we do but what God does for us.God loves us. God cares for us. God calls every one of us God’s beloved child.I have never seen the perfect church. There are millions of churches that worship every Sunday around the world and in those millions of churches there have been people who have been hurt in one way or another. All we can do is to try and get it right more than we get it wrong.That means as a community called Faith Lutheran Church in Gardner, Mass., we need to be the voice of God; we need to proclaim the Kingdom of God to as many people as we can. That message is a message of Love, Grace, Hope, Truth, and the Forgiveness of Sins

is told to the world through our faith.That means ...Faith, is doing what God calls us to do. We do our job not because of any reward, but because it needs to be done. Faith, is being a good friend, or working at jobs to keep food on the table or paying your taxes and voting for people who spend those taxes well, or any of the other ordinary stuff we do every day.Faith is thinking about your role in life as an employer or employee, as a student, parent, citizen, volunteer or however you identify yourself. Then ask the question – how is God acting out in my roles and relationships?You see, there are so many faith experiences or God-Moments in our life that we may not even realize. The more that we act upon them, the more that we recognize them, we will then overcome and help others over come their hurt, and their heartache.Jesus tells us that we’ve got all that we need to be faithful, and that being faithful, finally, is about recognizing all the God-given opportunities just to show up and do what needs to be done.Faith is putting one foot in front of the other and walking toward a future we do see yet but trust God is fashioning. Faith is heading out the door each day looking for opportunities to be God’s partner and co-worker in the world. Faith is imagining that the various challenges put in front of us – whether solving a problem at work or forgiving someone who wronged us – are actually opportunities that invite us to grow as disciples and witness to God’s presence and goodness in the world.livin’ on grace,Pastor Joe McGarry

Faith, like Wi-Fi, can connect you to what you needNote: Here’s the first column by our new pastor, Pastor Joe McGarry.

Faith has filled one barrel for Liberia with sneakers, flip flops,

medical supplies, dried beans, and bags of rice. And now we’ve started a second!Pastor John Nieman, our transitional pastor, has brought the first barrel to Concordia Lutheran Church, Worcester, Mass., to be shipped to Liberia as part of Mission to Liberia, a nonprofit

ministry founded several years ago in Worcester. Our donations will be brought to rural villages which have little or no medical attention; most of these villages never have seen a doctor or nurse. Foot infections are frequent in this tropical climate.Please continue to help us with this humanitarian project. Learn more at www.missiontoliberia.org.

Faith Lutheran Church627 Green Street (1/4 mile north of MWCC)Gardner, MA 01440978.632.2271

faithlutherangardner@verizon.netwww.faithlutherangardner.org

Worship Schedule

Sundays9 a.m. — Contemporary Worship

10:15 am — Education Hour11 a.m. — Traditional Worship

• Congregation Council meets monthly, the second Monday, 7 p.m.

• Outreach Team meets monthly, the first Monday, at 10 a.m.

Faith to honor Pastor Nieman at Meatball Supper March 1

He’s been an important part of our faith journey since mid-February 2013, and now that we’ve called a pastor, the Rev.

John Nieman’s ministry among us as transitional pastor ends March 2. That will be his last Sunday with us. He will lead Ash Wednesday worship.As a way to thank him, Faith Lutheran Church will honor Pastor Nieman at a Swedish Meatball Supper Saturday, March 1, at 6 p.m. in our fellowhip hall. Members of Faith are being asked to donate money to cover the cost of the dinner, as well as to provide a monetary gift that Pastor Nieman can put toward travel, perhaps a trip to Liberia to witness the work of Mission to Liberia, a nonprofit organization close to his heart. (Cost of a plane ticket to Liberia is roughly $1,200.)Please contact Jena Hardy, Julie Meehan or Kara Hardy with questions.