AugustAugustAugustAugust 2012012012012222
Volume Volume Volume Volume 44445555, Issue, Issue, Issue, Issue 8888
The LeafThe LeafThe LeafThe Leaf – a monthly publication of GLC
Gethsemane Lutheran ChurchGethsemane Lutheran ChurchGethsemane Lutheran ChurchGethsemane Lutheran Church The LeafThe LeafThe LeafThe Leaf
35 East 35 East 35 East 35 East Stanton Avenue Stanton Avenue Stanton Avenue Stanton Avenue ♦ Columbus OH 43214 Columbus OH 43214 Columbus OH 43214 Columbus OH 43214 ♦ 614614614614----885885885885----4319431943194319
www.gethsemane.orgwww.gethsemane.orgwww.gethsemane.orgwww.gethsemane.org
PastorPastorPastorPastor
Rev. June A. Wilkins [email protected]
Music Music Music Music MinistrMinistrMinistrMinistriesiesiesies
Dr. Timothy E. Guenther [email protected]
Learning & Family MinistriesLearning & Family MinistriesLearning & Family MinistriesLearning & Family Ministries
Terri Siebert [email protected]
Child Care CenterChild Care CenterChild Care CenterChild Care Center
Brenda Weilbacher [email protected]
Parish SecrParish SecrParish SecrParish Secretaryetaryetaryetary
Diane Gutgesell [email protected]
CustodiansCustodiansCustodiansCustodians
Kate and Shana Bumster
In this IssueIn this IssueIn this IssueIn this Issue
Purpose Statement – P. 2
“Outdoor” Worship – P. 3
Adult Ed – P. 4
Women’s Retreat – P. 5
Farewell To Ruth Fortis – P. 6
Prayer Concerns – P. 7
Council Highlights – P. 8
Gethsemane’s Congregation Council has approved the following Purpose
Statement and Guiding Principles
Purpose StatementPurpose StatementPurpose StatementPurpose Statement The people of Gethsemane Lutheran Church
Sing God’s good news
Share God’s unconditional welcome
Care for each other
Serve those in need
Guiding PrinciplesGuiding PrinciplesGuiding PrinciplesGuiding Principles
• The life, words, and actions of Jesus Christ are the inspiration for all
we do and are.
• We recognize the uniqueness of each individual. We welcome and
value everyone.
• We reach out to each other, our neighbors, and creation with our
hearts and minds as well as with our labor, generosity, and works of
justice.
• We create a supportive environment to nurture growth and learning.
We find Christ in the study of God’s Word and through sharing
questions, doubts, a diversity of opinions, and new ideas.
• As a faithful Christian community, we are led by the Holy Spirit to live
and worship together, respect differences, communicate openly, and
seek consensus.
2
STAFFSTAFFSTAFFSTAFF
Gethsemane’s Congregation Council has
approved our Purpose Statement and Guiding
Principles! You can see Gethsemane’s Purpose
Statement and Guiding Principles on the front
cover of this newsletter.
Gethsemane’s Purpose
Statement and Guiding
Principals
The Process
Gethsemane’s Vision Team worked on this statement
for two hours every Wednesday evening for seven
weeks from April 18th – May 30th. The team spent
much of their time doing Bible study to discern what
God has called believers to do. They discussed
Gethsemane’s ministries and the surrounding
community. They also looked at information from our
November House Meetings and some previously
collected data and surveys. On May 12th Gethsemane
had a gathering of over 25 people from the greater
congregation who did a study of the book of Acts.
Each person in attendance came up with a purpose
statement and guiding principles for Gethsemane.
When the Vision Team looked at all the data that had
been collected – from the House Meetings, the Vision
Gathering, and the work of the Vision Team – they
noticed some striking consistencies. It was obvious
near the middle of the process what the content of
the statements would include, they just had to put
this content into words. Members of the Vision Team
independently wrote Purpose Statements and Guiding
Principles. They discussed these and then a smaller
group of the Vision Team – Don Dell, Dick Reuning,
Paula Sauer, and Pr. June gathered to write the
statement. The larger group revised the results and
then the Vision Team presented it to the congregation
on June 10th. They received some feedback from the
meeting and then through several e-mails. The Vision
Team discussed these responses, and a consensus was
reached on the final document which was passed by
the Congregation Council on July 19th.
What It Is
Purpose Statement identifies who we are and
what we do. It is God’s purpose for us .
Guiding Principles guide us in our life together and
lets us know how we do what we do together.
For both the Purpose Statement and the Guiding
Principles we know that Gethsemane is not doing
them perfectly, flawlessly or unanimously. But these
are the things that we, as a congregation, naturally
gravitate to and hope to do better. These are the
things, when we are at our best, we achieve.
How They Will Be Used
Together, the Purpose and Guiding Principles will be
used to identify us inside our congregation and
outside our congregation. In our congregation they
will be used to help the council, ministry teams, and
individuals make decisions, plans, and goals. It will put
everyone – new and old members – on the same page
as far as understanding the real heart of the
congregation. It will also be used to keep the
congregation on track during any struggles, transitions
or leadership changes.
Outside the congregation it will be used to publicize
Gethsemane, to identify Gethsemane to others, and
to help potential members know if they would like to
be a part of our community.
The Near Future
Pr. June will be meeting with the council and with
ministry team and committee leaders to consider how
we can use the Purpose and Guiding Principles to
further our work together and to better do what God
has planned for us at Gethsemane.
What are some things we could do to better live into
our purpose at Gethsemane? If you have any ideas, e-
mail them to me at [email protected]
Pastor June Wilkins
3
WORSHIPWORSHIPWORSHIPWORSHIP
Power Outage Prompted
Change in Venue for Worship
The congregation gathered on the front walk and
lawn for worship on Sunday, July 1, 2012.
Pastor June preached to those informally gathered.
Mark Hagerdorn passed the collection plate.
Wendy Luedke served communion to Donna Roush.
Dr. Tim Guenther and Dick Reuning provided music
from the narthex.
Gethsemane lost power from Friday, June 29, until
Tuesday, July 3. Many church members lost their
power for shorter or longer periods of time. We
thank all those who provided freezer/refrigerator
space for those without. And also, for inviting
members into your air-conditioned homes to get a
break from the extreme heat.
4
LLLLEARNEARNEARNEARN
Story Time in the Library
During August the Lifetime Learning Hour after
worship continues “Story Time in the Library.” This
summer all of the stories are Gethsemane stories:
personal stories or reflections, favorite Bible stories,
stories of ministries to others. So get your drink and
treat in the Atrium and join the conversation! You will
be glad you did!
August 5 – Storytelling - from the Bible, Us, and the
Universe, an interactive session lead by Joyce Geary.
Stories have been part of our world and the church
since the beginning of time. Where do YOU use them?
Come learn new stories and ways to use them in a
variety of settings.
August 12 – A story of mission to others. Partners in
Faith: Church and Community Building with Thrivent
Builds with Habitat for Humanity in El Salvador lead by
Joe & Bonnie Reilly and Rick & Diane Langner. Come
see and hear about the great work being
accomplished by volunteers in a foreign land.
August 19 – The summer series concludes with
Engineers without Borders in El Salvador. Jim Siebert
has been a volunteer with this program and gone to El
Salvador three times. Hear his story and see his
pictures of preventing flooding and constructing a
roadway for a small poor village living along a ravine.
August 26 and September 2 – NO CLASS
September 9 – RALLY DAY. Plan now to attend the
brunch and special activities in the Great Hall.
September 16 – LIFETIME LEARNING HOUR returns to
the Multi-Purpose Room with “Faith, Politics and the
Christian Citizen,” a five-week series lead by GLC
member and Trinity Seminary professor, Hank
Langknecht.
It's school supply time!
With so many challenges of late to life, there are
many children in both Southeast Ohio and
Columbus who need fresh supplies for school.
Shop the sales . . . any kind of school supply will be
great, including backpacks.
Collection box is in the narthex. We will collect
through August 12.
5
CONNECTCONNECTCONNECTCONNECT
6
CCCCONNECTONNECTONNECTONNECT
Small Group
Ministries
First Reflections
Monday Bible Study
Paula Sauer
Connections:
Faith at Work
Judy Reuning
Men’s Breakfast
Bob Davis
Habitat for Humanity
Bill Darlage
LWR Quilts
Terri Siebert
Prayer Shawls
OR
Call the
Church Office
614-885-4319
Quilting Ministry Continues at Gethsemane
We send Ruth Fortis off to Virginia for the
next adventure in her life and with her
goes a promise . . . that we will continue
the quilting ministry here at Gethsemane
that she so lovingly nurtured. Ruth's
talents and dedication are irreplaceable
but we'll do our best to keep up the
sewing and knotting! Our next quilting
days will be August 25 and September 29 so please mark your calendars. Time is
from 9am - 1pm. Come when you can and leave when you must.
Sew-ers are needed! We will try to pin some quilts during our work days; if you can
sew at home, please consider taking a pinned quilt. And for sure, take a roll (or more)
of squares. You can find them in the basket on the
sign up desk in the narthex.
Our quilt ministry at Gethsemane is supported by
a grant from the West Franklin County Chapter of
Thrivent. Without them and the fabrics/batting
that the money provides, we couldn't produce
these beautiful quilts that will be sent across the
world through Lutheran World Relief. Thank you,
Thrivent!
If you have questions on sewing tops, putting
together full quilts, or even when we meet, please
call Terri Siebert at 890-6820 or email her at
Our Quilt Dedication Sunday will be September 30. Ruth will be back to share the
time with us.
Ruth’s new contact information is:
Ruth and Tito Fortis
4709 Overlea Drive
Midlothian, VA 23112
804-269-7437 home
614-354-1309 cell
7
PPPPEOPLE NEWSEOPLE NEWSEOPLE NEWSEOPLE NEWS
August
Birthdays
3 Jon Myers
6 Adam Siddall
Bonnie Spring
7 Andrew Norris
Lisa Whitesell
8 Robbie Dunham
Valerie Nesser
9 Jim Siebert
14 Sara Gardner
15 Sarah Lucco
19 Joyce Geary
Brian Lutz
20 Leslie Stoshak
25 Mary Manship
26 Patsy Carringer
Daniel Gaines
Emily Gardner
Gottfried Maeffert
Manfred Maeffert
28 Michelle Toops
29 Lillian Crawford
Our Prayers and
Concern Are With . . .
“Pray in the Spirit at all times in every
prayer and supplication. To that end
keep alert and always persevere in
supplication for all the saints.”
Ephesians 6:18
New concerns:) Aaron Hagerdorn …
Aidan Katz (grandson of Jim and Paula
Sauer) … the family of Chad Mott
(cousin of Char Jessie) who passed
away July 15 … Jonathan Partsch (son
of Barbara Ford) … Lee Ann Perin …
Adam Siddall … Howard Spring
Members with ongoing concerns:
Sibylle Custis … Manfred Maeffert …
Rob Needham … Phyllis Nelson … Harry
& Vickie Lyatuu and their children Ian
& Evelyn for immigration issues.
Family and friends with concerns:
Jerry Abrams (father-in-law of Pastor
June) … Sandy Davis (friend of Bob and
Jan Davis) … Bob and Elaine Dean
(parents of Pam Seidelmann) … Andy
and Deb Greicius (friends of Jen Tatz) …
… Dennis Weirrick (brother of Jan
Davis) … Colin Young (friend of the
Hillers).
Homebound: Marilyn Bosen (Arlington
Court) … Dotty Edwards (Laurels-Wor-
thington) … Carolyn Fergus (Wesley
Glen) … Jean Fritchen (Worthington
Christian Village) … Ken Gerken … Mary
Manship (Wesley Glen) … Eleanor Nagy
… Becky Oldaker (Bennington Glen) …
Reva Woodruff.
Family and friends serving overseas:
Kirk Lloyd (step grandson of Doris
Devine) … Colin Steffa (son of Meredith
Dobyns).
Births: Alison and Michael Kern had a
baby girl Sarah Elizabeth, 6# 9 oz., on
July 14 joining brother Noah. Mike was
our MIC student in 2005 and 2006 and is
now pastor in Albion, Nebraska.
Mandy and Eric Edwards had a baby boy
Benjamin Ehmri, 7# 8 oz., on July 17.
Eric was our intern from 2006-07 and is
now pastor in East Liverpool, Ohio.
Would you like to add your
prayers?
For Sunday Prayers:
Contact church secretary, Diane, at 885-
4319 or [email protected]
before 12:00 noon on Thursday. After
that time, you will have the opportunity
in worship to name those silently or
aloud during the prayers.
8
COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTSCOUNCIL HIGHLIGHTSCOUNCIL HIGHLIGHTSCOUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS
Congregation
Council
OFFICERS:
President
Mark Hagerdorn Mark.Hagerdorn@panaceaprodu
cts.com
Vice-President
Joe Reily [email protected]
Secretary
Alice Siddall [email protected]
Treasurer
Rick Langner [email protected]
MEMBERS:
Morgan Melton [email protected]
Dave Norman [email protected]
Donna Darlage [email protected]
Tim Mayer [email protected]
Gary Rader [email protected]
Highlights of Council Meeting – July 19, 2012
A copy of the Council minutes and Financial Report is posted in Atrium Way.
PLEASE READ BUT LEAVE POSTED. Take home copies (minus attachments) are
available at the Sign Up Desk in the narthex.
DICK REUNNG PRESENTATION
Dick spoke to council for the Welcoming Ministry Team about starting the
discussion with the congregation on joining the Lutheran group “Reconciling
Works” or the old name of “Lutheran’s Concerned” After discussion council
approved the team to move forward. MOTION: (D. Norman/D. Darlage) to move
ahead on the discussion with the congregation on seeking “Reconciling in
Christ” recognition. Carried.
PASTOR’S REPORT
The Pastor will be on vacation Friday, July 27-August 10
The High School Youth are in New Orleans for National Youth Gathering
VBS was held this week.
Neighborhood Watch meetings are being held in the church.
Pastor is moving in August.
The Purpose Statement is complete and need of council approval. MOTION:
(R.Langner/T. Mayer) to accept the Purpose Statement as presented. Carried.
Next step, how can council move this forward? August 23rd council meeting time
has been set aside for discussion and reflection on what the role of council will be
in implementing the Purpose Statement.
Fire alarm system was disabled by a lighting strike. Jim Sauer is working with
church’s insurance company and engineer’s to replace the system. Dave Norman
spoke that he feels we should be looking into a wired security system to be in
place while the wiring for the fire alarm is being completed. Dave will speak to
Jim about this.
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Jacob’s Porch was sent the June benevolence check early to help off set their
need for income. A special appeal took place on July 15 which raised a little over
$400. Pastor will get an update on their current status.
9
COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTSCOUNCIL HIGHLIGHTSCOUNCIL HIGHLIGHTSCOUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS
TREASUER’S REPORT
Rick Langner asked Council to decide on how benevolence payments would be formulated. MOTION: (J. Reilly/D.
Norman) to follow the 15% formula as stated in the constitution and allow Mission and Ministry to send out
benevolence payments as it sees fit. Vote: 7 for and 2 against. Carried.
Rick requested that Mark ask personnel to look into Church Secretary position to insure enough hours are given to
complete work.
Day Care Director is working with Workmen’s Compensation to make certain all custodians are covered.
FINANCIAL REPORTS
GLC
June numbers are not yet available.
Announcements
The next regular Church Council meeting is scheduled for Thursday, August 23 @ 6pm with time devoted to
visioning discussion.
10
Serving This Month – August 2012
August 5
9:30 AM
August 12
9:30 AM
August 19
9:30 AM
August 26
9:30 AM Assisting Minister Jeff Luedke
Jeff Luedke
Jeff Luedke
Jeff Luedke
Readers Jim Sauer
Paula Sauer
Mike Siddall
Marie Needham
Lisa Whitesell
Rosa Prigan
Hank Langknecht
Shirla Langknecht
Ushers
Hugh Geary
Joyce Geary
Mark Geary
Don Cumberland
Dick Reuning
Judy Reuning
Dick Jones
Sue Jones
Mike Siddall
Joe Reilly
Andrea Mayer
Tim Mayer
Jim Sauer
Paula Sauer
Mark Hagerdorn
Dave Whitesell
Nursery Jennifer Tatz
Diane Langner
Pam Hagerdorn
Bryn Hagerdorn
Arlene Hendrickson
Hilda Lyatuu
Jill Woods
John Woods
Communion Bread Joyce Geary Wayne Melton Howard Feole Lutz Family
Communion Care
Betty Guenther
Diane Langner
Betty Guenther
Diane Langner
Betty Guenther
Cathy Jung
Betty Guenther
Cathy Jung
Counters Dan Erwin
Jeff Luedke
Wendy Luedke
Joanne Leussing
Hugh Geary
Mary Bardach
Hono Lyatuu
THE TIME HAS COME!!
The three Gethsemane men who have faithfully picked up all those couches, fridges, washers,
dryers, stoves, etc. have met their Waterloo. Due to age and some health issues they can no
longer move those heavy objects being donated to Southeast Ohio. However, Southeast Ohio
still needs these items! What we need is 2 or 3 strong people--and a little spare time--and a
truck would be helpful. A truck and driver will be available for a little while. If you can help with
this worthy project please call or e-mail Bob Hagerdorn, 614-882-0172, [email protected].
11
AUGUST 2012 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1
7:30 PM
Swahili Ministry
2
3
NO
Connections
4
1:30 PM
Swahili Choir
5
9:30 AM
Worship
10:45 AM
Education
3:30 PM
Swahili Service
6
9:00 AM
Augsburg
Fortress Music
Clinic
7:00 PM
Hymn Festival
8:00 PM
A.A. & Al Anon
7
9:00 AM
Augsburg
Fortress Music
Clinic
10:30 AM
Staff Meeting
8
9
10 11
8:00 AM
Men’s
Breakfast
1:30 PM
Swahili Choir
12
9:30 AM
Worship
10:45 AM
Education
NEWSLETTER
DEADLINE
13
8:00 PM
A.A. & Al Anon
14
10:30 AM
Staff Meeting
15
7:30 PM
Swahili Ministry
16
6:30 PM
P &L Meet the
Teachers
7:00 PM
Block Watch
17
10:00 PM
Mkesha Prayers
Service
18
19
9:30 AM
Worship
10:45 AM
Education
20
6:00 PM
Day Care
7:30 PM
Prayer Shawl
8:00 PM
A.A. & Al Anon
21
10:30 AM
Staff Meeting
22
23
6:00 PM
Council
24 25
9-1:00 PM
Quilting
1:30 PM
Swahili Choir
26
9:30 AM
Worship
10:45 AM
Education
27
8:00 PM
A.A. & Al Anon
28
10:30 AM
Staff Meeting
7:00 PM
Worship
Ministry Team
29
10:00 AM
LSS Food
Pantry
7:30 PM
Swahili Ministry
30 1 2