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Pentecost August 2018
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, In the early days serving
my first congregation in southern Virginia, a veteran pastor shared
the following insight during a Bible study: “The greatest resource
the church has is the church!” The solid theological term for this
phenomenon is the “ministry of all the baptized” or “the priesthood
of all believers.” The church’s greatest resource is its beautiful
assortment of volunteers. We are blessed with wonderful
volunteerism in and beyond Lutheran Church of God’s Love. How can
we improve our capacity to recruit, engage, bless, and keep
volunteers? I came across several great ideas in the July 18, 2018
issue of Christian Century: 1. Thank people. Do it in public and in
private. 2. Ritualize the recognition of volunteers. Publicly mark
the
beginning and the end of people’s terms of service. 3. Tell
stories. Share in print, in electronic articles, and with
pictures, how people serve strategically in the church’s
ministries.
4. Have term limits. Create a culture that expects people to
rotate in and out of jobs. Make it an honor to do a job.
5. Encourage volunteers to recruit their own replacements. It’s
the best kind of volunteer recruitment. Then, those who step down
can serve as mentors.
6. Match volunteers’ passions to the church’s needs. Help
volunteers to see the spiritual connection to the work they are
doing for the Lord’s sake.
Let us all pray for the Lord God to help us create a climate of
vibrant volunteerism and commitment to the mission of the church in
all its facets. Your brother in Christ, Pastor Dan Whitener
Worship Schedule Change
Sunday mornings are a time for worship, education, and
fellowship. Doing them all well takes time. Council has voted
unanimously to adjust our worship schedule beginning in the fall.
When Christian education resumes on September 16, our new Sunday
schedule will be:
8:45am – 9:45am Early Worship
10:00am – 10:45am Christian Education
11:00am – 12:00pm Late Worship
The primary reason for this adjustment is to add 15 minutes of
transition and fellowship time between early worship and education,
similar to what there already is between late worship and
education. This will allow teachers and students who actively
participate in both worship and the education program to enjoy the
fellowship portion of the morning (as well as get to class or
church on time!). Other events and aspects of our congregational
life that take place between services will also benefit from this
added time. We recognize this schedule change, like the previous
one, impacts participants in the early service the most. We trust
it will be embraced for its goal of providing a better worship,
education, and fellowship experience for everyone each Sunday
morning.
Ministry Resource Table—Prayer
The resource table in the Commons has been updated for the
months of August and September. Come by and check out on-loan books
that are either about prayer or serve as collections of prayers.
May these resources serve as a catalyst for you to improve or try
something different in your personal relationship and conversation
with God. Welcome!
Blood Drive Results
Thank you to all that came to donate blood on July 26. We had
one of our most successful drives in recent memory! The Red Cross
reports that they collected 44 productive units of blood (our goal
was 35.) Our next drive will be December 4.
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Shared Meal—Advocates for the Homeless and Those in Need Friday,
August 31 at 6:00pm
God’s Love, in conjunction with Advocates for Homeless and Those
in Need (AHTN) will host a Shared Meal on August 31 in Fellowship
Hall. The meal is open to the community and is an opportunity to
serve and connect with neighbors in need. AHTN provides
transportation for their clients and we provide food and
fellowship. Our first Shared Meal opportunity in March was very
successful and there was a great deal of enthusiasm among all who
were able to help out! If you can help in August, please watch for
the sign-up poster in the Commons. If you can’t help this time,
please continue to hold this fledgling ministry in prayer. NOTE: We
were originally scheduled to serve the last Friday of every month
that included five Fridays. In case you wondered about June, AHTN
has changed the schedule so we now serve every other fifth Friday;
we hope more dates will open up on their calendar.
Those interested in participating in the choir should arrive by
12:45pm
Sunday, September 9: Retirement Celebration for Pat Guth 9:30am
Worship
10:30am Reception
Sunday, September 16: Rally Day/Fall Schedule Resumes
8:45am Early Worship
10:00am – 10:45am Christian Education including Sunday
School
11:00am Late Worship
Saturday, September 22: Installation of Bishop-Elect Davenport
2:00pm – Worship at New Covenant
Church of Philadelphia, reception following
During the month of August, the ongoing non-perishable food
collection will benefit the food pantry of the Bucks County Housing
Group in Penndel. Suggested donations include canned meats,
vegetables and fruits, cereals (whole grain or low sugar),
shelf-stable milk, cleaning supplies and personal care items.
Please put your donated items in the collection box in the Commons.
Visit bchg.org/our-pantries for more information.
There are openings for children ages 2, 3 and 4 for the 2018 –
2019 school year. We welcome all children from the community and
strive to provide a safe atmosphere of love, encouragement,
Christian values and education. For more information and a link to
the registration form, please visit www.godslovenewtown.org, or
contact the preschool office at 215-497-0506 or
[email protected]
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91 102 102
July 1 July 8 July 15 July 22 July 29
Worship Attendance 2018
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Back-to-School Supplies Drive
The highlighted collection for the month of August is our annual
Back-to-School supplies drive. Each year, several area schools and
organizations are the recipient of this congregation’s generosity
in the form of school supplies. This year, we will once again do
away with the “tags” and let YOU decide what you’d like to
purchase! Quite broadly, we are interested in any and all school
supplies: backpacks, notebooks, binders, folders, pens, pencils,
crayons, markers, erasers, etc. Please plan to donate your
purchases by August 19 and deposit them in marked basket in the
Commons.
Questions? Feel free to contact the Webber family at
[email protected].
A team of six has been assembled to conduct the search for a new
Organist and Director of Choirs for the early service. The team
will consist of:
Ed Franco
Glen McDonnell
Denice Barnes
Karen Fox
Ammanuel Mehreteab
Bill Lafty
Watch for details about the upcoming job posting.
Members and friends are invited to dedicate the altar flowers on
any Sunday. This can be done in memory of a loved one, or in
celebration of a special occasion. Look for the yellow form on the
kiosk in the commons and return the completed form with $35 in the
offering plate or to the church office
Notary Public at Church Office
Remember that our church offers a free notary service to members
of God’s Love. Please contact Kay at 215-968-4335 to verify and set
up an appointment. (She also makes home visits, if needed.)
From the Financial Secretary I hope everyone is enjoying their
summer, relaxing and soaking up the sunshine! Envelope giving in
June and July has declined, reflecting the lower summer worship
attendance. Unfortunately, the cushion of almost $15,000 above a
balanced budget that we had in May is melting away like an uneaten
ice cream cone. Council would love to see giving levels continue to
stay ahead of the balanced budget mark, so don't let your giving
take too long a vacation. If you are out of town, consider using
your bank's bill pay service to mail your gift in, or sign up for
Simply Giving to have your gifts automatically withdrawn from your
account. Call the church office for more information on these
options! ~ Patti Levenberg, Financial Secretary
$180,000 $190,000 $200,000 $210,000 $220,000 $230,000
2018 envelope giving through July
$220,167
$216,636 envelope giving needed
to balance budget
actual envelope giving received plus advance gifts
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Lutheran Church of God’s Love 791 Newtown-Yardley Road Newtown,
PA 18940 215.968.4335 www.godslovenewtown.org
Rev. B. Daniel Whitener [email protected]
Will Toppin, Council President [email protected]
Kay Rozolis [email protected]
Susan McDonnell [email protected]
1. The Emergency Relief Association: Thank you for your generous
gift of 412 pounds of food during the quarter ended June 30, 2018.
Your donation will help families in the Lower Bucks County area. We
have recently added a book shelf to provide children’s books for
our clients and would welcome any donations. —Linda
McGowan,President
2. ELCA Global Church Sponsorship: Christ has called us to serve
one another in love and faithfulness. Thank you for your generous
gift of $260 to the ELCA in support of Global Ministries. Your
support enables us to invest in and strengthen vital ministries of
God’s global church. —Andrew Steele, Director
3. ELCA World Hunger: Thank you for your gift of $1,705. With
your generosity, you stand full of the Spirit and of wisdom in the
church’s 2,000-year tradition of caring for neighbors in need.
Thank you for your strong commitment to this signature ministry of
the church. —Rev. Daniel Rift, Director
God’s Caring Stitchers
You are invited to join fellow crafters in creating items to
give to people in need in our community. We attempt to put a smile
on each face and give a sense of our caring community. We provide
yarn, patterns, instruction, support and camaraderie. Join us
Friday, August 17 at 1pm in Room A1/A2. Questions, contact Cindy
Sundstrom at 215-493-2484, or [email protected]
Praying for Worship Leaders August 5: Andy Senft August 12: John
Shultz August 19: Todd & Carol Stranahan August 26: Larry
Zetterberg
August 6: Fran & Kathy August 13: Janet & Ed August 20:
Nancy & Bud August 27: Janet & Eileen
August 2018
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2 3 4 Dine Out 6:30pm
5 Worship 9:30am
6 Counters 9:30am VBS 9am to 3pm Boy Scouts 7pm
7 Trenton Thun 7pm
8 Preschool Bd 7pm
9 10 11
12 Worship 9:30am
13 Counters 9:30am Boy Scouts 7pm
14 Rejoice 7:30pm
15 16 17 Knit & Crochet 1pm
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19 Worship 9:30am
20 Counters 9:30am Senior Lunch Noon Boy Scouts 7pm
21 Rejoice 7:30pm
22 23 24 25
26 Worship 9:30am Christian Ed 10:45
27 Counters 9:30am TLC 11am Boy Scouts 7pm
28 Mut Min 7:30pm Rejoice 7:30pm
29 30 GL Book Club 7pm
31 Shared Meal 6pm
