THE STAFF THE STAFF LUTHERAN CHURCH OF T LUTHERAN CHURCH OF T LUTHERAN CHURCH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD HE GOOD SHEPHERD HE GOOD SHEPHERD June 2014 Pentecost is the third great festival of the Christian church, along with the celebrations of the incarnation - Christmas, and the resurrection - Easter. Pentecost commemorates the gift of the Holy Spirit to the disciples after Jesus has ascended into heaven – and is considered the “birthday of the church” because for the first time, people outside the inner circle could hear about Jesus, his life, and his message of peace, justice and freedom. In those days, all one had to do was talk about Jesus and people wanted to hear more. The idea that the Creator of the Universe offered unconditional love, forgiveness and grace to humanity was incredibly countercultural in a society that was organized by power and position – and so of course was attractive to those on the “outside” and threatening to those on the “inside.” Now it seems that these positions have reversed. Those of us on the “inside” find very little about the Gospel that is new or maybe even interesting – and the people on the “outside” don’t see why they should care. These days, it’s hard to imagine what any of us could say that would draw another into the community of believers. What do we have to offer? Sunday morning worship? Study of a book that is more than 2000 years old? Gathering for a meal seeped in symbolism while singing music that is decades if not centuries old? Recent books that focus on the idea of the “missional” church remind us that we are called, not so much to bring people in to church, but to go out and spread the good news. It’s not about how many people are in the pews, but how deeply people experience the love of God – and know that they are not abandoned or alone. The festival of Pentecost reminds us that the gift of the Holy Spirit is about the presence of God that is greater and more mysterious than any of us can imagine. Somehow, by gathering together in community, God’s Spirit enables us to feel in the depths of our souls that there is a purpose to our lives, that there is hope beyond all sorrow or fear, and that there is a community beyond our own families of origin that cares deeply about us. Not everyone wants to, or needs to, come into a building on a Sunday morning to learn this. The challenge to reach out with the Good News is our calling as twenty-first century Christians. Thankfully, as with the first apostles, we don’t have to figure out how to do this all by ourselves. Let us listen to the movement of the Holy Spirit around and among us – and be emboldened to do new things for the sake of the world! Where will the dance of the Holy Spirit take us this year? Blessed to journey with you as your pastor, Upcoming Events 2014 Synod Assembly 6/5-6/7 Last Day of Sunday School 6/8 Transition Committee 6/11 First Communion Instruction 6/22 Voters’ Meeting 6/22 Council meeting 6/26 Thoughts about the “Birthday of the Church” The festival of Pentecost reminds us that the gift of the Holy Spirit is about the presence of God that is greater and more mysterious than any of us can imagine.
Transcript
THE STAFFTHE STAFF LUTHERAN CHURCH OF TLUTHERAN CHURCH OF TLUTHERAN CHURCH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERDHE GOOD SHEPHERDHE GOOD SHEPHERD June 2014
Pentecost is the third great festival of the
Christian church, along with the
celebrations of the incarnation - Christmas,
and the resurrection - Easter. Pentecost
commemorates the gift of the Holy Spirit to
the disciples after Jesus has ascended into
heaven – and is considered the “birthday of
the church” because for the first time,
people outside the inner circle could hear
about Jesus, his life, and his message of
peace, justice and freedom.
In those days, all one had to do was talk
about Jesus and people wanted to hear more.
The idea that the Creator of the Universe
offered unconditional love, forgiveness and
grace to humanity was incredibly
countercultural in a society that was
organized by power and position – and
so of course was attractive to those on
the “outside” and threatening to those
on the “inside.” Now it seems that
these positions have reversed. Those
of us on the “inside” find very little
about the Gospel that is new or maybe
even interesting – and the people on
the “outside” don’t see why they
should care. These days, it’s hard to
imagine what any of us could say that would
draw another into the community of
believers. What do we have to offer?
Sunday morning worship? Study of a book
that is more than 2000 years old? Gathering
for a meal seeped in symbolism while
singing music that is decades if not
centuries old? Recent books that focus on
the idea of the “missional” church remind us
that we are called, not so much to bring
people in to church, but to go out and
spread the good news. It’s not about
how many people are in the pews, but
how deeply people experience the love
of God – and know that they are not
abandoned or alone.
The festival of Pentecost reminds us
that the gift of the Holy Spirit is about
the presence of God that is greater and
more mysterious than any of us can
imagine. Somehow, by gathering
together in community, God’s Spirit
enables us to feel in the depths of our
souls that there is a purpose to our lives,
that there is hope beyond all sorrow or
fear, and that there is a community
beyond our own families of
origin that cares deeply
about us. Not everyone
wants to, or needs to, come
into a building on a Sunday
morning to learn this. The
challenge to reach out with
the Good News is our
calling as twenty-first
century Christians.
Thankfully, as with the first
apostles, we don’t have to figure out
how to do this all by ourselves. Let us
listen to the movement of the Holy
Spirit around and among us – and be
emboldened to do new things for the
sake of the world!
Where will the dance of the Holy Spirit
take us this year?
Blessed to journey with you as your
pastor,
Upcoming
Events
2014 Synod Assembly 6/5-6/7
Last Day of Sunday School
6/8
Transition Committee
6/11
First Communion Instruction
6/22
Voters’ Meeting
6/22
Council meeting
6/26
Thoughts about the “Birthday of the Church”
The festival of Pentecost reminds us that the gift of the Holy Spirit is about the presence of God that is greater and more mysterious than any of us can imagine.
languages will be read in as many languages as we can
master (and English). Pastor Daphne has Bibles in
Spanish, German, Latin, Greek, Norwegian and Italian
– and can get a translation of the text in any other
language you need. We will practice at 10:15 on
Pentecost morning.
Thank you!
The STAFF June 2014 Page 3
Greeting and peace, everyone! What a wonderful and
blessed ten months it’s been since I joined Good
Shepherd! Yes, that 10 months that we have made
beautiful music together, I can’t believe how quickly
time has gone by! It seems like just yesterday was
my first Sunday, and now here we are almost a year
later, and we’re now ending our first choir season
together, and preparing for our next. While time may
come and go, the blessing are endless, and abundant.
Each and every Sunday is a gift, and I’m truly
thankful for the time we’ve been given to get to
know one another, and raise our voices to God’s
glory!
As many of you know, I graduated from The Hartt
School with my Bachelor’s of Music degree, this
past May. I would like to extend a sincere “Thank
You!” to each and every one of you who have not
only helped me on my way towards my graduation,
but were also incredibly kind enough to celebrate
and give thanks with me, after our service on May
25th. It means the world to me that you would give
up some extra time (and money!) to celebrate with
me, and I truly appreciate it. Please know that you
will all be on my shoulder guiding me, as I begin my
new career in music teaching!
Now, on to the summer! The choir’s last Sunday for
their season will be on Pentecost, June 8th. We’ll
resume with the choir in September. If you feel like
joining (and you all should!) please don’t hesitate to
ask; we love new members! I would like to thank the
choir for an outstanding season; it’s been a true joy
working with everyone!
As you know, we’ve introduced a new communion
setting (Now The Feast…) and we plan on
continuing with that setting through the end of June.
At the end of June, we’ll transition over to a more
familiar setting from the ELW service. I hope that
you’ve all had the chance to really allow “Now The
Feast…” to sink and guide you through your
individual worship experience since we’ve started it.
It’s been a joy to learn and play, and hearing
everyone sing it every week really makes my
heart swell!
Continuing with the summer flow, you’ll notice a
familiar face half way through the summer
season. The wonderful Adele Hausman has
agreed to assist me in covering services while I
need to take some time away for personal
matters. I would like to thank Adele in advance
for her time, and extraordinary talent.
I hope that you all have a wonderful summer
season. I myself am looking forward to many
sunny days on the beach! Again, I would like to
thank you for your kindness and generosity in
supporting and celebrating my graduation. May
the Lord fill your lives with endless joy and
blessings.
Peace, Tyler
Musical Notes for Summer 2014
Council Notes
Council met on 5/22 with eight and
pastor in attendance. Pastor continues to visit the ill
and homebound. She is attending the Synod
Assembly with Sue Hartley. Pastor will be off on
June 29 and July 20. April contributions are up but a
deficit still remains. May contributions are not very
good. The “Blessing of the Bikes” has been
canceled for the time being. Sue has been speaking
with Emma about having a children’s fair in
September. People have volunteered to help mow
the church lawn but Jim first wants to repair the
mower. Council discussed the condition of the
parking lot. About 14 years ago a skim coat was put
down. A past suggestion was to take out a loan
against the building to pay for a new parking lot.
Jim is going to measure the lot and get an estimate to
just get an idea of the magnitude of the job. In the
meantime, John would like to have the two
handicapped parking spots labeled as such again.
Pastor reported that a special collection will be taken
up on June 8 for Malaria. (See article on page 6.)
Pastor requested getting a credit card for the church
so that she would not have to use her personal card
and then get reimbursed. Council discussed it and
John will look into one at Bank of America where
our bank accounts are. The next council meeting is
June 26.
JUNE CELEBRATIONS
Anniversaries
5-Jeff & CindyLu Peterson 10 years
15-Carl & Christi Sharon 29 years
27-Christopher & Kristine Knoob 21 years
28-Thomas & Ann-Mae Knoob 11 years
Birthdays
3-Nicholas Papa
4-Barbara Aykroyd
11-William Wakefield
13-Holly Rosa
14-Susan Landino
18-Brianne Papa
18-Barrett Cassidy
18-Mark Knoob
27-Jason Barnes
29-Paul Barnes
Baptisms
Justin Barnes, Kyleigh Knoob, Anita Podgwaite,
Christopher Rowold, Kate Lyn Aykroyd,
Anna Olson, Jonathan Rowold, Gunnar
Chapman, Alicia Samal, Christopher Costa,
Sarah DeLong, Kristin Rosa, Aidan Weishedel
The STAFF June 2014 Page 4
CONGRATULATIONS
GRADUATES
Tyler Boyle graduated from
Hartt School of Music on
May 18. (See his article on
page 3)
Melissa Johnson graduates June 22 from Berlin
High School and will continue her studies in the
fall at Tunxis Community College. (Darryl
Johnson and Linda Kapitan)
Wear red on Pentecost!
The altar cloth and Pastor Daphne’s
stoles will be red on June 8 in
celebration of Pentecost. Red
represents the Holy Spirit’s
“tongues of fire” that descended on
the disciples on the first Pentecost
morning.
SCHEDULED TO SERVE
DATE
ACOLYTE
COMMUNION
ASSISTANT
READER
USHERS
ALTAR GUILD
6/1/14
Isabella Hagen
Linda Kapitan
Linda Kapitan
Papa family
Liane
Moreland
6/8/14
Violet O’Hara
Paul
O’Braonain
Lisa
Ball-Goodrich
Goodrich family
Starr
O’Connor
6/15/14
Anthony Papa
John Downs
Barbara Kuslan
James Learned
Sue Hartley
Deb Meydag
6/22/14
Emma
Ingerson
Paul
O’Braonain
Ken Watson
Ken Watson
John Downs
Chuddy
Watson
6/29/14
Emily Olson
John Downs
Chuddy
Watson
Papa family
Liane
Moreland
7/6/14
Isabella Hagen
Paul
O’Braonain
Lisa
Ball-Goodrich
Goodrich Family
Starr
O’Connor
If you cannot serve on your appointed day, please find a substitute, and make the change on the master schedule.
Thank you for your service!
The STAFF June 2014 Page 5
First Communion Instruction
A class for all who would like to receive
communion will be held on Sunday, June 22 at
9:30 (the Sunday School hour). Children will
receive communion during worship that day.
Please let Pastor know if your child or
grandchild is interested.
Special thanks to-
Elfriede Fleischmann who has
been calling the homebound
Liane Moreland and Trish Rowold
who willingly cook for events and
bring snacks weekly for coffee
hour
James Learned for installing the
remaining new windows.
REMINDER
The next issue of The STAFF will cover July
and August. Please plan your articles to
cover the two months. Thank you!
The STAFF June 2014 Page 6
FINANCIAL RESULTS THROUGH APRIL, 2014
1/3 of 2014 Over (Under )
BUDGET BUDGET
Receipts Thru April $25,428 $28,560 ($3,132)
Quarterly Expenses $32,563 $28,560 $4,003
DEFICIT ($7,135) $0 ($7,135)
Our total operating giving for April was $8,350 and our expenses were $6,525, reducing our
year-to-date deficit to $7,135. A slight improvement over last month. Our giving compared to
projected budget is still short by $3,132 and we pray for an improvement in the coming months.
Please give this your thoughtful consideration. Thank you.
John E. Downs
Treasurer
Our financial secretary (Barbara
Kuslan) would like to make sure
that everyone gets credit for all of
their contributions to the church.
When you give cash, please make
sure that you either use an envelope
with the number that has been
assigned to you or write your name
on the front of the envelope.
Thanks so much for your help.
For most of us, a mosquito bite is
of mild discomfort- a little itch.
However, in many developing
countries, a mosquito bite can
mean severe illness or even death
from malaria.
Malaria is preventable and
treatable if one has money for the
use of mosquito nets and
instruction in their proper use,
testing, and medication. These
remedies, inexpensive to us, are
beyond the means of most in
countries where malaria is
rampant.
The ELCA is working
toward the elimination of
malaria in Africa.
On Pentecost Sunday,
June 8, donations marked
“Malaria Campaign” will
be forwarded to the ELCA
anti-malaria campaign.
Please be generous.
Ruth Podgwaite
ANTI-MALARIA CAMPAIGN
MANY, MANY THANKS…
To everyone for your generous
donations totaling $885 for the Walk
Against Hunger on May 4.
Pastor Daphne, Brenda Samal and
Lee Olson enjoyed the scenery and
conversation along the walk. Hope
we can do it again next year.
THE STAFF Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd
3680 Whitney Avenue
Hamden CT 06518-1516
FIRST CLASS MAIL
Worship
Sunday School 9:30am
Worship 10:30am
LUTHERAN CHURCH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD MISSION STATEMENT
As called Christians responding to the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18-20), we commit ourselves to nurturing the spiritual growth of our congregation by proclaiming the Gospel, bearing witness to God’s saving grace, being stewards of the earth, and serving others, in our congregation, our community, and in all the world.
