discovering christ’s community through building ......discovering christ’s community through...
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Discovering Christ’s community through building relationships September 2013
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, At the ELCA National Assembly in Pittsburgh, Elizabeth Eaton was elected as our new ELCA presiding bishop. Her six year term begins on November 1, 2013. The ELCA is made up of 65 synods, each with its own bishop, ours being The Rev. Wayne Miller, Bishop of Metropolitan Chicago Synod. When I first heard the news about our newly elected presiding bishop, I was pretty shocked, as I along with many others thought that our current presiding bishop, The Rev. Mark Hanson, would be re-elected. And so, as I began to digest this news, I could only understand this to be the work of the Holy Spirit, who still works in our world and calls us, as individuals and as the Church, to re-formation and renewal every day. I began to read articles about the assembly, about Bishop Hanson’s final remarks as presiding bishop, and was struck by his words about the Book of Acts—the New Testament book that records the beginning and spreading of the Christian Church. And what struck me was that if we read it only as a recording of history, then we miss something very important—the work of the Holy Spirit and the Church is on-going. It never ends. The Book of Acts is not a history book, but a manual for the Church and spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Apostles had to adjust to the culture, the times and the people. The message of Jesus Christ, his death and resurrection, God’s love, mercy and grace incarnate in Jesus, remained the same. But how the message spread changed as the apostles moved throughout the world. And so, we must learn to adapt, too. Bishop Hanson told the assembly that as a denomination, we are at a crossroads—that we need to learn how to attract and keep young families. This means allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us and aide us in being open and adapting to new ways of doing things. Bishop-elect Eaton spoke of this at the assembly. She called the ELCA to focus on the Gospel and called us to our common mission. She encouraged us to, “Bring Jesus to whoever is living next door. Tell people to check us out; we’re open on Sundays.” Then she paused and reminded the assembly, “We are also seeing Sunday’s are a really bad time for many people. Maybe we have to be more flexible about making it possible for people to come.” I don’t know what that would look like here, but I am hearing God speak in a way that says we must look around us, look into our neighborhood and speak with our neighbors. If we want to be relevant, if we want to reach new people, we must begin to meet our neighbors and ask them about what is
This is a monthly newsletter Of Redeemer’s Lutheran Church, Oak Forest, Il
708-687-2432 [email protected] www.redeemerchurchoakforest.org. STAFF Interim Pr. Cynthia Munker [email protected] Office Admin. Deb Frawley Music Coord. – Jan Strojny Pianist/Organ– Amy Ogarek Sunday School Director- Linda McHugh President- Jim Gunner Vice President- Steve Nowlan We are an official PADS site
on Saturday nights from Oct through March
going on in their lives. We must begin to find out about the God they believe in, or the God they don’t believe in. We must pray for God’s guidance in this. We must make the effort to connect with those who live around us if we are going to attract new people, especially young families, and keep them. And, we must rely on the Holy Spirit to breathe new life into us, our congregation, and our denomination. It’s time. Your partner in this new season of the ELCA and Redeemer’s, Pastor Cynthia M. Munker
The Book of Acts Bible Study will be offered on Monday mornings, 10-11:30am and Tuesday evenings,7-8:30 pm beginning Monday, September 16th. The six week course will focus on the work of the Holy Spirit and how the Spirit continues to lead and guide us today.
“God’s work. Our hands. ” Sunday is September 8th
“God’ s work. Our hands.” Sunday is an opportunity to celebrate our 25th anniversary as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America—one church, freed in Christ to serve and love our neighbor. We are a church that rolls up our sleeves and gets to work.
On September 8, 2013, Redeemer’s will join four million members, nearly 10,000 congregations, 65 synods, and the church-‐wide expression for a dedicated day of service. We will clean up an area of the Park District for two hours, immediately following worship. If you have a Redeemer’s tee shirt, please wear it. If you don’t, you can make your own. Art James has iron-‐on decals for white or light colored tee shirts. We will wear our tee shirts proudly and let the community around us know we are a congregation that cares.
WOMAN TO WOMAN Recently I had some free time and decided to watch a movie. As you might suspect, most DVDs in my drawer are musicals so it was a tough decision as to what I felt like singing, I picked "Phantom of the Opera" mostly because I don't know all the words and secondly, you just can't beat the genius that is Andrew Lloyd Webber. So, I'm watching and singing and sniffling all together and in general, having a good time. My favorite song is " Music of the Night” and I rewound the tape to play it a couple of times and then I got to thinking. What is the music of my night? I decided to pay attention when I went to bed that night. It was a balmy evening and the windows were open. Growing up I lived across the street from a firehouse, a block away from the train tracks and right on a busy street so there was always noise at night but we developed an aversion to it and slept right through it. Now I live on a partially wooded lot in back but a busy street in front. So the first thing I noticed was the quiet hum of cars driving by. Oh wait, did I say quiet? What's up with the motorcycle that seems to have stopped dead center in front of my house revving up his engine. And what insects are making that quacking noise? Crickets? Locusts? It sounds like the whole Duck Dynasty family is out there blasting on their duck calls. Now what? Oh great!! Two cats decide to have a fight under my front window. The screeching is unreal. The snoring next to me is other worldly also. That's it! I'm going to the other bedroom where the open window is in the back of the house away from the traffic and cats. Ahh!! Peace! Except now the fountains are going full force and are giving my bladder ideas. There is no music of the night! Only cacophony! Now that I'm fully awake I might as well just start a new book. Hope you have more luck and sweet dreams. Til next month-------------nice chatting with you. Jan Strojny
Hope you got in a plethora of summer beach reading! Now it's time to get back to discussion and our first selection is "The Sandalwood Tree" by Elle Newmark. We also have a new hostess. The September book club will meet on Thursday, the 19th at 7pm at the home of Jo Phillips. Yeah! This book is a sweeping novel that brings to life two love stories, ninety years apart, set against the rich backdrop of war-torn India. Elle Newmark beautifully captures the sights, smells and sounds of India on the cusp of change, all while spinning a richly layered tale.
Christian Education News
School has begun which signals the kick-off of Redeemer’s Sunday School on Sunday, September 15th. We will continue the VBS HayDay theme for Rally Day with another celebration “down on the farm.” We will sing VBS songs and install our 2013-14 teachers and staff during worship. Afterwards, the congregation is invited for “down on the farm” refreshments and games outside for all from HayDay. Be there or be square as we celebrate “Jesus will always love us, He’s my friend!”
Please mark September 15th on your calendar and join us for worship on Rally Day. Sunday School and Confirmation classes will officially begin the following Sunday, September 22 at 8:30 am. with our opening in the sanctuary.
Looking forward to an exciting year, Hope to see you there.
Linda McHugh
TOGETHER WE COPE HELPING HANDS IN 2013: In the month of September we will be collecting canned soups, stews and chili for our October 1st target date. These items are
brought weekly to the food pantry at Together We Cope. Any and all items are welcomed anytime… with the focus being the item of the month. Let’s fill up our Food Baskets in the narthex! Thank you
My nephew Al and I went to the Thrivent event, Feed My Starving Children, on Saturday August 10th at the Lincolnway West High School in New Lenox. It was a wonderful event and a great teaching moment for my nephew. We did not know what to expect, but all the organizers and
volunteers put us at ease with their humor and friendliness. We watched a video about the organization and about how we can all change the lives of so many children in our short time there. After the video we were put into a large hall with food stations where we were taught to pack up the food with teams of about 10 people. There were a lot of kids there, which was great to see and we had fun competing with other teams to see who could pack up the most boxes. Our table packed up enough food to feed 97 children for a year!!! And it was only two hours of our time. Al loved it and we will definitely go back next year.
Marilyn Fisher
PLEASE PRAY FOR:
Sue Moore; Debby Nowlan; Harriet Trombino; Amanda Frawley; Joan DeLeeuw; Bob Kropack; Sue Deems; Caitlin Nadolski; Lois Oset; Harold Carver; Sue Hanaway; Dick Werner; Emma Orta, Kelly Karesh; Emily Wheeler; Pat Brownlow; Ernest Christmas; Gloria Hahn; Ray Thompson; Elsabet, Nahom, Kaleb, & family. For those grieving, especially, Barb Groskopf and family, Dolores Sheputis and family. For newly elected Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, & outgoing Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson. Please pray for clarity of purpose, continued mission and unity within the ELCA.
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Thank you for all your prayers, love, visits, hugs, cards, e-mails, phone calls and support during the past 10 months. The journey is now complete and all the acts of kindness and love have made the bus ride a little easier.
Thank you for being on the John Boy BUS.
Thank you for the Meals of Love during John’s illness and a special thank you to all the ladies who brought goodies for the sweet table at McKenzie’s and the Celebration luncheon for John Boy.
More special thanks for those who came to the Campfire on Tuesday, August 6th, to honor John.
You have all been a blessing. In His Name,
Barb Groskopf and family
Our prayers and deepest sympathies go to Barb Groskopf and family on the passing of John; Dolores Sheputis and
family on the passing of Dolores’ sister.
May the love of Jesus Christ and the sure and certain promise of resurrection into life eternal bring them peace,
hope and healing in the midst of their grief.
Thank you to Barb Groskopf for bringing goodies to share with PADS and the congregation on August 11th. We are most grateful.
The Men's group took August off as far as Breakfast is concerned so lets have one September 21 at 8:30 A. M. at Kingsbury in Oak Forest on 159th Street. Hopefully we can have good attendance so we can discuss future projects. A Special thanks to all the ladies who came and helped with the tree cutting. Thanks to Mick Strojny, B.C. Cummens, Gary Rickert, Steve Nolan and Art James for all their help and equipment to cut down the 5 trees as well. We are looking to do a couple of dinners for PADS in the future- at least one before the New Year and one in the spring. Well, see you and keep smiling, with Christ in your heart. Dan Frawley
Dear Friends,
Please accept our belated thank you for your June donation of $567.50 for our food pantry and for your support of Together We Cope in our mission to assist south suburban families in crisis. Services like our food pantry, which currently provides groceries to an average of 65 families per day, are critical to such families as they cope with their crisis.
We are able to continue in our mission to assist area families in temporary crisis because of the support of partners like you. We thank you for your gift.
Sincerely,
Cate Dietz, Office Manager
Dear Friends in Christ,
Thank you for your recent gift of $100.00 to LSSI. We are grateful to your congregation for standing with us as we serve the poorest of the poor in Illinois. As Christians we believe that all things work together for good. Surely your congregation’s gift will bring good to those who rely on Lutheran Social Services of Illinois and its ministries. Thanks again for your thoughtfulness.
Sincerely,
David M.A. Jensen
Interim President/ COO
TUESDAY TUNE UPS
As the summer comes to a close, we keep going. We have “attempted” to keep up with the Zumba Gurus. Not too badly, I will admit. I am sure more of that will be happening in September. We have regrouped into walking buddies, to
tour the neighborhood. A couple of real troopers stay after our class to beautify the church’s grounds. That takes a lot of stamina to continue after a workout. We will continue to meet on Tuesday mornings at 9am throughout the
year. We hope you will make time out of your schedule to join us.
See you Tuesday!!
Across the U.S., Lutherans have been coming together to raise awareness and funds to fight malaria-‐ and our work is making a difference! In TANZANIA:
• The number of children under the age of five that are using bed nets to protect them from mosquito bites rose from 66% to 89%.
• There has been a 100% increase in the number of pregnant mothers receiving life-saving malaria treatment and training on how to recognize the symptoms.
• More than 700 health workers have been trained to diagnose and treat malaria.
• Nearly 1.2 million people have been reached with education on malaria prevention and control messages through Sunday school classes.
In fact, nearly THREE MILLION people in Africa have been touched through Lutheran World Relief’s malaria work to date. And as their health improves, so does their ability to earn a living, receive education and support their families.
1, In celebration of Tony & Amy Ogarek’s Anniversary.
8, In celebration of Jennah Kanacki’s 8th birthday.
15, In memory of Sandy Krell.
22, In celebration of Ben Gunner’s 14th birthday.
29, In celebration of Andrew & Alec Ogarek’s birthdays.
October 27th is still available to dedicate flowers. Please sign up on the chart in the Narthex.
One-on-Ones continue Throughout September
Pastor will continue the interviews regarding your faith journeys throughout September. She will meet you in your homes, places of employment, or in her office. There is a sign up sheet on her door, so please schedule a time to speak with her.
6, Tony & Amy Ogarek 8, Gary & Marilyn Rickert 10, Ray & Mary Ann White
8, Marilyn Rickert 10, Susan Deems 11, Jennah Kanacki 15, Carole Devos 25, Diana Carr Ben Gunner Cathy Thrun 27, Tom Schoenbeck 30, Andrew Ogarek LECTOR COMMUNION ASST.
Sept 1 Deb Frawley Andrew Ogarek Sept 8 Steve Nowlan Deb Nowlan Sept 15 Sunday School Crew Dan Frawley/ Alison Gunner Sept 22 Jeff Kanacki Jennifer Kanacki Sept 29 Jim Gunner Gary Miller
Ushers for September: Jay Kropack, Joan DeLeeuw, Debbi Animagi, & Nancy Ulloa
Noisy Offering begins September 1st This year's noisy offering, taken during the children's sermon, will go towards buying Malaria Nets. The ELCA has a year long campaign for
purchasing Malaria Nets, $10 per net, in order to wipe out this mosquito born disease. And this year, we will pass the can around to everyone in the congregation. So come prepared to drop your coins into the can. Let's all
work towards wiping out Malaria!
Dear Prayer Shawl Ministry Ladies,
Thanks so very much, for your love, prayers and the beautiful Prayer Shawl.
I am mending and getting stronger daily. Your prayers and concern are truly a blessing and deeply appreciated.
God bless you, Our love and prayers Ernest & Shirley Christmas
Dear Redeemer’s Lutheran Church women,
The prayer shawl you made for me is lovely. I have it on as I write- the yarn is so soft and cozy. I love the plum color with the white. Most, I appreciate your love and concern, and prayers.
Thank you so much,
Sincerely,
Pat Brownlow
Dear Winnie $ Redeemer’s Church Women,
I want to thank you all so much for your lovely prayer shawl and all the prayers that you all said for me while I was in the hospital recovering from my heart attack. It is the most moving gift that I have ever received. The colors are perfect. Your shawl will come in handy down here in Florida because churches, restaurants and shopping malls are very cold. I am in much better health, so thanks for all your prayers. (they worked)
Sincerely, Gloria Hahn
Thank you to all those who continue to keep our grounds looking lovely and well cared for. Special thanks to Carol Schaafsma and Winnie French for coming to the August council meeting with an update about the condition of our bushes, and valuable suggestions on what steps we might take to address their concerns. We are most grateful to you!
Thank you, Jan Strojny and Winnie French for the beautiful new prayer shawls that you knit or crocheted these past several months. Those who have received them have been blessed with comfort and hope, knowing that each stitch represents a prayer on their behalf.
Thank you Pat Kropack and Jan Strojny for making the Blanket of Love for Steve Schoenbeck as we bid him Farewell and Godspeed before he left for college. The blanket serves as a visual reminder to Steve that he is surrounded by our love and prayers as he begins a new chapter in his life. We are so grateful that you both have shared your gifts and handwork by making this blanket on behalf of Redeemer’s.
Thank you Winnie French and Carol Schaafsma for hosting the lovely fellowship following worship on August 25th. The fresh baked goodies, fruit and cheese trays tasted great and the rearrangement of furniture for conversation created special places for us to catch up with one another. We were blessed and are very thankful to you both.
(A sign-up sheet is on the bulletin board for anyone who would like to host a fellowship following worship).