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The Hope Spirit is published monthly by Hope Lutheran Church ELCA at 1975 Old Hwy. 94 S., St. Charles, MO 63303

Hope Lutheran ELCA Church1975 Old Hwy. 94 S., St. Charles, MO 63303, Phone 636-946-89221-866-986-9369

Website: www.hopelutheranelca.org E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.hlcpelca.org

Rev. John Lundin, Sr. PastorIntern Pastor, Sarah JohnsonSheri Hartman, Preschool DirectorYouth Director, Bill PeplawDiaconal Minister, Chaplain Shirley TalbotSue Easley, Admin. Assistant

Sunday Worship Services: 8 AM, 9:30 AM, 11 AM, & 6 PM

We Care, Share, and Prepare so that all Experience the Love of Jesus

Christ.

Our Vision: To be known in our community as a Spirit-led welcoming

oasis of diversity and service.

HOPE’S CALL COMMITTEE

Say hello to them and give them a big “Thank You” for all their hard work during this call process! Call Committee members are Bethany Zolman (Chairman), Susan Fields, Jose Gomez, Dominic Himich (Youth Member), Sherri Himich, Pastor John, and Bob Stenberg (photo on the left).

Saturday, June 15th, the congregation had an opportunity to “meet n greet” Pastoral Candidate, Carrie McElfresh, her husband Dan, and his daughter Hannah. On Sunday, June 16th, Pastor Carrie did the sermon at all four worship services. The congregation will vote on Sunday, June 23rd at 4 p.m., to see if Pastor Carrie will be issued a call to Hope as Associate Pastor. See page 5 for photos of Pr. Carrie and her family. Also on Page 5, some photos from the “meet n greet.”

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COUNCIL OFFICERS NAME PHONEPresident Bob Schreiber 636.441.3981

Vice President Steve Tompkin 636.447.2722Secretary Krista Kirn 636.484.0311

Financial Sec. Dave Steep 636.940.9031Treasurer Sandy Wedewer 636.926.2489

HOPE STAFF NAME PHONE PHONESenior Pastor Rev. John Lundin 636-946-8922 (h) 636-447-0475Intern Pastor Sarah Johnson 636-946-8922

Diaconal Minister Chaplain Shirley Talbot 636-484-2935Preschool Director Sheri Hartman 314-750-5169Admin. Assistant Sue Easley 636-946-8922 (h) 314-660-3365

LIFT Worship Leader Scott Bowles 636-279-0465Keyboardist Shane Anthony 636-265-0932

Youth Director Bill Peplaw 314-406-4160Choir Director Lisa Steel 314-827-7019

Office Volunteer Marilyn Blackshear 636-300-3680Office Volunteer Judy Otte 636-352-8446Office Volunteer Sharon Hesse 314-706-0416

Custodian Rich Carlson 636-625-0099Maintenance Shaun Perdue 636-541-3202

Wedding Coordinator JoAnn McDaniel 636-441-6335Catering Manager Jo Janis 636-928-9616Newsletter Editor Linda Carr 636-441-7796

KEY MINISTRY AREA NAME PHONEAsset Management Tony Linck 636-441-9103

Caring For Ourselves Gabriella Schlatter 636-922-0679Caring For Our world Steve Tompkin 636.447.2722

Collaborative Ministries Krista Kirn 636-484-0311Communication Rianna Lutzeier 417-693-1638

Life-long Learning OpenTransformational Ministry Lisa Baue 636-724-4421

Youth Advisor Emily Gast 636.939.2668Worship, Liturgies, & Rites Open

God Bless Our Caring Ministry that

Lovingly Places Birthday & Anniversary

Cards in our name tag folders on those

Special Days!

Submit your prayerrequests to:

[email protected]


JULY CALENDAR 2013DAY/DATE TIME EVENT LOCATION

Tuesday, July 2 7-8:30 PM Youth Leadership Training Rm. 1Wednesday, July 3 No Youth GroupFriday, July 5 6-9 PM High School Youth Group GymSaturday, July 6 O.A.S.I.S. Food Pantry (youth event)Wednesday, July 10 10:30-Noon J.O.Y. GroupWednesday, July 10 7-9 PM Almost Youth Group GymThursday, July 11 6-8 PM High School Youth Group Rm. 1Thursday, July 11 7-9 PM Living the ScripturesFriday, July 12 3:30-11:45 PM Garage Sale Set-up GymFriday, July 12 7-9 PM Church Council Meeting Rms. 2&3Saturday, July 13 8 AM - Noon Garage Sale Gym/CommonsWednesday, July 17 7-9 PM Summer Youth GroupThursday, July 18 6-8 PM High School Only Bible StudyFriday, July 19 7-10 Pm Middle School Dance Gym/CommonsSaturday, July 20 Sharing MealsJuly 22-26 6-8 PM VBSJuly 20-27 Youth Mission TripWednesday, July 24 7-9 PM Summer Youth GroupWednesday, July 31 Summer Youth Group Gym

WEEKLY EVENTSDAY TIME EVENT LOCATION

Sundays 8 AM, 9:30 AM, & 11 AM WORSHIP SERVICES SANCTUARYSundays 9:30 AM MIDRASH BIBLE STUDY RMS. 2&3Sundays 6 PM LIFT WORSHIP GYMTuesdays 10-11:30 AM BIBLE STUDY RMS. 2&3

Hope Lutheran Church Mail and Name Tag Folders

Church Members,

The mail and name tag folders outside the sanctuary are getting quite full for some members. Some of these folders have numerous birthday and/or anniversary cards. It would be appreciated if members would visit their folder and collect the cards and mail at least once a month as a minimum or more often as you would like. These folders have limited space and our membership is growing. May God bless our growing membership.

From the Caring Ministry Norma Conway & Charlene Ripley


BIRTHDAY DAYDavid Langness, Jr. 1Debbie Robbins 2Zach Diggs 3Mark Gronneberg 3Betty O’Toole 3Dawn Peters 3Benita Vaughn 4Cathy Schotte 5Ally Foster 7Jack King 8Patty Brown 9Lynette Landherr 10Beverly Boyd-Caraffa 11Ali Zolman 11Samantha Clark 12Mike Jonas 12James Carroll 16Mason Gutleber 17Victor Himich 17Sandy Winder 17Julie Gronneberg 18Janet Montgomery 18Scott Gutleber 19

BIRTHDAY DAYRichard Dozier 20Krysti Goers 20Adam Hanan 20Judy Davidson-Dougherty 21Cindy Paul 21Karen Rohrer 22Willard Nickisch 23Jay Brown, Jr. 24Kevin Nielsen 24Betty Stephan 25Karen Stubblefield 25Jack Toland 25Helen Woerheide 25Chase Just 26Natasha Brockel 27Caroline Rael 28Gloria Seat 28Janie Howard 29Julie Linck 29Emmy Royse 30Jen Skikas 30Kevin Fields 31Alan Meyer 31

3rd Annual Men’s Ministry Fishing Trip

On the weekend of May 17th, nine men and two little men participated in the 3rd annual trout fishing and camping trip at Montauk State Park. Many fish were caught and fun was had by all. Justin Hawkins and his brother brought their small boys for some father/son bonding. They also brought grandfathers to help insure that the boys were safe and the fathers were able to get some fishing done. As usual, Steve Tompkins was the executive chef, creating outstanding campfire meals. Saturday about half of the trout were consumed after being battered in pancake mix and beer, then fried. The rest of the trout went home to be shared by the fishermen’s

families.


ANNIVERSARIES YEARS DAYMike & Jennifer Green 8 2Karl & Janet Runge 8 2Darrell & Jo Janis 49 4Patrick & Kellie McEnaney 4 7Jerry & Sue Bosch 41 8Don & Debbie White 41 8Matt & Julia Crutchfield 10 12Greg & Rhonda Knoblauch 5 13Ben & Shanna Wikowosky 1 14Mark & Karen Kaibel 13 22Nathan & Pam DeVries 7 23Nathan & Sara Lundin 21 25Alan & Tammie Meyer 27 26James & Kim Adkins 17 27Chris & Sandy Wedewer 25 30Justin & Angie Wyse 8 30Joe & Laura King 20 31Daniel & Cathy Schotte 31 31

Our newly elected Council President, Bob Schreiber, introduced the Pastoral Candidate and lead the question/answer session.

Bethany described the Call Committee process.

Dominic, the Youth Rep. on the Call Committee, shared his viewpoint about recommending Pastor Carrie as a valid candidate for Assoc. Pastor at Hope.

Pastor Carrie (below) doing the Children’s Sermon at the 9:30 a.m. worship service.

Pastoral Candidate, Carrie McElfresh, and her husband Dan & daughter Hannah (shown below). Editor’s Note: Pr. Carrie was fun to photograph with all of her animated facial expressions. Reminds me of Pastor Gary!


HOPE LUTHERAN ELCALiving in God’s Amazing Grace, Marked with the Cross of Christ Forever,

We are Claimed, Gathered, and Sent for the Sake of the World.We Care, Share, and Prepare so that All Experience the Love of Jesus Christ.

It’s all about Faith Formation

Some, but not all, are beginning to become familiar with the language of our Vibrant Faith together. You may have heard how significantly our Seminar a couple of months ago impacted those who attended. You may have wondered what all this new talk is about. For many it was a fundamental redefining of Church. Such insights, such as “the home is Church too” or “”everyone in the Church, including those who are in their senior years, are central to shaping and forming the faith our youth, opened up new ways of thinking about “Church”. No longer is “Church” what we do on Sunday (and any another night of the week). “Church” on Sunday, or on another day of the week, is where we come to be equipped, encouraged and to practice for the rest of the week. It was also a discovery of how desperately adults want to be primary faith formation influencers, but don’t have the skills or language to do it. Vibrant Faith is the tool to equip, encourage and practice what we all want to do. Our faith walk needs to have principles and practices we can understand and live every day. With this fundamental redefining of church, the Vibrant Faith provides Five Principles for effective, faith formative ministry. They serve as a compass heading for ministry.

1. Faith is formed by the power of the Holy Spirit through personal, trusted relationships—often in our own homes.2. The church is a living partnership between the ministry of the home and the ministry of the congregation.3. Where Christ is present, the home is church too.4. Faith is caught more than it is taught.5. If we want Christian children and youth, we need Christian adults.

There are Four Key faith practices that make these Five Principles come to life. These practices should permeate the entire fabric of all that takes place in the congregation. Council meetings, education classes, staff meetings, worship, youth group activities, and family events should all be Four Keyed.

1. Caring Conversation2. Devotions3. Service4. Rituals and Traditions

The goal of this activity is to nurture and cultivate vibrant faith. People of vibrant faith are disciples of Jesus and they are AAA Christians.

1. They are authentic, meaning they live out the Four Keys in daily life.2. They are available, especially to the younger generations, but certainly to the neighbor.3. They are affirming of the gift of life and help others see God’s gifts and blessings within them.

Is this intriguing, or confusing or something that you might want to explore a bit more? Sheri Hartman is taking our lead in learning and practicing these Faith Practices. Give her a call at the office. This is Hope’s opportunity to growing even deeper faith roots for living the abundant life.Keep the faith—Grow the faith. ~ Pastor Lundin ~


Vibrant Faith

Vibrant Faith is an emphasis upon all God’s people to be active participants as communicators and nurturers of Faith, especially to children, youth and families.

Vibrant Faith is framed around 5 principles for living and passing on the Faith and 4 keys for practicing Faith.Five Principles:1. Faith is formed by the power of the Holy Spirit through personal, trusted relationships, often in our homes.2. The church is a living partnership between the ministry of the congregation and the ministry of the home.3. Where Christ is present in faith, the home is church, too.4. Faith is caught more than taught.5. If we want Christian children and youth, we need Christian adults.

Four keys:1. Caring Conversations2. Devotions3. Service4. Rituals and Traditions.

I have had a few conversations over the past few weeks about Vibrant Faith and what it is exactly. I have answered questions about VF and I have also learned a few things. When I am having these conversations with the people of Hope, one common misconception keeps coming up. “This is for young children or for parents with young children.” This is simply, not true. Vibrant Faith is meant to be inter-generational. We, as Christian adults, should be getting to know the young people of our church. Those of you who have raised your children can give insight to the parent of a middle schooler on how to get through the tween years. Maybe a parent of a recent confirmand can pass along how to do devotions with a 4th grader. Maybe our Just Older Youth Group would like to sit in on a Youth Group activity. The point is; we can all participate in Vibrant Faith. Everyone here at Hope, has so many unique qualities and gifts. We need those gifts to help our younger people and people at all different levels of their Faith, “Catch their Faith”.

I have already learned how you are applying VF to your daily lives. I spoke with a Hope male member who told me that everyday before he walks into work, he will say a little prayer. What a great thing to share with the Men’s group. Another female member is still unsure what her Faith means to her. She is trying to learn. A caring conversation with a Life Long Lutheran may be of assistance to her. We can teach her a tradition or a blessing and she can incorporate that into her life. Our Youth group is already working on Service projects to benefit the community. We should try and get different groups to participate with them and serve with them! Faith is formed by those we trust and those we are in relationships with.

Hope already does so much of what Vibrant Faith is. Let’s kick it up a notch and share what we are doing with each other.

My Favorite VF moment this month:I asked one of my preschoolers during our Faith talk, “What special gifts do you have that God gave you and how does it help others?” Her reply, “My gift from God is sleeping. I am good at sleeping because after a good sleep, I am not crabby and then I am nice to others!” I love it!

I would love to hear from you. Do you have a tradition or blessing you would like to share? If so, email me [email protected] Don’t forget to check out VF@ home. Thanks for letting me share! Peace! ~ Sheri Hartman ~*Dr. David Anderson wrote Vibrant Faith for the Congregation.Rev. Dr. Paul Hill and Dr. Anderson have developed the concepts for Vibrant Faith and our Congregational Training.


2013 OASIS GOLF TOURNAMENT & DINNER/AUCTION A HUGE SUCCESS

On Monday, June 3rd, 144 golfers teed off for food for the Oasis Food Pantry at Old Hickory Golf Club. The weather could not have been better with a clear blue sky and 75 degrees. Contests included a $10,000 Hole In One contest plus 3 other Hole In One Contests for prizes. Four holes had closest to the pin contests, and we had a Women’s and Men’s long drive hole. This year Tuscano’s Brazilian Grill served Brazilian Lemonade on the 8th hole, and every golfer received a sleeve of 3 golf balls for participating on the hole. We also had a skins game and a 5 card draw poker game on the course. This year the Golfers were given a gift bag containing a Golf Warm up Jacket along with a lot of other goodies. The golfers were greeted in the club house with Hors d’ oeuvres and drinks. The banquet began at 6:30 PM with more than 275 people attending. A Silent Auction with 180 items accompanied the dinner hour. This was followed by the golf awards and an oral auction. The tournament raised over $50,000 for the Oasis Mission. Thank you to the many folks from Hope Lutheran who helped make this a huge success.

CHAPLAINS CORNER Always Being Made New

I had the privilege of attending the Central States Synod Assembly in June. This year's theme was, "Always Being Made New." As I have spent more time with those of you who have had challenges this month, I am struck by the power of that statement. Challenges to our physical health and to our emotional well-being are part of the flow of life in which God does indeed make all things new. In challenging times we gain new perspectives on life and on what we treasure. In challenging times we learn new ways of thinking and of being. In challenging times we meet new people. Like rays of sunshine at the dawn of a new day, like green shoots in the early spring, we find ourselves renewed even, perhaps especially, during challenging times. Often we ourselves bring that newness to each other, for that is part of the work of ministry all God's people share. Thank you for honoring me with the opportunity to share in your challenging times and to watch as God makes all things new for you. Namaste. I honor the sacred within each of us. ~Chaplain Shirley ~

GOOD GRIEF GROUP JULY MEETING

Overcoming grief following the death of a loved one can be a difficult thing to do. Sharing your feelings with others helps you to cope with the sorrow you feel. The Good Grief Group here at HOPE looks for positive ways to live our lives in the days and years ahead. At the center of this is our Christian faith. If you have lost someone close to you and would like the support and fellowship of others who have felt similar grief, you are certainly welcome to join us!

Our meetings are held at a local restaurant where we share a delicious meal and have lots of good conversation. Our next meeting is on Monday, July 8th at 6:30 p.m. We will meet at the Trailhead Brewery Restaurant located at South Main Street and Boonslick Road in St. Charles. If you have any questions, please contact Mary Thilker (922-1334) or Marty Brown (946-7085).


ATTENTION ALL YOUTH: Here we grow again!

We started our HIGH SCHOOL ONLY (HSO) Group in June and it was a HUGE success! We will be meeting twice a month to start and will be doing one on sight activity and one activity off sight. So, if your child is an incoming freshman-senior come give us a try!!

ALMOST YOUTH GROUP will return in September for grades 3-5.

YOUTH GROUP will be providing more volunteer opportunities as time goes on. We could use more support on our OASIS Saturdays (first Sat. each month, 9:30-11:45) We have lots of fun filling orders for clients. Don’t forget our Summer Program is up and running. We had a great kick off with our own Hunger Games. Join us from 7-9 p.m. on Wed. (6-12 grades)

ATTN: Youth Going On The Mission TripWe will be having another Culver’s Night on Aug. 5th. We need to see all of you there. See Nancy to sign up.

JULY SCHEDULE

7/02 Youth Leadership Team 7PM7/03 NO YOUTH HOLIDAY7/05 High School Only Walleyball 6-9 PM7/06 OASIS Food Pantry 9:30-11:45 AM7/10 Summer YG 7-9 PM7/17 Summer YG 7-9 PM7/18 High School Only Bible Study 6-8 PM7/19 TWEEN DANCE 7PM (need volunteers)7/20-7/27 MISSION TRIP7/24 Summer YG 7-9 PM7/31 Summer YG 7-9 PM

We have started using the Vibrant Faith module with our youth. We are hoping to get more intergenerational involvement. Do you enjoy working with youth?? Please pray about this, and if you would like to give it a try, contact Nancy. We could use leaders and helpers to plan and lead YG. There will be plenty of support if you would like to try.

A BIG thank you to our generous congregation, preschool staff, and parents for participating in our Fritz’s Fund raiser. We made $25.00, but we had a large turnout!!

We would love to hear your stories! If you (or your child) have been touched, or experienced a special moment because of our youth ministry we would love to hear it! Please share it with me at [email protected]. Everyone is encouraged to bring a friend!!

As always, if you have any questions about any of these activities, contact Bill/Nancy. Like us on Facebook “HOPE LUTHERAN YOUTH MINISTRY”.

CONTACT INFO:Call/text Bill (314)406-4160Call/text Nancy (636)219-6286


Garage Sale

Please mark your calendars for a garage sale at Hope on July 13, 2013. All the proceeds will be going to the New LFCS in St. Charles. We are going to ask some of the other churches in the area to participate as well. We need you to save all of your items for us!! You may now start bringing the items for the garage sale to room 11. It would really help us out, if you have any idea of how much an item would sell for, please go ahead and mark it for us. That will save us a lot of time, since we will only have about 2 weeks to get everything in and marked.

I know the LFCS really needs this start up money, so anything you can do will be appreciated! The Page Turners have agreed to help us with this sale, and we will probably need more help too. If anyone wants to volunteer, please call me. Debbie Robbins - 636-685-4142

The Beyond Border's Christ Care group will be hosting its Fourth Annual Hope for Haiti 5K this year at Frontier Park on Saturday July 13th 2013. The group is actively seeking participants and volunteers for the event. There are several opportunities and times available to volunteer. On Thursday July 11th, the group will be meeting at Hope Lutheran to package bags and organize T-Shirts for the runners. On Friday, July 12th, there will be a pre-race packet pick up for runners, and on Saturday morning, the group will be meeting at Frontier Park just after 6:00 a.m. to put together the race in time for the race start at 8 a.m.

We hope you'll find time to come down and be a part of the event, even if you're not up to a 5K run as this year's event will be a lot of fun. In addition to the 5K race, there will be a one mile FUN RUN & WALK. Hope Lutheran's LIFT band will be performing on the stage that Saturday Morning. To learn more about volunteering, sponsoring or participating in the event -- visit the website set up by Beyond Border's for the event: http://www.hopeforhaiti5k.com or contact: Justin Hawkins (Justin AT HopeForHaiti5K.com ). Thanks! We look forward to seeing you Saturday morning!

Updates from House of Hope in Haiti

The third floor walls and roof of the medical clinic are up now at House of Hope in Haiti. Our donations from events such as the Hope for Haiti 5k funded the electrical transformer for the clinic.

The last container made it to HOH in 11 weeks, the fastest delivery ever! Over 400 boxes of KAH food were in that shipment. The majority of it was packed by our Sunday School children. The next container shipment will be in September 2013.

Love the comical antics

that happen at Hope!


Gimmie a V!Gimmie a B!Gimmie a S!

What’s that Spell?VBS!

Save the date for the 2013 VBS here at Hope!

All Children, Kids, Tweens, Teens, and Adults are

welcome!July 22-26

6-8 pm

For more information contact Sheri at hlcpdirector@

hopelutheranelca.org

Please email Sheri to [email protected]

Small Groups: A Necessity in Large Churches

As our church grows, we might find that we don’t have the connection with other members the way we used to. You may sit down at church service, look around and feel disconnected not knowing anyone around you. Where are my friends and familiar faces? If this is happening to you or if you are concerned that it might, it’s important and very helpful to find a small group connection. Large and growing church memberships survive based on these groups. It’s a way to satisfy that need for a relationship with others in our church; and therefore deepen our relationship with God. It’s a NECESSITY!

We are very lucky at Hope! We have a significant number of small groups. You may join or visit any of them, such as JOY (Just Older Youth), Beyond Borders (missional outreach), Sojourners (Women’s bible study), Men’s Ministry (obvious), Hoping for Sitters (teen babysitting group) and many others. Please visit the kiosk for a brochure describing all of our groups with a contact person for questions.

Most importantly, please know that anyone is welcome to start their own small group. Thinking about a young couples group? Singles bible study? Empty nester support? Or maybe a quiting or knitting group? It does not matter if you are a new member; young or older; experienced or not with small groups. You will be given plenty of guidance in getting your group started. Just let me know! Questions… please email [email protected] or call Krista at 636-484-0311.


Hope Lutheran Church Preschool isContinuing to enroll for the

2013-2014 school year

Half day and Full day options available for children ages 2.5 -5.School begins on August 14

Visit our website atwww.hlcpelca.org

email:[email protected]

Sheri Hartman 636.946.8922School begins on August 14

Hope Page Turners Book ClubShoeman Water Project

Once again, Hope Page Turners Book Club will be collecting shoes for the Shoeman Water Project, during the month of August. How Can You Help? Gather the shoes you no longer wear and pair them by tying laces together or putting a rubber band around them. We need wearable shoes without holes. Any style of shoe is needed from high heels to tennis shoes to flip flops.

These shoes are then sold to exporters, and the funds generated from the export of shoes provide well drilling rigs, water purification systems, and hand pump repair. People who thirst receive fresh drinking water.

Place your donations in a box provided in the narthex during August. We thank you for once again for supporting this worthwhile project. Contact person: Bettie Crane 636-946-5591


KAH After Action Report

Saturday, June 15, 2013, Lt. Steve Tompkin and mascot “Honey” flew a mission to deliver 32 boxes of KAH ordinance in the war on hunger to support the Haitian theater of operations. Friday night mission planning started with fueling the Ford Sport Track with 17 gallons of 87 octane from the fuel dump. Ground crews prepared the vehicle for the airdrop delivery (back seats folded down and tail gate lowered with cargo bars extended. Mission take off time planned for 08:00 hours Saturday morning.

At 08:07 vehicle was loaded with 32 boxes of KAH ordinance. Chocks pulled at 08:10 Lt. Tompkin flew left seat with Honey panting in the right seat. Temperature 72, with 10 miles visibility and 20% cloud cover. Flew VFR direct to Highland IL. The mission

was flown nap of the earth profile to evade MSHP and ISHP radar. No bogeys intercepted during mission. Ten miles out, established communication with Bill Beltz at the NiCE warehouse and coordinated delivery.

Bill placed the pallet on the loading dock. Lt. Tompkin spotted the pallet then executed and pulled a 2.5 g right tear drop delivery in the parking lot. Master ARM-ON, Expendable selection to 32 and pulled pickle. All 32 boxes of ordinance landed on the pallet with no rice spilled.

This mission completed the Sunday School packing efforts for the Spring of 2013. The next packing is planned with Linda Carr’s small group for Saturday July 20th. Packing Shift Leaders will be trained on that day for the Fall Sunday School packing program. Contact Steve Tompkin 636-447-2722 if you are interested in supporting efforts.

Kids Against Hunger Shift Leader Training

Anyone interested in leading KAH packing for Sunday School: Training is scheduled for Saturday, July 20th. We will have KAH packing shift leaders that will rotate leading Sunday School classes starting this fall. If you have ever participated with packing with the kids, you know how much fun there is with working with them. The training will support a packing session that is scheduled on July 20th with two sessions (8:00-10:00 and 10:00 to noon). If you are interested in becoming a KAH packing leader please contact Steve Tompkin 636 447-2722.

The Lutheran Family and Children’s Services of Missouri will be holding their annual Helping Hands Auction on Saturday August 24th. All are welcome to attend. Last year we had a whole table of 10 people from Hope. We are hoping to double that this year. If you can’t make it to the auction, please think about donating something for the auction. I will have a table out in the entryway in the next week or so, and it will have all of the information concerning donations and the auction. So start thinking about whether you will be able to attend the auction, or if you would be willing to donate something.

If you have any questions or would like to sign up for the auction, or would just like to donate, please do not hesitate to e-mail me or give me a call. 636-685-4142 is my home number, or you can send e-mails to [email protected]. ~ Debbie Robbins ~


Sharing Meals Donations Needed

The Sharing Meals program needs your help. We are needing donations of the following items that will be used for our treat bags that are sent home with those who attend our monthly meals. Donations can be put in the red bucket in the Welcome Center. Each month we serve 35- 40 people who are homeless or in need, and they are sent home with a small bag of treats. Thank you so much for your help with this wonderful program. Questions, contact Sue Swisher at 636-916-1963.

*Brown paper lunch bags*Small packages of crackers*Granola bars*Individual containers of applesauce or pudding*Plastic spoons*Individual packages of beef jerky*Small individual containers of peanut butter*Water bottles (especially needed during the hot summer months)*Individual bags of cookies or other treats*Hotel samples of shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, bath soap

Did You Know?

Subscribing to newspapers saves you about 50% off the cover price, as well as a trip to the newsstand. Be sure to then recycle your newspapers in our Abitibi bins. Each year, ten million tons of newspapers are still tossed into landfills and aren’t recycled. If just half of these were recycled, it would save 75 million trees.

In May we collected 2.37 tons of paper, saving over 7 cubic yards of landfill space and 42 trees. Every little bit helps. Keep those donations coming. All monies we earn go to the Youth Group travel fund.

Remember – Paper grocery bags are great for holding your recyclable paper. Please use plastic bags ONLY for shredded paper. Be sure to squeeze as much air as possible out of the plastic bags so they won’t rupture in the bin.

If you have questions, please contact Marty Brown at 636-946-7085 or [email protected]


PARENTS CORNER

Several years ago when I went to visit my son and his family, we drove out to see the Cahokia Mounds, which was about a 45 minute trip. I sat in the back with the 4 and 7 year old boys. They entertained themselves by saying dirty words like poopy, penis, pee and then laughing uproariously after each word. Each one trying to outdo the other. What a thrill to get by with saying "naughty" words. We all pretty much

ignored them (their mother did roll her eyes). So, now fast forward, The words have changed. What now? Kids swear to be cool, impress their friends, and shock adults. Draw the line at certain terms and phrases. Racist, sexist, or derogatory language is not okay, nor is swearing AT somebody. Some words are just bathroom words that are a little yuck if you think what it is. There's a very big difference between salty language and name-calling. Watch what you're modeling. If you're saying it, why can't they say it. Decide when they are crossing the line and let them know it's offensive. Set the consequences when it happens again. Otherwise ignore it. Remember you set the boundaries in your own home but you can only hope it sticks when they are out. We never used bad language in our home, and I've never heard any of my family use bad language, but then, would you swear in front of your mother or grandmother? Just try to do your best. Love them and pray for them. ~ Ruth Lundin ~

SAM MELTON - OUR VERY OWN MISSIONARY IN SOUTH AFRICA

Sam grew up in our congregation so we have bragging rights! She went to Haiti on a mission trip that she says changed her life (spiritually)! She has been very active at the Bridge in New Town, and she became enthralled with the idea of working through Blessman Ministries to journey to South Africa to make a difference in those communities. She is in South Africa right now! Through donations she has purchased an embroidery machine, and she plans to teach villagers in South Africa to use the machine. This will help to sustain families there. The products produced on the machine will probably show up at the Bridge as well as other places as fair market items. How cool is that? I encourage

you to read her wonderful blog on the web and check out her photos. Due to space constraints, only a few are posted here. Sam’s blog: http://samanthamelton16.blog.com/2013 See below for a few excerpts from her blog for those of you without internet access.

“I was later talking with another woman who mentioned a quote from a book that some dear friends of mine had given me a year ago (shout out to the Swishers), called Kisses from Katie. It’s about a missionary that had never dreamed that this was life she would be living, and she said something that strikes home with me; “It’s not the life that I chose, but it’s the life that I love.” Most people don’t imagine themselves moving halfway across the world to start a large ministry. Most people don’t fall in love with life in the bush. But some do, and often those people are the very ones that thought they never would and somehow, someway, in the end, they love it all. So when people wonder why anyone would ever dream of choosing to live in the bush, building relationships with these people, and helping everyone they possibly can in need: it’s not because they asked God to make them look good, it’s because God asked them to work for him, devote their lives to him, and show others the same way. It’s not always the life you choose, but if it is God’s call, it will always be the life you love.“

Another excerpt:

“The teams traveled back to the Del Cramer Campus, where we also have church on Sundays, to do an optical outreach. In addition to providing others with glasses, the idea is to sit and become friends with them, invite them to church, and ask them about things that are going on in their lives, and then after the eye exam, asking


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what we can pray for them about and ending by praying together. I think the thing that got me every time, was the fact that yes, most of the people I worked with spoke very good English, but every once in awhile I would encounter a patient that really didn’t speak much English. But there is something that is universal through every human; the fact that when they placed those glasses on and could see clearly for the first time in their lives, that smile was so recognizable. I worked with a few high school students and they were so, so , so, excited to be getting glasses for the first time, but as I was talking with one, her English was so well, that I could just tell how intelligent she was. The way she spoke, her ideas, and how personable she was, made me understand how smart this young lady really was. As soon as she put those glasses on and that smile washed over her face, she said, “Now I can see the board at school.”

While the team was playing with the children, I met with the owner of the orphanage, Ana, and got to know her a little bit. A few months ago there was an incredible tragedy that happened involving three of the children from the orphanage. I met with her and got her side of the story to type up for a media release within the next week. When I have that together, I will be sure to post it, but for now, I will just say that it was an interesting conversation and very sad to hear.

Aside from the story of the three children, I think the thing that hurt me the most, was that one of the workers came in during our meeting and was explaining how the orphanage was completely out of supplies, including food, toilet paper, soap, all of the necessities. She later explained that they literally had nothing, so she called a friend that owns a store and ordered a few things on credit, which, as you can imagine, is something that isn’t normally allowed here. Luckily, the Blessman’s have a large amount of food stored where we were doing the optical outreach, so on our way out we could grab some meals from “Meals from the Heartland” a program almost identical to Kids Against Hunger. She explained that they would pay the money back when they had it. She was reading the invoice, which was about 800 rand, roughly only 80 USD. An orphanage of 26 children, couldn’t afford to pay 80 dollars for the basics. To me, that showed how desperate these kids are for just the necessities. I ask that you please pray for these children, their care, and their safety. ~Sam Melton ~

Photo: 1 Sam did enjoy a Safari. Photo 2: The children did an Ipod mugging.


Central States Synod

21 N. 12th St., Suite 210 • Kansas City, KS 66102 • 913.948.9701 • 866.915.3548 (toll-free) • 913.948.9707 • www.css-elca.org

June 13, 2013

Dear Friends in Christ,

“Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we give you thanks that by your Holy Spirit you sustain the church. By the power of the Holy Spirit, you call, gather, enlighten, and sanctify the whole church.” ( Occasional Services for the Assembly, Installation of a Bishop, p. 263)

On June 8, 2013 the Central States Synod elected the Rev. Roger R. Gustafson to serve as the next bishop of the synod. While many may have already heard the news, I also want to invite your prayers for Bishop-elect Gustafson and his wife Pastor Susan Langhauser in these days of transition. We also remember Advent Lutheran Church in Olathe, Kansas where they have served as co-pastors and where Pastor Susan will continue as Senior Pastor. And we pray for the synod leadership, officers and synod council, in their leadership and support, as well as for Anita and me as we seek to discern where God is calling us next in ministry.

I want to assure the Central States Synod of my full support and cooperation as my term as bishop ends and a new bishop assumes office. Bishop-elect Gustafson and I met this morning for prayer and conversation. I shared with him that I and my staff met earlier this week in retreat for prayer, reflection, and planning, as well as support and care for one another. Because of our love for all the Central States Synod, its congregations and rostered leaders, lay and ordained, we will work to help the transition proceed as smoothly as possible.

I will serve as bishop through August 31. Bishop-elect Gustafson will assume the office of Bishop on September 1. We will both be attending the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Pittsburgh August 11-17, 2013. An installation date for the new bishop is yet to be determined.

While I invite your prayers, I also ask for your patience and understanding in transition. There are many transitional items to talk about, plans to be formulated and decisions to be made in the coming weeks. We pray strength, compassion, and holy wisdom upon the synod leadership in the coming weeks.

Finally, I want to express my thanksgiving to the people of the Central States Synod for the privilege of serving as bishop of the synod for the past twelve years. Anita and I will have many fond memories and cherish the relationships that have been formed. Most importantly, we give thanks to God for his grace at work among us in Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. We are a people Changed by Love, Sent in Love, to Serve.

In Christ’s peace,

Gerald L. Mansholt Bishop


Hope Delegates attend the Central States Synod Assembly

From June 6 to the 9th, a small group of us ‘Hopeians’ (Pastor John, Pastor Sarah, Matt Johnson, Kris and Gabi Schlatter, Bob Peterson, and Shirley Talbot, and myself) attended the Central States Synod Assembly in Overland Park, Kansas. Despite having no idea what to expect or what awaited me, it was quite an eventful trip. The theme of the assembly was “always being made new”, taken from Revelations 21:5. It was a theme that was carried throughout the entire weekend. In the most obvious way, 2013 is an election year for our assembly. We were tasked with not only electing new council members and committee members, but the bishop election was held at the assembly as well. While the election of the council and committee members went smoothly, a total of five separate votes and ballots over two and a half days had to be done for the bishop election. In a surprising fifth ballot, the incumbent bishop, Bishop Gerald Mansholt, who had already served two terms and twelve years as bishop of the Central States Synod, was beat by three votes (183-180) by Roger Gustafson. There were also a number of resolutions that the assembly voted on, some with much more debate than others, but overall it was a smooth, peaceful process. In addition to being a voting year, 2013 is also the 25th anniversary of the ELCA, so we got to see a presentation of the history of the ELCA and what’s been accomplished in the past 25 years.

On a less political note, the assembly also was a spiritual, enlightening, and fun weekend for our group. The keynote speaker for the weekend was Dr. Barbara Rossing, Professor of New Testament at the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago. She gave several talks over the weekend on a few different topics, but there were two that really stood out to me. The first was a talk on the “always making things new” theme. Dr. Rossing is an expert on Revelations and had many insights into this topic. One point that resonated with me was that the Spirit comes to renew us through baptism, forgiveness of sins, communion, prayer, and in other ways. We’re constantly being renewed through Christ, yet we resist and want to cling to our own self-made identities instead of being who we are in Him. She said, “Live a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” I thought that was just a powerful, humbling statement. She also spoke of reclaiming the Bible. To outsiders of the faith, the Bible sounds like a rule book, but we need to reclaim it as what we know it to be, the good news, a book of love, forgiveness, and grace. It’s an outpouring of blessings and hope, and we need to help others understand that. Also, she spoke of Christians needing to reclaim their knowledge of the Bible. She describes how for many Christians, the Bible is like that acquaintance your friend introduced you to a few time, but you forgot their name so you pretend to know what it is when you see them, but in reality, you’re strangers. We all know the gist of the Bible and a lot of Bible stories, but how well do you really know it? The Bible is our guidebook for everything and a physical connection to Him. Shouldn’t we all be experts?

In addition, there were several workshops that we could attend on Saturday. I chose to go to the “Social Media Ministry” workshop since I was the youngest of the group, and theoretically should be the most tech savvy. It was an interesting workshop, and I learned of a variety of different ways to use Facebook, Twitter, You tube, etc. to reach a new audience that maybe Hope isn’t reaching now. However, I have failed you all because I am an old lady at heart and do not understand anything technology related. Literally, the 70 year old man sitting near me in the workshop asked questions that I was thinking. So, if that is ever a route that we at Hope want to pursue, I can direct you to people that know what they are doing. But I can’t help you. Another highlight of the trip was seeing Pastor John recognized for his 45 years of ordination. We were all very proud of him and many pictures were taken. But I’m sure the party Hope is throwing for him will be even more amazing.

It was a great weekend in Kansas, but I for one, am glad to be back home. ~ Emmy Royse ~


Random Candid Photos Taken Recently: Special Music and Altar Guild Members preparing God’s Altar. We are so grateful to them!

The beautiful wood carving on the wooden

table that holds our baptismal font.


HOME RULES

Always be honest Proverbs 12:22Count your blessings Psalms 34:1-3

Bear each other's burdens Galatians 6:2Forgive and forget Micah 7:18

Be kind and tender hearted Ephesians 4:32Comfort one another 1 Thessalonian 4:18

Keep your promises Romans 4:21Be supportive of one another Acts 20:35Be true to each other Revelations 15:3

Look after each other Deuteronomy 15:11Treat each other like you treat your friends Matthew 7:12

But most important LOVE ONE ANOTHER DEEPLY FROM THE HEART 1 Peter 1:22


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