From the Pastor November+ In the Year of Our Lord + 2011

T H E G O O D S H E P H E R D L U T H E R A N C H U R C H

THE NEWSLETTER

Pictured to the right is what is known as T. E. L. L. It’s an acronym

for The Essential Lutheran Library.

First, let me say that this is NOT a paid advertisement for Concor-

dia Publishing House. This is a list of books that have been made

available to the public….but especially for Lutherans to further

their vocation of witness.

Those of you who attend Sunday morning Bible class are well aware of the new emphasis for the church

that has been put together by our Synodical President, Matthew Harrison, and his staff:

Witness Mercy Life Together

These phrases illustrate how the church lives and works together to proclaim the

Gospel and to provide for our brothers and sisters in Christ in our congregations,

communities and throughout the world.

In order to be an effective witness – in order to tell others what you believe, teach,

and confess in your congregation – it is necessary to continually be in the Word. The

books above allow you to do that in your home study, devotional life, Bible study

classes, and in preparation for receiving the gifts God gives in the Divine Service.

T. E. L. L. includes the following: The Lutheran Study Bible; Lutheran Service Book

(our hymnal); Martin Luther’s Small Catechism; The Treasury of Daily Prayer; Luther-

an Book of Prayer; Reading the Psalms; Concordia – The Lutheran Confessions

Christmas is coming! Enlighten your mind or that of a loved one with a gift of God’s

Word.

Blessed reading – Pastor von Hindenburg

Inside this issue:

PERICOPES AND HYMNS

2

TEN REASONS FOR THE LITURGY

3

FINANCE INFO 4

UPCOMING MTG / FOOD DRIVE

5

BIRTHDAYS/HOMEBOUND

6

CALENDAR 7

WEEKLY OPPORTUNITIES

8

2

This Month’s Pericopes and Hymns

Please use the following readings and hymns during the week

to prepare yourself for worship

November 6—All Saints’ (observed)

Revelation 7:2-17

1 John 3:1-3

Matthew 5:1-12

336—Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending

677—For All the Saints Who From Their Labors Rest

752—Be Still My Soul

November 13—Proper 28

Zephaniah 1:7-16

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

Matthew 25:14-30

562—All Mankind Fell in Adam’s Fall

508—The day Is Surely Drawing Near

941—We Praise You and Acknowledge You, O God

November 20—Proper 29

Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24

1 Corinthians 15:20-28

Matthew 25:31-46

564—Christ Sits at God’s Right Hand

348—The King Shall Come When Morning Dawns

851—Lord of glory, You Have Bought Us

November 2011

November 27—First Sunday in Advent

Isaiah 64:1-9

1 Corinthians 1:3-9

Mark 13:24-37

508—The Day Is Surely Drawing Near

332—Savior of The Nations, Come

348—The King Shall Come When Morning Dawns

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November 2011

Why the Liturgy? The Reverend William Cwirla of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Hacienda Heights,

CA, offers up these thoughts:

First a definition and a disclaimer. By “liturgy” I mean the western catholic mass form

as it has been handed down by way of the Lutheran Reformation consisting of the five

fixed canticles - Kyrie, Gloria in Excelsis, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei. Pardon the

Greek and Latin, but it sounds cool and we still use „em. “Liturgy” also includes the

assigned Scripture texts for the Sundays, feast days, and seasons. Most of what I will

say about the liturgy of the Divine Service will pertain to “liturgical worship” in general.

Now, why do we worship according to the western, catholic liturgy?

1. It shows our historic roots. Some parts of the liturgy go back to the apostolic peri-

od. Even the apostolic church did not start with a blank liturgical slate but adapted and

reformed the liturgies of the synagogue and the Sabbath. The western mass shows our western catholic roots, of which we as Lu-

therans are not ashamed. (I’d rather be confused with a Roman Catholic than anything else.) We’re not the first Christians to walk the

face of the planet, nor, should Jesus tarry, will we be the last. The race of faith is a relay race, one generation handing on

(“traditioning”) to the next the faith once delivered to the saints. The historic liturgy underscores and highlights this fact. It is also

“traditionable,” that is, it can be handed on.

2. It serves as a distinguishing mark. The liturgy distinguishes us from those who do not believe, teach, and confess the same as

we do. What we believe determines how we worship, and how we worship confesses what we believe.

3. It is both Theocentric and Christocentric. From the invocation of the Triune Name in remembrance of Baptism to the three-fold

benediction at the end, the liturgy is focused on the activity of the Triune God centered in the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. Wor-

ship is not primarily about “me” or “we” but about God in Christ reconciling the world to HImself and my baptismal inclusion in His

saving work.

4. It teaches. The liturgy teaches the whole counsel of God - creation, redemption, sanctification, Christ’s incarnation, passion, resur-

rection, and reign, the Spirit’s outpouring and the new life of faith. Every liturgical year cycles through these themes so that the hearer

receives the “whole counsel of God” on a regular basis.

5. It is transcultural. One of the greatest experiences of my worship life was to be in the Divine Service in Siberia with the Siberian

Lutheran Church. Though I spoke only a smattering of Russian, I knew enough to recognize the liturgy, know what was being said

(except for the sermon, which was translated for us), and be able to participate knowledgeably across language and cultural barriers.

I have the same experience with our Chinese mission congregation.

6. It is repetitive in a good way. Repetition is, after all, the mother of learning. Fixed texts and annual cycles of readings lend to

deep learning. Obviously, mindless repetition does not accomplish anything; nor does endless variety.

7. It is corporate. Worship is a corporate activity. “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” The liturgy draws us out of ourselves into

Christ by faith and the neighbor by love. We are all in this together. Worship is not simply about what “I get out of it,” but I am there

also for my fellow worshippers to receive the gifts of Christ that bind us together and to encourage each other to love and good works

(Heb 10:25). We are drawn into the dialogue of confession and absolution, hearing and confessing, corporate song and prayer. To

borrow a phrase from a favored teacher of mine, in church we are “worded, bodied, and bloodied” all together as one.

8. It rescues us from the tyranny of the “here and now.” When the Roman world was going to hell in a hand basket, the church

was debating the two natures of Christ. In the liturgy, the Word sets the agenda, defining our needs and shaping our questions. The

temptation is for us to turn stones into bread to satisfy an immediate hunger and scratch a nagging spiritual itch, but the l iturgy teach-

es us to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

9. It is external and objective. The liturgical goal is not that everyone feel as certain way or have an identical “spiritual” experience.

Feelings vary even as they come and go. The liturgy supplies a concrete, external, objective anchor in the death and resurrection of

Jesus through Word, bread, and wine. Faith comes by hearing the objective, external Word of Christ.

10. It is the Word of God. This is often overlooked by critics of liturgical worship. Most of the sentences and songs of the liturgy are

direct quotations or allusions from Scripture or summaries, such as the Creed. In other words, the liturgy is itself the Word of God, not

simply a packaging for the Word. Many times the liturgy will rescue a bad sermon and deliver what the preacher has failed to deliver.

I know; I’ve been there.

Ten is one of those good numbers in the Bible signifying completeness, so I'll stop at ten. I'm sure there are more.

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November 2011

INCOME Actual 2011 Budget Balance

Contributions 70,721.02 84,547.00 13,825.98

School Building Rent 172,570.00 207,084.00 34,514.00

Interest 3,078.46 3,500.00 421.54

Totals 246,369.48 295,131.00 48,761.52

EXPENSES

Employee Expenses 79,182.13 108,289.00 29,106.66

Worship Expenses 23,113.39 35,757.00 12,643.61

Hospitality 25.93 1,000 974.07

Operations & Maintenance 41,254.76 91,078.00 49,823.24

Office Expenses 4,608.20 8,565.00 3,956.80

Professional Services - 4,000.00 4,000.00

School Expenses 39,532.13 55,022.00 15,489.87

Totals 187,716.75 313,711.00 115,994.25

Your Finance Board has supplied this information to you so that you may ready yourself for the November 20

Voters’ Assembly meeting.

As you can see, the financial health of the church is sound because of the rental income from the school. It

must also be noted that many of the expenditures, especially those under Operations and Maintenance,

come to fruition in the latter part of the year—so, even though it appears that we have a large balance left,

that money, although not yet spent, is allocated.

We thank the financial team of Dick Huhn and Clinton Galloway for preparing this information for our perus-

al. Also thanks is given to our Church council for their preparation of the Budget and the overseeing of the

right stewardship of the churches resources.

Ultimately it is the congregation’s responsibility to guide the direction and emphasis of our mission of telling

the Good News of Jesus Christ, the forgiveness sins and the restoration of our relationship with God the Fa-

ther. Our congregation has been blessed with abundant resources. Put on your thinking cap—better yet—

put your hands together and pray for ideas of how we can best serve our neighbors, near and far.

5

There will be a Voters Assembly meeting

directly after the Divine Service on Sunday,

November 20.

There will be two important items in discus-

sion: The approval of the 2012 budget and

the election of a lay delegate to the 2012

district convention.

November 20

November 2011

Food Drive

The ladies of the LWML at The Good Shepherd have designated November as its Food Drive Month!

The recipients of the drive will be the Food Pantry at Faith Lutheran, Inglewood—Lutheran Social Services

in Long Beach—and Armed Forces LCMS Chaplaincy. Complete listings of items needed were given in the

October 23 bulletins and are on the table in the narthex.

Please bring items you can donate anytime during the week, Mon-Thu, 10-1 or to class on Wednesday

nights or on Sunday mornings.

Some needed items include:

Locally

Canned food (low sodium, low fat)

Diabetic Food and Drink Supplies

Canned soup

Canned meats (Spam, stew, ham)

Vienna sausages

Canned vegetables (carrots, green beans, corn, peas, mixed)

Canned fruit

Can openers (!)

Tinned sardines, tuna

Pasta, rice, beans, cereal

Plastic bags

Military—must be individually wrapped

Doritos

Pringles

Cracker Jacks

Ground gourmet coffee, individually packaged

Chocolate

Nuts

Instant oatmeal

Beef/Turkey jerky

Pop-Tarts

Hard candy and red licorice

AT&T PHONE CARDS! (to call home)

Holiday decorations (to make memories and feel like home!)

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A birthday prayer when you remem-

ber your fellow congregants: Watch

over your child, ___, O Lord, as

his/her days increase; bless and

guide him/her, wherevers/he may

be. Strengthen him/her when s/he

stands; comfort him/her when dis-

couraged or sorrowful; raise

him/her up if s/he falls. Lead

him/her always to the Cross, where

forgiveness may be found, and the

peace which passes all understand-

ing abide all the days of his/her

life. Through Jesus Christ our Lord,

Amen.

November 2011

Birthdays

20

Barbara Hurd

Jim Weishaar

30

Clinton Galloway

Margaret Smith

Gayle Tarr

Art Dawson - 949-493-5385

Marjorie Haener— 310-891-3348

Jeanette Hedrick— 310-675-5198

Ken Lange— 310-324-2160

Jean Peterson— 310-670-2859

Evelyn Sibbing— 310-973-7590

Adena Yeates—310-643-6546

Those at Home

Remember in Prayer

For the homebound: Gracious Father, You

have assured us that we shall receive

strength for every day of our lives. Grant

Your servant ____, who is homebound,

both the desire and will to spend his/her

days as an obedient child, trusting in your

goodness and remembering with thankful-

ness Your mercies, which are new every

morning; though Jesus Christ, our Lord,

Amen.

Click on the bouquet to view a time-lapse flower slideshow, from bud to opening

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902 S Maple St.

Inglewood, CA 90301

310-671-7644

Royce Morton, Administrative

Assistant

Jay Rogers, Organist

thegoodshepherdinglewood.org

+ Join Us for Liturgical Worship +

Reverend Bruce J. von Hindenburg, Pastor

Sunday morning Adult Bible Class—8:30 a.m.

Sunday Divine Service—10:00 a.m.

+ + +

Wednesday Bible Class/Midweek Service—7:00 p.m.

Private Confession and Absolution—By Appointment

+ + +

Preaching God’s Word to Inglewood and beyond since 1935

T H E G O O D S H E P H E R D L U T H E R A N C H U R C H

President—Norm Morton

Vice President—Franklin Tilley

Secretary—Mary Flett

Treasurer—Clinton Galloway

Financial Secretary—Dick Huhn

Board of Elders—Leon Tarr, Chair; Franklin Tilley; Jim Weishaar

Board of Trustees—Jim Weishaar, Chair; Leon Tarr

Board of Evangelism—Karina Lindsey, Chair; Royce Morton

+

Altar Guild—Gayle Tarr, Chair

LWML—Royce Morton, Gayle Tarr, Co-Presidents

Ushers—Norm Morton, Chair

Future Needs—Susie Fritts, Royce Morton, Gayle Tarr

Special Services—Mary Flett, Karina Lind-sey

Council and Committee Members