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September 19, 2018

EKKLESIA

A few small groups have been asking me for curriculum that their group could

use. I have a couple recommendations. The first is a resource that your pastors will be creating for our sermons. We will be creating a small group discussion sheet based on the scriptures that we preach on each Sunday. These can be found on the website www.flccs.org and at the Welcome Center. In the near future I’ll be creating new small groups called Aspen Groups that will also use these questions.

Books that I always recommend for

groups are Simply Christian and Surprised by Hope by N.T. Wright. There’s a video series for Simply Christian that is quite good. Another video series I liked was created by David Lose called Making Sense of Scripture, where he helps us think about how Lutherans read the Bible. Books I’d recommend are The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning which is a great introduction to grace and The Great Emergence by Phyllis Tickle which Pastor Bob will be teaching from at the October adult seminars. The Unbinding the Gospel series is also great at helping mainline Protestants think about sharing their faith. I’ve had good success in small groups with the book Simplify by Bill Hybles and If You Want to Walk on Water by John Ortberg. Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Life Together, and

The Cost of Discipleship are classics and worthy reads for every small group.

There’s another category of books that I

really liked and highly recommend but might be more academic than some are ready for, perhaps more useful for an adult seminar. If you want some great history I’d highly recommend anything by Robert Louis Wilken. Especially his books The First Thousand Years which traces the rise of Christianity and The Spirit of Early Christian Thought which delves into the desert fathers. I also am a big fan of Leslie Newbigin, especially The Gospel in a Pluralistic World and Proper Confidence. For fiction, I’m a fan of anything by Annie Dillard especially Teaching a Stone to Talk. I loved the books Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry and Gilead by Marilynne Robinson and, of course, Lord of the Rings by Tolkien and The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis.

While the books and series above may

be helpful, I would strongly encourage just old fashioned verse by verse Bible study. Take a look at 1 Corinthians or James or Ecclesiastes and dive in. Those books have been sustaining people of faith for centuries!

-Pastor Travis

Pastor Travis Recommends

EKKLESIA September 19, 2018 1

First Lutheran Church,1515 N. Cascade Ave., Colorado Springs, CO 80907 • www.flccsc.org

HAPPYANNIVERSARY September 23 Ken & Debra Boehm - 46 years Wally & Rene Zukowski - 61 years September 24 John & Connie Oakley - 30 years September 25 Mike & Jackie Coleman - 20 years

BIRTHDAYBLESSINGS September 23 Matt Compton Elisabeth Farady Cathy Mosco Anna Oskvarek September 24 Robin Coen Jan Fredell Kailey Miller Lucille Moe September 25 Hannah Frei Amanda Goff Susan Harmon Peter Hauer Jenny Smith Blaise Timco Elisa Wicks September 26 Jim Baker Jolene Bedford

Gideon Benson September 27 Wes Andersen Warren Bent Marlene Bigelow Deb McCloskey Arlene Niles Aaron Remund Larry Sipe Jody Wilbur September 28 John Oakley Laura Safayan Paul Schierholz September 29 Sissel Disbrow Zachary Gross Bruce Harmon Michael Olsen Henry Wurzer

Congratulations to Elisabeth Farady who will celebrate her 92nd birthday on September 23.

NEW CHURCH SIGN Months after losing the church sign to high winds, First Lutheran is in the process of getting a new one. You may have noticed the yellow barrier tape and missing fence section on the west side of the grounds. The sign will have the logo and lettering etched in stone with red brick supports. The new sign should be completely finished by the end of September.

Listen to Sunday messages here.

Reminder

Sunday School starts at 9:00 SHARP! Classes end at 10:10 am.

Thank You to Sharon Cartwright for

her continuing work on the Sunday School murals and signs.

September 19, 2018 EKKLESIA 2

Active military: Josh Jones, Tom Marcotte, Logan Oakley, Scott Wilkerson

PRAYERREQUESTS

First Lutheran Church,1515 N. Cascade Ave., Colorado Springs, CO 80907 • www.flccsc.org

Myrna Aardal Mike Abbey Cliff Allen Dean Arnold Felicia Arnold Jaclyn Arnold Micah Benson Marilyn Brown Gene Burklund Frank Canady Gene Cartwright Del Claussen Robyn Clay Todd Dierdorff Mary DelBuono Anna Dillow Jan Donahue Sierra Drager B.J. Estares Kristin Flores & family Grace Gerard Andy Grasmick Lee Gross Butch & Deb Grove Bob Guenther Mark Hallenbeck Jon Haring Wayne Haring Diane Hart Ed Hauer Holly Hawkins Don & Michelle Holkum Chris Huston Casey Jacobs Erick Keck Heather Kekanchok Phyllis Kuipers Maryann Landmark Roger Lane

Rachel Leinweber & family Merrill Lepper Lyn Lovell Iren Markosi Womack Martin Jay McCoy Debra Mills Connie Kay Miner John Moore Patrick Murphy Don Nelson Rhea Nordberg Wayne Olson Laura Porter & family Don Reed Don Reichert David Reid family Mark Reid Carol Rieves Connie Rowton Silke Sauppé Sherry Scott Ruthann Sielken Claudia Stallings Elizabeth Stowell Bryan Theil Rhea Thompson Robert Turner Farrah Utroska Margaret Vish Jan Waters Kim Watkins Pat Watson Dave Wright David Wright Ben Zeeb Nick Zuardo & family Michael Zoughbi

Regularly Scheduled

BAPTISM SEMINAR Tuesday, October 2,

7:00 pm in the Conference Room

Sign up in church, or click/tap here

CANCER PRAYER SUPPORT GROUP

Saturday, September 22, 10:00 am in the Library

Sign up in church, or click/tap here

SATURDAY EVENING WORSHIP

5:00 pm in the Worship Center

SUNDAY ADULT SEMINAR

9:00 am in the Worship Center

WOMEN’S CIRCLES

Lydia Circle October 15, 6:30 pm in the Fireside Room

Rebekah Circle

October 9, 9:30 am in Luther Hall

YOUTH GROUP MEETINGS

Middle School 3:00 pm High School 5:00 pm

Sundays in the Youth Center.

3 EKKLESIA September 19, 2018

COMINGSOON

CHILD CARE PERSONNEL NEEDED

First Lutheran is in need of a paid, part-time, child care

staff person. This person will work in the nursery on Sunday mornings as well as at special events during the week on an as-needed basis.

The position will be 4 to 6 hours a week. All inquiries should be directed to Harry

Mosco at 719.632.8836.

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY Saturday, September 22

Volunteers are needed for the Pikes Peak Habitat building of a new home for a deserving family. There are two shifts from 8:30 am – noon and 1:oo pm – 4:30 pm or you can work the full day. Volunteers are also needed to provide lunch for the workers. If you would like to help, please contact Marcia at 719.632.8836 or marcia@flccs.net.

GIVE HOPE, GIVE BLOOD, GIVE LIFE

Sunday, September 23, 8:30 am – 12:00 pm in Luther Hall

The summer is a time when the supply of available blood is low. Please consider donating blood. This blood drive is sponsored by Bonfils Blood Center. Sign up by calling Marcia at 719.632.8836 or email marcia@flccs.net.

FINDING YOUR PLACE IN GOD’S FAMILY Sunday, September 23, Noon, Fireside Room

Anyone who would like to explore membership at First Lutheran is invited to join our new member gathering. You will meet with the pastors and staff about the work and ministry of our congregation. The meeting includes an overview of Christian faith from the Lutheran perspective. The service of inclusion will be on Sunday, September 30, during the 10:30 am service. If you will not be present on this day, you may be received in absentia. A welcoming reception will follow at 11:30 am in the Gathering Place. Sign up by contacting Marcia at 719.632.8836 or marcia@flccs.net if you will be attending the gathering or are interested in sponsoring a new member. Child care will be provided.

Cancer Prayer Support Group

HEALING CANCER Session 6 of a ten-part series,

Saturday, September 22, 10:00 am in the Library

If you are a patient, a caregiver, or serious about cancer prevention, you could very well benefit from some time with this study. All are welcome who are living with cancer or who wish to support those with cancer in whatever way they are able. Group time includes devotion, a topic study, sharing time, and prayer. Please sign up in church or click/tap here

September 19, 2018 EKKLESIA 4

Installation Service Offering to Help Church Leaders

For the past two years I have received grant money to help pay down the student loan I took out to go to seminary 15 years ago. That grant money came from the Lilly Endowment, which shared $500,000 with both the North Carolina Synod and the Rocky Mountain Synod. My family is now very close to being free of that student loan debt because of this gift. Countless other pastors and deacons also carry high student loan debt as they followed God’s call to seminary. For some of them the debt load prevents them from taking calls to poorer areas where they could really make a difference in the life of the church. The Lilly Endowment is dedicated to helping the church through this grant by relieving debt, helping with medical or other emergency expenses, and contributing to retirement accounts of deacons and pastors.

The Lilly Endowment grant in the Rocky

Mountain Synod is called “Educate, Equip, Enact” (3E). 3E is a three-year grant that began in 2017. The 3E program that shares grants with pastors and deacons is called the Ministerial Excellence Fund. The way this fund works is that Lilly dollars can be released only when matching dollars have

been received from congregations and individuals in the Rocky Mountain Synod. In 2018, over $150,000 of grants have been shared. That means $75,000 has been contributed by members of the Rocky Mountain Synod in order to release $75,000 of Lilly grant money.

In order to complete the grant this year

and next and assist more pastors and deacons, further matching dollars from Rocky Mountain Synod members are needed. Your gift will help release those funds to free other leaders to focus more on the work to which God has called them. Thank you for considering a gift.

Because I’ve been blessed by this program

and because I know the struggle of many other pastors and deacons, I’ve asked that the offering at my installation be designated to the Ministerial Excellence Fund of 3E.

Thank you for considering a donation to

bless other leaders as I’ve been blessed ...

QUILTING GROUP NEEDS YOUR HELP

Sewers are invited to help assemble simple nine patch kits at home or with the group on the first

and third Thursdays of each month, 9:30 am to 3:00 pm, in Luther Hall. Thank you to all who

have helped in the past. If you can help with this project or have any questions call Carol

Donachy, group leader, at 719.578.5102. Pre-cut squares are available at the Welcome Center.

5 EKKLESIA September 19, 2018

GLOBALMISSIONNEWS Ryana Holt · Chile

Ryana works with leaders in the Chilean

Lutheran Church, teaching them English as a Second Language so that they can engage

with more global communities. As her position develops, she will also be involved

in other tasks with the Church. I teach class on Mondays and Wednesdays

in the town of Coronel, a 3 ½ hour commute. It is a coastal city south of Concepción. It houses big fisheries, pine plantations and coal plants claiming the majority of the beach and port area, providing most all of the local jobs whilst contaminating the air and ocean and looting the environment of all the resources it can. Chile is a neoliberal project of the United States in many ways (see Chicago Boys and the CIA’s involvement in the 1973 coup ending socialism in Chile) and has privatized many of their natural resources (e.g. ocean, fresh water, minerals). The regulation for industrial impact on the environmental is weak. Some days the breeze carries a fresh ocean scent but usually it smells of fish or wood fire smoke (houses are heated by wood stoves).

The class is usually 4-6 students. We sit around a table in the church and keep our jackets on for the cold. However, the energy is warm and welcoming. The high schoolers come with questions now and then from

things in school or something on TV. Others are always ready to give a new phrase a go, something I appreciate as a teacher.

Class is interspersed with laughter. They have created a safe space where they can be themselves, make mistakes, and be openly enthusiastic about their learning. We recently began to tomar once after class (a light dinner of tea or coffee and usually some kind of bread) and it concretes the relationships beyond class.

These last two months have been colored by joys and sorrows. I’ve gone to birthday parties, celebrated announcements of pregnancies, threw a baby shower/goodbye party for my dear friend Sofía before she moved to Argentina. There is so much joy and hope in these moments.

Yet, August was a month of deep sadness as the IELCH unexpectedly lost some of its members, including its president and long-time leader, Tulio. He was a great testament to working for justice and the church. We would welcome any prayers for comfort and accompaniment of those in the process of grief. Thank you for your continued support!

En paz, Ryana

You may read Ryana's newsletter in its entirety by visiting the Global Mission bulletin board located in the thruway. Ryana is among the twenty

missionaries that receive regular financial support from First Lutheran Church.

September 19, 2018 EKKLESIA 6

Sunday Adult Seminar

ECONOMIC LIFE September 23 and 30, 9:00 am in the Worship Center Led by Susan Bolduc

Economic life is intended to be a means through which God’s purposes for humankind and creation are to be served. When this does not happen, we are called to seek changes in economic life in light of the biblically grounded imperative of “sufficient, sustainable livelihood for all.” Please join these discussions about the ELCA Social Statement on Economic Life.

HURRICANE FLORENCE RESPONSE Please consider giving a donation to help bring relief to those impacted by the devastating hurricane in the Southeastern United States. Mark your check “Lutheran Disaster Relief” on Sunday and 100% of the funds will go to relief efforts.

Please join us for the

OUTREACH MINISTRY FAIR Sunday, September 30,

8:30 am - 12:00 pm in the Gathering Place

Our Outreach Ministry Fair will feature local organizations and missions supported by First Lutheran with volunteers and ministry dollars. These include the following ministries: Ecumenical Social Ministries Mission Medical Clinic Family Promise MOSAIC Habitat for Humanity Open Bible/TLC Lutheran Family Services Rainbow Trail Marian House Soup Kitchen Teens with Promise

You are invited to tour tables and enjoy refreshments while visiting the wonderful displays. You may ask questions, learn about these many wonderful ministries and consider where and how you may contribute.

NEW WEDNESDAY MORNING

BIBLE STUDY Begins Wednesday,

September 26, 10:00 am in the Fireside Room

Led by Pastor Travis, this midweek study will delve into the coming Sunday’s

Gospel. The study begins on September 26 with

Mark 9:38-50, which speaks of the disciples being upset

that someone, not a disciple, was casting out demons in Jesus’ name. Pastor Travis will also be

creating discussion questions to coincide with

the previous Sunday’s sermon. Watch the Ekklesia and bulletin for the Gospel

verses of the week.

FIRST LUTHERAN MINISTRY FAIR Sunday, October 7, 8:30 am - noon in the Gathering Place

When you become involved in church activities, you will get to know other members better through Christian fellowship. Please join receptions in the Gathering Place following each service to explore all the ministries offered by First Lutheran.

7 EKKLESIA September 19, 2018

WHERE THE WIND LEADS by Vinh Chung with Tim Downs Wednesday, October 3, 7:00 pm in the Conference Room

Where the Wind Leads follows Vinh Chung and his family on their desperate journey from pre-war Vietnam, through pirate attacks on a

lawless sea, to a miraculous rescue and a new home in the unlikely town of Fort Smith, Arkansas. There Vinh struggles against poverty, discrimination, and a bewildering language barrier--yet still manages to graduate from Harvard Medical School. This story is a tribute to the courage and sacrifice of his parents and a testimony to his family's faith.

First Lutheran members and guests are invited to join the group by signing up in church, or click/tap here.

THEATER GROUP OUTING

Shakespeare in Love Sunday, October 21,

2:00 pm, Fine Arts Center $36.00 per ticket

A romantic piece of historical

fiction, the story centers around a young Will

Shakespeare as he struggles to find his inspiration. Enter

the feisty aristocratic Viola de Lesseps, who longs to be an actor. The relationship they

forge serves as inspiration for Will’s greatest play – Romeo

and Juliet. This stage adaptation employs tactics

commonly found in plays of the Elizabethan age: cross-

dressing disguises, mistaken identities, suspicions of

adultery, sword fighting, a comedic nurse, and even visions of ghosts are all

present, as is the enduring “play-within-a-play”

convention that Shakespeare fondly adopted for many of

his works. Overall, Shakespeare in Love delivers a delightfully crowd-pleasing, deeply romantic, and highly adventurous tale of love and

drama in Renaissance-era England. Please sign up and purchase your tickets at the

Welcome Center by Sunday, October 7.

STEWARDSHIP SNIPPET James 4:1, 2 – Those conflicts and disputes among you … do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. James puts his finger on the pulse of human misery. We drive ourselves crazy by craving the things we don’t have and envying those who have more than we do! Spiritual maturity and practicing steward/discipleship help bring us sanity.

BAPTISM SEMINAR Tuesday, October 2 , 7:00 pm Baptism sets us out on a lifelong journey that is characterized by our relationship to God, our relationship to our faith community, our relationships in our community and the wider world. This seminar is required before the baptism of infants, older children and the unbaptized wishing to join the church. Sign up on the opportunity sheet in church or click/tap here

September 19, 2018 EKKLESIA 8

Ent Center for the Performing Arts Wednesday, October 10,

9:30 am in the Gathering Place

The beautiful new Ent

Center for the Performing Arts is a 92,000 square foot performing and visual arts complex on the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs campus. It was designed by a recognized leader in the planning and design of arts and cultural facilities to provide a multi-dimensional and multi-venue artistic hub for both the campus and the wider community. Lunch will be a buffet luncheon at the El Paso Club for a discounted rate of $20 per person. We will meet in the Gathering Place at 9:30am to travel by bus. Checks only please, payable to First Lutheran. Please go to the Welcome Center on Sunday mornings to sign up, pay, or volunteer to drive a bus.

November’s OWLS event will be a presentation on the first sheriff of El Paso County. Sign ups will begin on October 14.

TRAIL TREKKER HIKE · Lizard Rock Thursday, October 4, 9:00 am (date subject to change)

Please plan to meet at the Safeway parking lot, 3275 W. Colorado Ave., SE corner of the lot, to carpool to the Tarryall area. This really looks like an iguana crouching atop a mountain. The trail begins at Spruce Grove Campground and winds its way into the lovely Lost Creek Wilderness encountering ponderosa pines, aspen, wildflowers and quartz-decorated boulders. We’ll have lunch overlooking a beautiful golden aspen grove. We will cover 5 miles on this moderate trail with elevation gain. Please sign up in church or email outdoorjudy@comcast.net.

COMING TO THE SUNDAY ADULT SEMINAR IN OCTOBER

THE GREAT EMERGENCE 9:00 am in the Worship Center

Following the birth of Christianity, about every 500 years there has been a major ‘earthquake’ in the church. These ‘earthquakes’ created upheaval and demanded adjustment and change. About 1500 years ago, Christianity took on the structure of the Roman Empire. This was also the era of the Great Decline and Fall of the classical world which left chaos and The Dark Ages in its wake. About 1000 years ago the Great Schism (1054 BC) occurred. It severed the East from West, and eastern ways from western ways. It expelled Orthodox Christianity from Western world and created Roman Catholicism. We are all familiar with the huge shift that occurred about 500 years ago when Luther and his associates began The Great Reformation and the beginning of Protestant Christianity. Today, about 500 years after the Reformation, we are in the midst of a huge ‘earthquake’, which began during The Scientific Revolution and has been most visible in the USA since the 1960s. Some have called it The End of Christendom, but we are also on the cusp of The Great Emergence. Come be part of this discussion that Pastor Bob will lead during adult education on October 7th, 14th and 21st.

9 EKKLESIA September 19, 2018

STARVING CHILDREN NEED YOU!!

Our church has an opportunity to join a Feed My Starving Children food packing event on October 12, 13 and 14. There is reserved space for 90 people to work a two-hour shift at Cragmor Christian Reformed Church. The goal of this event is to pack 200,000 meals. Our Lenten donation will cover the suggested contribution of First Lutheran volunteers.

Available time slots are: Friday, October 12, 1-3:00 pm Saturday, October 13, 9-11:00 am, 2:30 - 4:30 pm and 7-9:00 pm Sunday, October 14, 11:30 - 1:30 pm

Please consider signing up your small group or family (minimum age is six years old), and let’s put our hands to work saving lives. Sign ups are required and spots will fill up soon. Please sign up in church or click/tap here before October 1.

MAKING ALL THINGS NEW

Ministry Gatherings

During our time of fellowship we will:

• Watch a DVD highlighting the church ministries

and activities

• Dream about the future

• Complete time and talent inventories

• Explore our 2019 spending plan

All gatherings will take place in the Peel House. Please make your reservations on the opportunity sheet in church or click/tap here.

Morning programs serving breakfast goodies Saturday, October 13, 9:30 am Sunday, October 14, 9:00 am (for families with children under 18) Evening programs Culver’s frozen custard Sunday, October 7, 5:00 pm Thursday, October 11, 7:00 pm Sunday, October 14, 5:00 pm Tuesday, October 16, 7:00 pm

ALTAR FLOWER DESIGNATIONS can be made at the Welcome Center on Sunday mornings or at the Round Desk on weekdays

during regular office hours. Payment must accompany your designation.

September 19, 2018 EKKLESIA 10

Save the Date Watch the newsletter

and website for details.

LFS Innkeeper Dinner October 2

Reformation Sunday

October 28

Ingathering of Pledges October 28 - November 11

PLANNINGYOURWEEK Sunday, September 23 8:00, 9:15, 10:30 am Worship Service 3:00 pm Middle School Youth Group 3:00 pm Celebration Ringers 4:00 pm Rainbow Ringers 4:45 pm Glory Ringers 5:00 pm Jubilate Ringers 5:00 pm High School Youth Group Monday, September 24 6:30 pm Women of the Word Tuesday, September 25 7:00 pm Bridge Card Group Wednesday, September 26 7:00 pm Woodcarver Club 7:30 pm Choir Rehearsal Thursday, September 27 6:15 am Men’s Morning Bible Study 6:30 pm Hand & Foot Card Group 7:00 pm Men’s Evening Group 7:00 pm Choir Rehearsal Friday, September 28 7:00 am Marian House Soup Kitchen Saturday, September 29 5:00 pm Evening Worship Service

ANNUAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETINGS Short congregational meetings will follow each service on Sunday, October 21 to approve our 2019 Ministry Spending Plan and to elect three members to serve on the Church Council.

NO FLU FOR YOU! Sunday, October 14, 10:30 am Costs: Flu Shot $30,High Dose

(age 65+) $65

Get your vaccinations at our flu and immunization clinic. Payment types accepted are

cash, check, major credit cards and Medicare B. Sign up on the opportunity sheet or call the church at 719.632.8836.

SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS If you have been moved, touched, or inspired by First Lutheran Church, be sure to like us on Facebook, find us on Twitter at FirstLutheranCS and follow us on Instagram. Together, we can share with others the joy and salvation of our Christian faith.

Another Feed My Starving Children Mobile Pack is

coming soon. See page 9.

On Thursday, the Older Wiser Lutherans (OWLS) toured the Air Force Academy Chapel before it closes for renovations which will last two-four years.

SNAPSHOTS

Pastor Bob delivered his first message to the congregation at the Saturday evening

and Sunday morning worship services.

Congratulations to Bob & Anne Sandall who celebrated 61 years of marriage on September 14.