the echoes - emanuel lutheran church · the echoes emanuel lutheran church july 2018 the child is...

The Echoes Emanuel Lutheran

Church

July 2018

THE CHILD IS NOT DEAD BUT SLEEPING. ABOUT US

Emanuel is a congregation of the

Evangelical Lutheran Church in

America

---------------------------------------------------

Sunday Worship: 9:30 am

Pastor Lyn Crase: 209-523-4531

[email protected]

Website: www.emanuellutheran.org

Church Office: Phone: 209-523-4531

Fax: 209-523-3643

Church Office Hours: Monday through Thursday:

8 am — 3 pm

Friday 8 am — 2 pm

Paula Braxton, Administrative Asst. 209-523-4531

[email protected]

Laura Marquez, Day Care Director 209-549-0672

[email protected]

Servant of the Month: Karl Williams

Greetings from Pastor Lyn

Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

True confessions: I wanted to get an

article submitted for the July Echoes

before I left for continuing education

and vacation but didn’t have a clue as

to what I would use as an appropriate

topic for July. July is mid-summer (well

not here, where summer is almost

perpetual, but psychologically for this

transplant it’s mid-summer). Today, it

came to me! The ah-ha moment!

In the 22nd chapter of Matthew, after the Pharisees challenge Jesus with

what they think is the question that will finally trip him up, Jesus pulls the

rug from under them with his response. It never pays, you see, to get too

comfortable with one’s ways (rituals, laws, traditions, etc.) or too at ease

around Jesus for that matter, because Jesus has a way of turning the

table upside down. If you aren’t on your toes – he will get you there!

Matthew 22:36-40 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the

greatest?” He said to them, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all

your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the

greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love

your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law

and prophets.” We — you and I — people of Emanuel Lutheran Church

are being asked to ask ourselves, as individuals and as a community, how

THE ECHOES EMANUEL LUTHERAN CHURCH | Issue 2018-7 2

EMANUEL’S MISSION

To share Christ’s unconditional love with everyone.

OUR VISION

Emanuel’s vision is to be loving, supportive, and welcoming, as we reach out in service and in witness to our neighborhood and the city beyond.

We share a passion to nurture people in all stages and circumstances of life.

We, as disciples of Christ, minister to our changing community in challenging cultural times.

God is calling us to joyfully follow the Holy Spirit in ministry to others.

we truly define our “neighbor.” I know, I talk about that a lot in church

but it seems to me in light of current cultural upheavals, political and

social, we necessarily must spend some intentional and purposeful time

thinking about that in depth, with an honesty of spirit.

Why the “ah-ha” today? Today, I attended a seminar sponsored by

Without Permission, an advocacy group in the Central Valley that focuses

on the very real and present problem of human trafficking – in Modesto

in particular. It’s a shocking reality for any community within close

proximity of major interstate highways. So, there’s that and I will speak

more about as I learn more about it. And then, there are two young

Afghani refugees that are recent (2.5 weeks) transplants to Modesto via

relocation agencies, including Lutheran Immigration and Refugee

Services (LIRS), who through social media – Emanuel’s web page –

contacted me. (Yes, they are legal immigrants.) A fellow who is a refugee

advocate in Canberra, Australia (and happens to be Lutheran, born and

raised in California) saw our web page and noticed that we do active

outreach ministry in our community. He contacted me to see if I could

help him find help for two young men. Short answer – yes!

This isn’t about money – this is about accompaniment. This is about

recognizing and being a good neighbor (incidentally the two live only a

few blocks from Emanuel). They have housing and a very small stipend,

but need friends and help navigating our culture. Their English is good

and they are simply nice young men – not unlike someone raised in this

city, with similar hopes and dreams for a better future but vulnerable to

certain risk. I will give you more information when I return. In the

meantime, pray for these men. Their names are Murtaza and Ezra, and

pray about how you will help.

In Christ, Pastor Lyn

from Pastor Lyn, continued


July Birthdays Birthday Blessing Sunday is July 15

All those celebrating their births during the month of July will receive a

Birthday Blessing Prayer from their Emanuel Family. Don't miss out!

c

Servant of the Month

Karl Williams celebrated a major event this past month as he received his high

school diploma after completing a course of study at the Come Back Kids program.

Karl earned 31 units in a little over a year of study. Karl has been an adopted son of

Emanuel for several years now and has been an important part of our family.

When he first came to us, he was living at the Gospel Mission and restarting his

adult life. The Rowlands initially provided transportation, enabling Karl to join us

regularly.

Karl volunteered to serve on council, was elected, and joined the Outreach

Committee. Jim Barton helped provide transportation to and from meetings. Karl

brought a unique viewpoint to council meetings. He served faithfully until he

started a nighttime job that prevented him from attending evening meetings.

Karl continues to work in the cheese manufacturing business and hopes that his

high school diploma will help him obtain an even better job.

Karl is soon leaving to visit his family in Michigan, including a twin brother. When

he returns, please congratulate Karl on his achievement and thank him for being an important servant for Emanuel.

7/2 Connie Petersen 7/12 Yvonne Troedson 7/22 John Turner

7/4 Mercy Maya 7/13 Alice Hoaglund 7/23 Peter Cousins

7/6 Debra Van Diepen 7/14 John Wilson 7/24 Barbara Vukich

7/8 Janice Watkins 7/16 Barbara Bauman 7/26 Michael Epting

7/10 Linda Nelson 7/19 Patricia Smith 7/27 Remus Hunwardsen 7/29 Elena Wilson

7/12 Arie Kroeze 7/21 Karryn Salonen 7/27 William Reinheimer 7/31 Tamera Gierhan

c


June Prayer Requests

Ron Silva—eye surgery on 6/26, recovery

& healing (Silva)

The Hollmann family

Teresa Scott & family—health (Scott)

America Saar—health & well-being

(Santana)

David Kraft—healing & well-being (Kraft)

Trina Zarzana—health & well-being,

surgery (Ixcot)

Prayers of condolence for the family of

Dan Harris who passed away on June 3,

2018 (Jones)

Budget:

The Finance Committee appreciates the vote

of confidence given by Emanuel Lutheran

Church membership in passing an unbalanced

budget for the next fiscal year. Thank you, for

your continued support.

I pray that members who have not been able

to fulfill their pledges will become financially

able to do so. I also thank those who have

increased their giving to operations in

response to our budget shortfall. It is

encouraging to know that the people of

Emanuel appreciate our staff and support our

financial obligations which include our

ministries, utilities, insurance, upkeep, and

other ongoing operating expenses.

Praying for God’s guidance!

Robert Reuter, Treasurer

Emanuel Lutheran Church

From Thursday Morning Bible Study:

Thursday Morning Bible Study would like to

take this opportunity to thank David Holtz

and the Day Care Children for surprising us by

coming to serenade us every now and then…

We love it and love you all for making our day!


Text Study meets Tuesdays at noon in Katie’s

Room. All are welcome to read and discuss the

week’s lectionary readings. Bring a sack lunch if

you wish.

Thursday Morning Bible Study: Come and join

us using Protestant Prayer Beads to make your

own prayer bead string for meditation. We will

meet on Monday, July 12, 19 and 26 in Katie’s

Room from 9:30 to 11:00 am.

All ages and genders are welcome!

Monday Night Bible Study meets Monday

evenings at 7 pm at Marsha Waggoner’s home.

Men’s Bible Study gathers every Wednesday

morning at 8 am at Mimi’s Restaurant in

Modesto. You can join us for breakfast or a cup

of coffee, fellowship, and a chance to learn

about the upcoming Gospel lesson.

Katie’s Kitchen: Tuesday Breakfast for MJC

students and staff every Tuesday at 7 am. We

will take the week off on July 3.

Book Discussion: At 7 pm on July 25, August 1,

and August 8, meet in Luther Hall to share a

salad and discuss the book “Just Mercy” by

Bryan Stevenson.

First Saturday Worship is July 7 at 5:30 pm. This

is an informal, interactive, and contemplative

worship experience. This month we will include

a neighborhood prayer walk.

Coffee Hour is every week after Sunday

worship. Please take a look at the sign-up sheet

in the narthex and consider volunteering to host

a week.

Rebecca's Circle will be on vacation for July and

August. When we return in September we will

be meeting on the 4th Thursday, September 27,

instead of our regular 3rd Thursday. More

details in August.

Lydia Circle will be held on Monday, July 16 at 7

pm at Marsha Waggoner’s home.

Leah’s Circle meets on Thursday, July 12 at 7 pm

at Sue Wilke’s home.


Tidbits

Please remember to check the bulletin each week for more

news and announcements.

1st Sunday Care Cupboard:

July 1 is the next Care Cupboard Sunday, but

donations are accepted every week. We are

currently in need of: Individual servings of tuna in

foil packages, canned vegetables, Hamburger

Helper, small boxes of cereal, pasta sides, and shelf

-stable milk (in cartons). Thanks so much for your

generosity!

Do you have a piano?:

Nancy Jones is looking for a small piano in good

condition. If you have one that you don’t need,

please call Nancy at 209-631-1333.

Choir Rehearsals:

The choir is taking some time off this summer but

don’t forget that rehearsals will resume in August

and your voice is needed!

Books Needed:

Once again, we will be giving away books at

Neighborhood Night Out on August 7. If you have

gently used books for children or adults — and

appropriate for a church to give away — please

bring them to the collection box in the narthex.

Wednesdays @ Emanuel:

In mid-September, there will be opportunities for

learning, growing, sharing, and enjoying a meal.

Please refer to the info sheet on the table in the

Narthex for details and projects or see Dan

Johnson.

During July we hear stories about Jesus’s ministry of

miracles and healing. We learn of his compassion

and his power. We also hear about the works of his

disciples. In the middle of these stories, however,

Mark tells us about Herod’s execution of John the

Baptist, with the chilling line: “He...brought his head

on a platter…”

July Lectionary July 1

Pentecost 6

Lamentations 3:22-33

Psalm 30

2 Corinthians 8:7-15

Mark 5:21-43

July 8

Pentecost 7

Ezekiel 2:1-5

Psalm 123

2 Corinthians 12:2-10

Mark 6:1-13

July 15

Pentecost 8

Amos 7:7-15

Psalm 85:8-13

Ephesians 1:3-14

Mark 6:14-29

July 22

Pentecost 9

Jeremiah 23:1-6

Psalm 23

Ephesians 2:11-22

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

July 29

Pentecost 10

2 Kings 4:42-44

Psalm 145:10-18

Ephesians 3:14-21

John 6:24-35


June Council Notes

President Sue Wilke was enjoying a

great vacation, so Vice President

Dan Johnson led the June council

meeting. We wrapped up our work

on Emanuel’s Vision. You can see

the final result on page 2 of this

Echoes. Our challenge now is to

continue to live this vision as a

church family.

Council reviewed and voted to

approve a change in our bylaws to

have a single annual meeting in

January, as we discussed last

month. We will vote on this as a

congregation at our (hopefully) last

semi-annual meeting in August.

Resignations

When we agreed to consider the

fiscal year change, we also agreed to

ask current council members to

serve an additional six months each.

Our constitution permits this and by

doing so we avoid an extra election.

Two members, Lois Owen and

Richard Norquist, decided that they

were simply too overextended to

continue on council and each

submitted letters of resignation

effective the end of June.

Council accepted their resignations

with genuine thanks for their years

of service. We are also grateful for

their intent to continue to serve

Emanuel in many ways. Lois

continues on the Day Care Board

and on the Spiritual Life committee.

Dick continues to serve as the head

of our Property ministry.

Unfortunately, this left council with

no members on the Day Care Board

or on the Property team. Pat Smith

volunteered to join the Day Care

Board for the remainder of 2018,

but we will need to find another

replacement for Lois beginning in

January 2019. We do not have a

substitute for Dick Norquist, so it is

vital that we find a volunteer to join

both council and property as soon as

possible.

New Missions

Ken “Skip” Hoover came to council

to present an opportunity for

Emanuel to participate in Camp

Alandale. This is a non-

denominational Christian Camp that

exclusively serves children in the

Foster Care system, most of whom

are completely unchurched or have

a negative experience of church.

Skip proposed that we support this

mission by becoming Prayer

Warriors for the camp. We would

agree to pray for individual children

by name and Skip would coordinate

our prayer roles. Council agreed that

we could certainly take this on and

Skip will follow up.

Pastor Lyn discussed her

introduction to the two young

Afghan refugees whom she

mentions in her lead article this

month. We are not being

asked to offer financial

support, but mainly to

help with life skills and

companionship. Pastor

Lyn emphasized that we

need to work with their

case worker and in no way usurp her

leadership role.

Pastor Lyn handed out copies of

emails from Mark, a Lutheran pastor

and “Sister Jane”, both in Australia.

These people described the back

story that explains how Murtaza and

Ezra came to be in Modesto. Both

offered to stay in touch and offer

additional advice and information.

Pastor Lyn is committed to staying

personally involved in this situation

and will be happy to receive any

available support from the Emanuel

family.

Financial Summary

Bob Reuter reported that we

continue to spend more than we

receive. For the fiscal year that ends

next month we are nearly $33K

overspent. Pledges are short nearly

$19K. See the table below for a

short monthly summary.

(See Paula Braxton or Mike Epting

for full minutes of the June

meeting).

May Income

May Expenses

May Gain/Loss

General Fund 15,033 (19,313) (4,280)

Building Fund 5,501 (6,929) (1,428)

Day Care 25,784 (27,681) (1,897)

TOTALS 46,318 (53,923) (7,605)


A TV show made me cry last month.

Rose was shocked; the scene was

emotional, but not that emotional,

at least to her.

I don’t know if you watched “The

Americans”. We discovered it after it

had been on for several years, but

binge-watched to catch up and then

watched one episode at a time for

the last couple of years. The series

finale aired while we were on

vacation in France and I couldn’t

wait to see how they wrapped it up.

The plot centers on a Russian couple

who are planted in the U.S. as spies

with deep cover. They live as

Americans: Philip and Elizabeth

Jennings. Their two children, Paige

and Henry, are born here and are

raised as Americans. The kids know

nothing about their Russian

background. The show is extremely

violent and our “heroes” are

ruthless, stopping at nothing to

serve their Russian homeland.

In the very first episode, the

Jennings meet their new next-door

neighbor, Stan, an FBI agent

working in counter-intelligence.

Having little choice, they befriend

Stan and his family. Through the

years of the series (six in all) Stan

and Philip share many moments and

seemingly become true friends. It is

not until halfway through the last

season that Stan becomes horribly

suspicious about Philip and

Elizabeth.

In a pivotal scene, Stan confronts

the Jennings in an underground

garage and lets

them know that he

knows who they

are. While Stan

aims a gun at them,

Philip attempts to

explain that he did what he felt he

had to do for his country. He also

tries to make Stan see that it is in

the best interest of the U.S. and the

world to let them go so that they

can stop a plot to assassinate

Gorbachev, which could end

détente forever.

Part of what grabbed me during this

scene was the music overlay: one of

my favorite songs, “Brothers in

Arms” by Dire Straits. The lyrics fit

the situation perfectly, as they are

whispered/crooned by Mark

Knopfler:

“There's so many different worlds

So many different suns

And we have just one world

But we live in different ones

Now the sun's gone to hell and

The moon's riding high

Let me bid you farewell

Every man has to die

But it's written in the starlight

And every line in your palm

We are fools to make war

On our brothers in arms.”

These words take me back to the

summer we spent in Scotland; this

was probably the happiest two

months in our family’s life together.

Our kids were the perfect age to

relish the experience and we all

learned a lot about Scottish history

and listened to a lot of their folk

music. This song captures the

essence of Scotland: the never-

ending battle for the lost cause

coupled with betrayal, but

ultimately respect for the opponent.

There was more going on with me

here, though. I, too was a cold-

warrior. I fought the Russians tooth

and nail. I used electronics to spy

and to constrain, but I never hated

my opponents. In fact, I considered

them worthy adversaries. Of course,

I never met any of them, but that

doesn’t mean that I didn’t know

them. I studied their system designs

until I almost convinced myself that I

could get inside their heads. I had

tremendous respect for their

abilities and for their motivations. I

had to take polygraphs every few

years to prove my loyalty to the

U.S., but they never asked me to

hate my enemy, thank God.

About the time that Philip was

making peace with Stan, my world

was being turned upside down. A

good friend of mine said that we

had been in a tug of war with the

Russians for decades, and all of a

sudden they let go of the rope.

Those of us who had been actively

fighting the Cold War found

ourselves lying on the ground in a

heap, wondering what to do next.

So, the situation on the show, the

words of the song, and my personal

memories converged to cause me to

sob. But they were happy tears,

because the point of all of this is

that we needn’t hate our enemies;

we are fools to make war on our

Brothers in Arms.

Epilogue (You may safely skip this…)

by Mike Epting, Echoes Editor

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the echoes - emanuel lutheran church · the echoes emanuel lutheran church july 2018 the child is...

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