The Parish Press
OCTOBER 2017
St James Lutheran Church, ELCA
P.O. Box 156 11118 W 3rd St Rudyard, MI 49780
Office 906-478-3045 Church e-mail: office@st.jamesrudyard.org
Like us on Facebook: St. James Lutheran Church Rudyard, Michigan
Church Website: stjameslutheranchurch.me
Pastor: Rev. Matthew Lamb — cell: 717-805-4210
From Pastor Lamb…
IN THE WAKE OF DISASTER
Fires. Earthquakes. Hurricanes. Floods. This summer, the United States and our neighbor Mexico have experienced a relentless onslaught of disasters with the potential of more to come. These events have led to death, injury, and property loss. The lives of hundreds of thousands have been ripped from their routines and left in a heap of destruction.
What do people make of all this? One thing I have heard is that these disasters (including the recent eclipse) are signs that the return of Jesus (the “end time”) is near. Another is that these disasters are God’s punishment of our nation because we have become morally corrupt. I highly doubt either of these explanations. With regard to the first, scripture is clear that we will not know the time of Jesus’ return (see Matthew 24). With regard to the second, I find little evidence in the story of God and God’s people that natural disasters are God’s way of punishing people.
What can followers of Christ to make of all of this? Instead of turning inward out of fear and anxiety that Jesus is coming to judge us or that God is unleashing punishment upon us, scripture directs us to remember that God has not abandoned us, but that God is alive in the midst of these disasters. Indeed, scripture leads us to see these events as reminders that we are to live as people preparing for Jesus’ kingdom to come on earth (as we pray “thy kingdom come on earth”) by living out the teachings and mission of Jesus as he taught and lived the first time he came.
So, fellow followers of Jesus the Christ, what shall we do? It appears that for now the best help we can offer those who are suffering from loss and working to recover some stability in their lives is to send money to organizations that directly help them. Money is needed to pay for hotel rooms or other temporary living quarters. Money is needed to pay for food and medicine. Money is needed to buy building materials to start the rebuilding process. Money is needed to pay for funeral expenses. Money is needed for new school books and supplies. Money is needed everywhere the wind has blown, the earth has shaken, and the water has overflowed; everywhere that homes, hospitals, schools, businesses, and jobs have been blown, washed, or crumbled away.
Lutheran Disaster Response is an organization that is very highly rated for getting the highest percentage of our contributions (usually 100%) directly to people in need.
Rev, Daniel Rift, Director, ELCA World Hunger and Disaster Appeal, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, says this about Lutheran Disaster Response:
As a church, we’re standing by our neighbors who are already affected, and we are ready to assist in additional locations as disaster strikes. Lutheran Disaster Response’s affiliates, companion churches, and international partners are collaborating with community leaders and government officials to respond. Please give now to support this response. Stay connected to the latest events and our response to [these] disasters through our Facebook page.
On Sunday, October 8, we will be holding our annual quilt dedication, potluck, and harvest auction Sunday. All proceeds raised will be sent to Lutheran Disaster Relief. Your help in bringing items for the auction and bidders to buy these items will directly help people suffering from these natural disasters. Please invite a friend to come to worship with you on October 8.
For your response to these disasters out of love – not fear – thank you.
Yours in Christ, Pastor Matt
Prayer List Ruth Griesbach, Gary Salo, MaryAnn Salo, Lisa Basner, Dinah Savoie, Charlie and Ruth Touple, Nancy Nurmi, Amber Chappa McLaren, Alex McCready, Connie Arnett, Marty Nayback, Crystal Reno, Dan Rose, Cole Nelson, Emily Seifferland, Ruth Lamb, Clayton Wilson, the family of Miriam Roe, the people of the regions devastated by earthquakes and hurricanes.
HOME BOUND MEMBERS
MILLIE AHO
DELPHA JOHNSON
SHIRLEY MARKSTROM
ANITA NAYBACK
CHARLIE & RUTH TOUPLE
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OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS
10-01 Matt Kangas
10-01 Jake Kangas
10-08 Dale Hauswirth
10-11 Bev Campbell
10-11 Sue Kabat
10-11 Jorgeann Trotter
10-16 Christopher King
10-23 Kurt Hauswirth
OCTOBER ANNIVERSARIES
10-02 Marv & Raya Erfourth
10-05 John & Lisa Lemmerman
10-10 Dick & Bev Campbell
10-11 Darren & Lori Spring
GOD DOESN’T GIVE US WHAT WE CAN HANDLE.
GOD HELPS US HANDLE WHAT WE ARE GIVEN.
Looking Ahead:
October 8: Harvest Sunday, auction of harvest bounty, at pot-luck fellowship/ Blessing of the Quilts, during worship, come and bring your friends
October 9, Monday: WELCA meeting, 6:30 pm, home of Britt Hill, all women are welcome
October 20-21, Friday and Saturday: Pasty Making and Sale. For orders, call Amy Miller, 478-5802
Thanksgiving is Coming on November 23!
At the August meeting of the church council, it was decided to once again host a Thanksgiving dinner at the church for members of St. James and members of the community who would like fellowship that day. 2-3 men and women are being sought to work with Sue Kabat on planning this event. Call or see Sue Kabat, 203-8718. Thanks!
Quilt Blessing, Harvest Auction, Pot-luck
Quilt Blessing and Harvest Auction!! Enjoy a pot-luck lunch provided by the Awesome Women of St. James and bid on a beautiful quilt, delicious home-made goodies, and other great items on Oct. 8 at Fellowship. Funds raised will go to the ELCA Disaster Response for US hurricane victims.
GREAT NEWS!
St. James Pasty Sale will be on October 20 and 21! You can help! Just come to the school at 1:00 PM on Friday and 6:00 AM on Saturday. We will train you. Come to the back kitchen door.
Amy Miller is taking orders for pasties starting now. Her number is 478-5802. The cost is $5.00 per pasty.
Pray for the New Class of Confirmands
God’s Blessings on the new class of St. James Confirmands:
Aimee Spring
Sean Lamb
Chesney Molina
Cara Sawyer
Cierra Molina
Hayden Mills
Morgan Bickel
Asa Frush
SUNDAY SCHOOL at St. James
Sunday, October 1, 2017, Sunday School returns to St James. Each Sunday, children and families will receive communion first, then the children (pre-school through grade 6) will go to the Family Room downstairs for a Christian video, Bible story, and a snack while parents enjoy fellowship upstairs. Sunday School will last about ½ hour. All are welcome!
For All Adults! New Short-Term Study Group
A new 7-week study group is being formed to study the book Making Sense of Scripture, by David Lose. The study will be led by Pastor Lamb and begin Wednesday, October 4, and end Wednesday, November 15. Sessions will last one hour, running from 6:30 – 7:30 PM. We will plan to cover a chapter a week. The chapter titles include: What is the Bible? Is the Bible true? How is the Bible the word of God? Where did the Bible come from? How can I read the Bible with a greater understanding? Is there a “center” to scripture? What kind of authority does the Bible hold?
Do you need to be familiar with the Bible to get something out of reading this book? No. However, even if you are familiar with it, the author thinks (and I agree) you will discover lots of new questions and insights. No matter where you are, no matter how much or how little experience you have, he thinks (and I agree) you’ll find in this book engaging questions addressed in and honest and accessible way.
The Author, Dr. David Lose, is a former professor at Luther seminary, former president of the Lutheran theological seminary at Philadelphia, and currently pastor of Mount Olivet Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. He wrote Making Sense of Scripture in a lively, conversational, back-and-forth format that is very helpful. This is what the author writes about the book:
Do you remember the first time he picked up a book and could put it down? For me it was CS Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. For my kids it was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. …Can you recall the first time you were so drawn into a story that everything around you seemed to recede into the background and the characters of the book in your hands – and their challenges, opportunities, and dangers – became, at least for a little while, the most important thing to you?
With some books, of course, it’s for more than a little while. Some books don’t only absorb you; they change you, altering the way you think and feel about some particular issue or even about life in general. Have you read a book like that? My guess is that you’ve had encounters with these kinds of books. That you’ve been not just touched, but moved, drawn into the pages of a book so fully that you left your encounter changed. I also guess, though, that the Bible has not been one of those books for you. Go ahead, be honest. I know it’s a little embarrassing to admit. After all, the Bible is supposed to be the book. More importantly, though, many people testify how their lives have been transformed by reading the Bible.
Making Sense of Scripture, I should be clear, is not a book on the Bible, …that attempts to give you the major plot line of the Bible or to cover all the individual books or parts within it. Rather, it is a book about the Bible, explaining enough of the Bible’s history in nature to make it more accessible to you. Even more, Making Sense of Scripture is a book on how to read the Bible in the first place, and I hope and intend that it will give you the confidence to explore the actual content in claims of the Bible on your own or in study with others.
…I have high hopes for this book. Or, to put it more clearly, I have two particularly high hopes for what you will get out of this book:
First, I hope that after reading this book, you will understand enough about the Bible to help you penetrate through the years and cultures that separate us from it. I hope you will be absorbed by the Bible stories in a way that will touch and move you, and maybe even transform the way you look at yourself, the world, And God.
Second, I hope that you will discover that you can bring both your mind and your heart to the enterprise of her reading the Bible. I hope you will feel free to think, wonder, question, and even express doubt as we discuss issues and explore the claims the Bible makes. And I hope and pray that through all the thinking, wondering, questioning, and doubting, you might also find at the capacity to hear God speaking a word to you.
I hope many of you can make the time to further your understanding of God through a greater understanding of the book we call holy.
Pastor Lamb
PS: Books are available on-line through Amazon.com for $10 (kindle version) or $10.53 + shipping (paperback) or from St. James for $10 (paperback). We will have 10 copies available at the church by Tuesday, Sept. 26.
Men’s Coffee Hour
Attention men! There is a time to gather for non-digital conversation and coffee and donuts, maybe some toast, too.
St. James Lutheran is offering a community coffee time for men from 6:30 AM to 8:30 AM in our fellowship hall. We will be hosting this every Tuesday until further notice.
This is a place and time where men of all ages can gather for simple conversation and fellowship. We are hoping to be available for men who work the day shift so that’s why we’re starting at 6:30 AM. Please spread the word! Remember that this is an offering for the whole community and beyond.
Have You Ever Walked in our Pastor’s Shoes?
Have you ever walked in our Pastor’s shoes?
And gone where their feet have trod?
Have you ever thought what they mean to us?
And on Your knees, given thanks to God?
Have you ever told them thank you.
For being there, when times are tough?
For comforting words and fervent prayers
When trials come and the storms of life are rough?
Have you ever thought to say thank you, Pastor,
For preaching God’s Word to help us understand,
So we can share with friends and neighbors
God’s amazing plan?
When you pray, put them at the top of the list
And ask the Lord to surround them with loving care,
To give them strength and walk with them,
To help them with the burdens they must bear.
Have you ever walked in our Pastor’s shoes,
And gone where their feet have trod?
Have you ever thought of what they mean to us,
And on your knees, given thanks to God?
——Author Unknown
St. James Youth Group News
St. James Youth Group will be kicking off the new year with our first gathering on October 1st at the church immediately following service and fellowship. We will meet downstairs at approximately 11:30 AM for an afternoon of team building and bonding with some fun “minute-to-win-it” style games that were created based on some favorite Old Testament Bible stories.
A few of the games you can look forward to are Noah’s Ark Animal Drop, David & Goliath Ping Pong & Adam & Eve Apple Stacker. We will wrap up the afternoon with a unique version of Daniel in the Lion’s Den tag and a fun team race.
Youth Group is for all youth grades 7th-12th. Lunch will also be provided so bring your game face, your appetite and a friend (or 2 or more) and be prepared for a great time!! See you there!
| Financial Information for St. James
St. James Lutheran Church |
|||||
| Checking Balance – 8/31/17 | |||||
| CHECKING BALANCE 12/31/16 | $3,699.37 | ||||
| OFFERING – 1/1 – 8/31/17 | |||||
| – General | 61,360.74 | ||||
| – Special Offering – Repairs | 1,810.00 | ||||
| – Pasty Sale | 4,022.27 | ||||
| – WELCA | 2,000.00 | ||||
| – Misc Income | 979.85 | ||||
| TOTAL DEPOSITS | $70,172.86 | ||||
| TOTAL EXPENSES PAID | |||||
| – General Expenses | ($69,744.75) | ||||
| – New Furnace, Window & Roof Repairs | ($1,963.70) | ||||
| PLUS TRANSFER FROM SAVINGS | $1,963.70 | ||||
| LESS TRANSFER BACK TO SAVINGS | ($1,810.00) | ||||
| CHECKING BALANCE – 8/31/17 | $2,317.48 | ||||
| Net cash flow as of August 31, 2017 = | (1,381.89) | ||||
Annual Scandinavian Bake Sale and Salad Luncheon
Faith Lutheran Church, on Saturday, October 14, 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM. Tickets $6.00 each. Tickets available at the door.
IN SERVICE SCHEDULE FOR OCTOBER 2017
(IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO SERVE, CALL SOMEONE TO SUBSTITUTE FOR YOU). THANK YOU
Date: 10-01-17
Ushers: Arnie & Carol Kangas
Lector: Britt Hill
Communion Asst: Orv Kabat
Altar Care: Sue Kabat
Cleaning: Trish & Donner Dowd (clean prior to 10-01)
Fellowship: Phil & Caity Woolcocks
Date: 10-08-17 HARVEST AUCTION & BLESSING OF QUILTS
Ushers: Ken & Jan Bickel
Lector: Jason Miller
Communion Asst: Lance Bickel
Altar Care: Sue Nayback
Cleaning: Lemmerman Family (clean prior to 10-08)
Fellowship: Congregation Pot-Luck,
Judy Logan and Helen Kangas,
Kitchen captains
Date: 10-15-17
Ushers: Cindy & Charlie Kamper
Lector: Fayda Mills
Communion Asst: Sue Kabat
Altar Care: Kristin Mills
Cleaning: Orv & Sue Kabat (clean prior to 10-15)
Fellowship: Alison Lamb & Crew
Date: 10-22-17
Ushers: Judy Logan & Helen Kangas
Lector: Sue Nayback
Communion Asst: Jan Bickel
Altar Care: Lisa Lemmerman
Cleaning: Crafters (clean prior to 10-22)
Fellowship: Britt Hill & Cindy Steikar
DATE: 10-29-17
Ushers: Alice Spring & Karen Carlstedt
Lector: Donner Dowd
Communion Asst: Amy Miller
Altar Care: Cindy Kamper
Cleaning: Trotter Family (clean prior to 10-29)
Fellowship: Trish Dowd & Sonja Clegg
St. James Lutheran Church, Rudyard Michigan 