Read our Newsletter - Mt. Olivet Lutheran Church

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OLIVE BRANCH
MOUNT OLIVET LUTHERAN CHURCH
34 Prospect Street. Shrewsbury, MA 01545-2339
Islamic Guests and
Fellowship Table Thanks
On October 16th we will welcome a special guest speaker, Stephen Ives, from the Worcester Islamic Center. Before telling you about that, however, I'd like to say a few words about this year's Fellowship Tables. This last Sunday was our Einal Fellowship Table of the year, and it included two special guests. Jim Scott, a local, professional guitarist, provided our music and led us in song; Beth Singley of Ascentria Care Alliance came to thank us for our continued donations and to teach us more about the work of refugee resettlement in Worcester. In my opinion, just as with Pastor Steph’s leadership in August, their contributions to the event made for a unique, engaging and enjoyable experience. I’d like to say a big thank you to them and to everyone who helped make these services happen. We all owe special thanks to Rob Erickson, the Harberts, the Whalens and Cindi Stem for their faithful work in moving tables, chairs, trash, worship equipment and kitchen supplies back and forth to the park every month to make it all happen. Thanks to Stephanie Ruggiere and Deb Mantyla for providing activities for the kids. Also thanks to Kris Sheehan who, with Peg, led the worship committee in helping to plan the program and logistics. And thanks to all of you who so generously provided food and other help. It was truly a community effort. Overall I’ve very much enjoyed our Fellowship Table events this year, and I hope you have as well. Besides being blessed with good weather and wonderful guests, I’ve enjoyed the chance to share table fellowship with many of you and to meet new people, too. Fellowship Table attendance is up since last year, usually between 35 and 40, but it is a slightly different group than we usually see at Mount Olivet. We even have some regular visitors that I’m always glad to see return. Perhaps this indicates a little bit of success in reaching out to our neighbors through these public worship services. I hope that we can continue this young tradition next year with improvements and, perhaps, additional speakers and programs that could continue to engage more and more of our neighbors. Speaking of guest speakers, there’s that event in October I mentioned. With the encouragement and expressed interest of the worship committee and church council, I have invited representatives from the Worcester Islamic Center to join us at our usual worship service on October 16th. During what would normally be our sermon time they will teach us a little bit about Islam and the experience of being a Moslem locally today. (It is certainly not our normal practice to forgo a Sunday sermon, but in this case the beneEits of hearing our neighbors’ witness and engaging the fullest portion of our congregation warrant an exception.) As many of you know, I have a deep passion for ecumenical and interfaith dialog and cooperation. I believe that if we are to follow Christ’s command to love our neighbors and be peacemakers in the world, the Eirst step must always be to seek to hear and understand our neighbors on their own terms. In this regard, I’m very much looking forward to their visit in the hope it will be both educational and helpful to us as a community. In a sense, our worship of God includes welcoming and sharing with His peoples of other faiths. So, I hope you will make a special effort to join us in church on October 16th, and I encourage you to invite friends and neighbors who might Eind it beneEicial to learn a bit about Islam, too. Thanks to all of you for your help in making such special events possible.
-­ Pastor Heisen
www. mtolivetlutheran.org
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Prayer List
IHN
We of Mount Olivet hold in prayer Rev. Nancy Beckwith,
Lyle Van Hove (Nina’s brother), Jennifer Bergstrom (niece of
George), Helen Nordstrom, Marlene Ekstrand, Ken Dearden,
Abbey Roxo (friend of Rae Koenig), Eva Strachan, Jim and
Ann (relatives of Stephanie Ruggiere), Becky Boutwell (Nina
and Doug’s daughter), Dorby Thomas, Cindi Stem, Samantha
Smith (friend of Frankie’s), Christine Webb, Lee Webb
(relatives of Cathy Sheehan), Michael Argento (Nadine’s son),
Liza Aston (friend of Eileen), Clarice Pavlak, Donny (uncle of
Cindi Stem), Jim Vogt (Meta’s husband), Roz (friend of Kris
Sheehan), Janet (friend of Ina Bishoff), Julie Dawes, Valerie
Duggan (friend of Dave Cote), Brian Pihl (relative of Joyce),
Diane Cyr and Vinnie Pulchaski (friends of Cathy Sheehan),
Liesl Voosen Fields, Alan Johnson, Fran Johansen, Patti S.
(friend of Joyce), Janine Gill, Joyce Straub, Deb Brousseau,
and Michael & Eileen LeBlanc.
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Sunday, October 30th - Sunday, November 6th
Mount Olivet has committed to hosting at the IHN home
from Sunday, October 30th - Sunday, November 6th. We
will need dinner/evening and overnight hosts. Please
consider helping out with either a gift card, evening visit or
overnight stay. Thank you to all of you who make time in
their busy lives to assist in hosting IHN.
- George Bergstrom
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Women’s Reading Group
Tuesday, October 18th, 12:00 Noon
Thursdays, 7:12 PM
The Women's Reading Group will meet Tuesday, October
18th at 12:00 Noon. Under consideration will be:
UPSTAIRS AT THE WHITE HOUSE: MY LIFE WITH
THE FIRST LADIES by J. B. West and M.L. Katz. This is
a fascinating look at life on Pennsylvania Avenue with
America's first families by the man who spent nearly three
decades in their midst as chief usher. All are welcome for
fellowship and lively discussion.
Come, share an active faith with others as we consider
God's Word together.
Choir Corner
Bible Sharing
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Looking for Play Group Volunteers
Fridays 9:30 AM (When school is in session.
See flyer on page 4 for complete schedule.)
Playgroup continues to be well attended with over 10
families every week last year! I've gotten lots of positive
feedback from parents about how inviting and welcoming
the group is, but we need your help. We're looking for
volunteers for Friday mornings. Volunteers primarily
provide support to the parents by listening and providing
adult conversations, but we also could use people to help
with crafts, read stories and set-up or clean-up. Karilyn and
Thomas will be there each week, but a second adult is really
helpful to make sure that everyone feels welcomed and to
provide a connection between the playgroup and the church
membership. Volunteer even if you can only do one Friday
a year or one Friday every other month. If you are interested, please contact Karilyn Heisen at (857)
615-7626 or Peg Harbert at (508) 887-2282. You will need
to be CORI checked which is a really simple process done
by the pastor.
- Karilyn Heisen
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Sunday, October 9th, 9:00 AM
Sunday, October 30th, 9:00 AM
The choir will be singing on Sunday, October 9th and
Sunday, October 30th. Rehearsals are Sunday morning at
9:00 AM before each service. All singers are welcome to
participate once or occasionally.
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Giving to God
Adult Forum - Sunday, October 16th, 11:30 AM
We continue our educational conversation about
stewardship and the book, Giving to God. Please come join us!
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Apple Picking
Sunday, October 9th, 1:30 PM
Apple Picking - Sunday, October 9th, Tougas Family Farm in
Northborough. Meet at 1:30 PM. $28.00 for a 10-lb. peck
bag that includes admission to the orchard for 4 people and
wagon rides. $38.00 for 20-lb ½ bushel bag and admission
for up to 6 people. http://www.tougasfamilyfarm.com/ Sign up or contact Carolyn Skoglund or Kathleen Keohane.
www. mtolivetlutheran.org
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The Daughters of Abraham
An Interfaith Book Club for Women
Meets once a month - Shrewsbury Library
Thursday, October 27th
We received the following email and are including it for those who may
be interested:
“We are a group of Jewish, Christian and Muslim women who
want to deepen our knowledge of our own and one another’s
faiths. By reading books that teach us about each other’s faith
traditions and learning about the practice of our respective
faiths, we hope to increase our respect for all the Abrahamic
religions. We are committed to building relationships among
us. Our name emphasizes the common elements that unite us.
If you want to learn more please go to:
www.daughtersofabraham.com and if you want to join us
please email us at molly.secrest@verizon.net or
karimahz@yahoo.com.
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Here are instructions for your family and friends. Go to
www.smile.amazon.com. Choose Mount Olivet Evangelical
Lutheran Church, Shrewsbury, MA when asked which
organization you would like to support. And then you’re
ready to shop! Mount Olivet will automatically appear as
your choice of organization the next time you use the Smile
Amazon website.
Online Banking for Contributions
Do you pay your bills online through your bank’s website? If
so, you may want to consider adding Mount Olivet as a payee
and setting up an automatic/recurring payment for your
pledge. This saves you from writing a check each week or
month and saves you the cost of postage if you mail your
checks to Mount Olivet. We currently have one member that
contributes through her bank’s on-line bill pay system and it
has worked out quite well. I’d be happy to answer any
questions regarding the workings of online banking.
Saint Anne’s Needs Volunteers
Donating Securities
Saint Anne’s Human Services is looking for able-bodied men to
load a truck on Monday mornings at 8:00 AM at Worcester
County Food Bank. The biggest load is the first Monday of the
month. You can volunteer just once a month. Please contact
JoAnn Keegan at Saint Anne’s Human Services at
508-799-4169. Thanks!
A donation of securities is a great way to contribute to Mount
Olivet. When you donate, you will not be taxed on the
appreciated value of the securities (as you would be if you sold
the securities and donated the cash proceeds to Mount Olivet).
However, you are able to use the appreciated value of the
securities as the amount of your charitable contribution for
deduction purposes on your tax returns. Because Mount
Olivet is a tax exempt organization, there are no tax
ramifications for Mount Olivet when it sells securities that
have been donated.
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Notes from the Financial Secretary
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If you are interested in finding out how to donate securities,
please see me for more information. Mount Olivet has a
securities donation form that we ask you to complete prior to
donation. Use of this form is required to simplify things for
both the donor and the financial officers as well as to provide
the financial officers with the expected date of the donation.
-Holly Pavlak
Financial Secretary
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Financial Results and Pledge Status
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The deficit was running about $2,500.00 less than anticipated
through August, due to expenses being significantly less than
expected. Income was close to $1,800.00 less than
anticipated.
The status of Mount Olivet’s 46 pledges through August
month end is as follows: 15 at the pledged amount, 24 under
totaling $3,900.00, and 7 over totaling $2,000.00.
Mount Olivet’s worship services are broadcast on Shrewsbury
Public Access Channel (SPAC), channel 28 during the
following time slots:
Wednesdays - 8:00 PM
Thursdays - 1:00 AM Thursdays - 10:00 AM
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Amazon Smile
Participating in the Amazon Smile program is very simple.
Please tell your family and friends about this program!
Shopping at the Smile Amazon website is no different than
shopping at the Amazon website.
Mount Olivet on SPAC
Remember the Number 20!!!
Submissions for the November edition of The Olive Branch
are due by Thursday, October 20th. Thank you!
www. mtolivetlutheran.org
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Mt. Olivet Drop-in Playgroup
For all children from birth through kindergarten and their caregivers
Fridays from 9:30 to 11:30
Playgroup is located in the fellowship hall (lower level) of
Mt. Olivet Lutheran Church,
34 Prospect St, Shrewsbury MA
Lots of toys, indoor and outdoor space to play, painting,
play dough and coloring.
Snacks for all and coffee/tea for the adults.
Drop-in for 15 minutes or 2 hours, 1 week or every week.
No registration necessary!
Contact Karilyn with questions at karilyn.heisen@gmail.com or call/text 857-615-7626
Special Events
If you have suggestions for special events or crafts, please let me know. Even though
playgroup is hosted by a Christian church, we are open to celebrating holidays from other
religions. Let me know if there is a special day you want to celebrate.
9/9 – Fall Kick-off Party
2/10 – Valentine’s Day Party
10/28 – Halloween Party (Wear Costumes)
6/9 – Final Spring Playgroup
12/23 – Advent/Christmas Party
Playgroup meets every Friday when Shrewsbury schools are in session.
This means that playgroup will not meet on the following Fridays
10/7 – No Playgroup (Columbus Day)
2/24 – No Playgroup (Winter Vacation)
11/11 – No Playgroup (Veterans Day)
4/14 – No Playgroup (Good Friday)
11/25 – No Playgroup (Thanksgiving)
4/21 – No Playgroup (Spring Vacation)
12/30 - No Playgroup (Christmas Break)
Snow: If Shrewsbury schools are canceled or delayed, playgroup will be canceled.
www. mtolivetlutheran.org
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www. mtolivetlutheran.org
1 0 a m - Morning Worship @
Mt Olivet Lutheran
7 p m - AA Meeting
9 a m - Choir Practice
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Halloween
31
6 p m - Weight Center
Support Group
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25
1 0 : 3 0 a m - Russian Play
Group
7 p m - Prayer Shawl
Ministry
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7 : 1 2 p m - Bible Sharing @
Mount Olivet
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6 p m - Girl Scout Troop
#30093
7 : 1 2 p m - Bible Sharing @
Mount Olivet
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28
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9 : 3 0 a m - Drop-in Playgroup
6 p m - Girl Scout Troop
#30093
9 : 3 0 a m - Drop-in Playgroup
7 p m - Al-Anon meeting
7 p m - Al-Anon meeting
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IHN
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1 0 : 3 0 a m - Russian Play
Group
7 p m - Al-Anon meeting
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6 p m - Girl Scout Troop
#11087
7 p m - Women for Sobriety
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1 2 p m - Women's Reading
Group
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9 : 3 0 a m - Drop-in Playgroup
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7 : 1 2 p m - Bible Sharing @
Mount Olivet
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7 p m - Al-Anon meeting
7 p m - Al-Anon meeting
Sat
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1 0 a m - Morning Worship @
Mt Olivet Lutheran
7 p m - AA Meeting
6 p m - Girl Scout Troop
#11087
7 p m - Prayer Shawl
Ministry
6 p m - Celestial Stitchers
7
30
Oct 2016 (Eastern Time)
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12
1 0 : 3 0 a m - Russian Play
Group
1 p m - Worship Committee
6 p m - Girl Scout Troop
#30093
7 : 1 2 p m - Bible Sharing @
Mount Olivet
Office Closed
6
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Fri
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Special Guest Speaker
from Islamic Center
1 0 a m - Morning Worship @
Mt Olivet Lutheran
1 1 : 3 0 a m - Adult Forum:
"Giving to God"
2 : 3 0 p m - Worship @
Lutheran Rehab
7 p m - AA Meeting
11
6 p m - Weight Center
Support Group
7 p m - Congregation Council
1 0 : 3 0 a m - Russian Play
Group
5
28
Thu
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7 p m - Women for Sobriety
10
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Wed
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1 0 a m - Morning Worship @
Mt Olivet Lutheran
1 1 : 3 0 a m - Applepicking
Trip
7 p m - AA Meeting
9
Tue
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9 a m - Choir Practice
7 p m - AA Meeting
Columbus Day (regional
holiday)
Office Closed
3
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6 p m - Girl Scout Troop
#11087
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Mon
25
1 0 a m - Morning Worship @
Mt Olivet Lutheran
1 1 : 3 0 a m - Adult Forum:
"Giving to God"
1 p m - Schoolhouse Quilters
Sun
Mount Olivet Lutheran Church, Outside Groups, Holidays in United States
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Worship Assistant Schedule for October, 2016
October
If you are unavailable on your assigned dates, please find a substitute.
Thank
service.
2nd 9th you for your continued16th
23rd
30th Cantor
Frankie Morelli
Karilyn Heisen
Kris Sheehan
Frankie Morelli
George Bergstrom
Lector
Clarice Pavlak
Cathy Sheehan
Bill Robbins
Joyce Danielson
Nancy Robbins
Usher 1
Ginny Aikens
Holly Pavlak
Nancy Cowan
Rob Erickson
Nancy Cowan
Usher 2
Sue Whalen
Rob Erickson
Carolyn Skoglund
Ginny Aikens
Carolyn Skoglund
Presenter 1
Nancy Robbins
Kathleen Keohane
Stephanie Ruggiere
Kathleen Keohane
Holly Pavlak
Presenter 2
Stephanie Ruggiere
Ray Pavlak
Lily Ruggiere
Sue Whalen
Clarice Pavlak
Comm Asst 1
Kris Sheehan
Kris Conley
Frankie Morelli
Peg Harbert
Kris Sheehan
Comm Asst 2
Nina Behm
Rebecca HansonRichardson
Nina Behm
Karilyn Heisen
Kris Conley
Coffee/Snack
Eileen LeBlanc
Peg Harbert
Nancy Robbins
Ginny Aikens
Stephanie Ruggiere
Altar Guild
Nina Behm & Kathleen Keohane
Counters
Warren Englund & Jan Dearden
the OLIVE BRANCH
As recipients of God’s gracious love shown through the life, death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are called in faith to:
• receive God’s love in Word and Sacrament
• celebrate God’s love in Christian community; and
• share God’s love in inviting, caring and service toward one
another and the world
PASTOR
Rev. Andrew Heisen
Cell: (617) 999-9796
Email: pastor_mtolivet@townisp.com
OFFICE SECRETARY/ORGANIST
Eileen Straub LeBlanc
E-mail: office_mtolivet@townisp.com
OFFICERS
Don Harbert…………...President
William Whalen…….….Vice-President
Kathleen Keohane..……Secretary
Cathy Sheehan………...Treasurer
Holly Pavlak……………Financial Secretary
CONGREGATION COUNCIL
George Bergstrom
Kathleen Keohane
Don Harbert
Holly Pavlak
Nadine Argento
Carolyn Skoglund
Lina Dickey
William Whalen
Rob Erickson
Rebecca HansonDon Sheehan
Richardson
Church telephone: 508-842-2731
Website: www.mtolivetlutheran.org
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