May 2015 - Hope Lutheran Church
Transcription
May 2015 - Hope Lutheran Church
Active in Love, Growing in Christ May, 2015 Vol. 15, No. 5 the Times of Hope Hope’s 60th Anniversary The 60th Anniversary of Hope Lutheran Church is just around the corner. The day set aside for the Anniversary celebration is Sunday, May 17, and it will look like this: 10:00 – (**ONLY ONE) morning Communion service (preacher: Pastor Andrew Craig) 12:00 – (chili) Lunch and fellowship at the church (for any and all) 1:00 – Church and School Open House, with displays, photos, tours, etc. 3:00 – afternoon Anniversary service (preacher: Pastor Harry Ruf) 4:30 – Anniversary cake and fellowship The committee decided to designate the offering at the afternoon service to youth ministry at Hope, especially going toward subsidizing youth for upcoming Youth Gatherings. Invitation cards are now available. Please inform and invite friends and former members to join us in “Giving God Glory” for 60 years of His blessing on Hope Lutheran Church. If you have any questions, or if you would like to volunteer in some way for the Anniversary weekend (or preparations), please contact one of the committee members: Taura Berg, Jean Gettle, Pastor Laverne Hautz, Brenda Horton, Francis Loughton, Linda Schiefke, Vince Todd, Bernice Ulmer. Faith In Life Award Each year the Concordia Lutheran Seminary (Edmonton) faculty and Board of Regents confer the “Faith in Life Award,” which acknowledges “individuals -- either pastors or laypersons -- who in everyday life and in their vocations reflect, to an exceptional degree, their faith in Christ.” Congratulations to Deanna Hautz, who is receiving this award for championing the role of ministry wives in the life of the Church. This recognition will be conferred at the 2015 Concordia Lutheran Seminary Sacred Convocation on Friday, May 29, 2015 at Concordia University College of Alberta (Edmonton). Sunday Worship Schedule 9:00 Traditional Worship Hope Lutheran Church and Christian School 3151 York Street, Port Coquitlam BC, V3B 4A7 Phone: 604-942-5322 - Fax: 604-942-5311 10:05 Bible Study 11:00 Contemporary Worship and Sunday School 2 District Convention / Nominations The Convention of the Alberta – British Columbia District will take place in Calgary May 22 – 24. Hope’s voting delegates are Brenda Horton and Pastor Laverne Hautz. In light of the insolvency of the Church Extension Fund, the business of this Convention will be both unusual and uncertain. There are overtures being submitted which propose significant changes to the District’s structure and staffing. Your continued prayers for the District, its leadership and the Convention are desired. Pastor Laverne announced on Sunday, April 26 that he had received the most nominations for the position of Circuit Counselor, and that he was willing to serve in that position. He also indicated that he had let his name stand for the position of District President. On the Sunday of the Convention – May 24 – Pastor Jorma Tuomisto will be our guest preacher here at Hope, perhaps for the last time, as he and Mary are moving to Thunder Bay, Ontario, in the summer. News From Hope LWML Many thanks to all who contributed so generously to the We Care Kits delivered to Union Gospel Mission this past week and to Deanna Hautz for seeing that all the donations were transported into Vancouver. Your help in fulfilling this mission project was most appreciated. On April 18th, six members attended the Spring Renewal hosted by Trinity Lutheran in Abbotsford. We were privileged to take part in a Bible Study led by Pastor Roggow. It was a very interesting and informative day. We have two mission projects planned for May: Baby Bottle Drive for the Pregnancy Centre Baling Days for CLWR in Abbotsford After our soup and buns dinner/business meeting on May 4th, we will be viewing a video called “A Veil of Tears.” All ladies in the congregation are invited to attend. There is an updated list of mission grants posted on the LWML bulletin board. May Day Parade On Saturday, May 9, Hope Lutheran Church will be participating in the Rotary May Day Parade here in Port Coquitlam. We are looking for 20 – 40 participants from the church to march along with the children and parents and staff from the school as they carry a school banner. We will led by Richie Ulmer driving his 1931 Model A Ford. Marcus Todd is developing some decorations for the car. We will be tossing candy out to the observers on the sides of the streets. (If you can donate some individually-wrapped hard candies to toss out, we’re looking for around 3,000 pieces. Please deliver them to the church by May 8.) We also want to hand out an invitation to join us for our 60th Anniversary the next weekend, with a coupon for a “FREE Ice Cream!” If you would like to join in the parade, please sign up on the sheet on the rolling easel in the entrance area, or e-mail the church to get your name on that sheet. Hope paraders will be assembling on Central Ave. West – just west of Shaughnessy – at about 10:00 A.M. The parade is expected to be finished around 12:30 just a couple of blocks east at Tyner and Hawthorne. All in all, it should be a fun time! Come join us!! School News Please keep the Grade 8 and 9 class and their supervisors in prayer as they bus down to Oregon to serve the communities of Portland and Cornelius. From May 4-8, the staff and students will be connecting and serving Seattle Lutheran High School, Portland Lutheran High School, and Forest Hills Lutheran Christian School. As you may have read in the recent bulletins, the elementary Spring Musical presentation of Annie will be held on May 13 and 14 at 1:00 & 7:00 pm. Tickets are free but required. Please contact the school/church office to reserve. An option to provide a freewill donation will be available at the doors. Hope to see you there! 3 Partnering in School Ministry It was a day of celebration and rejoicing when a teacher burst into my office exclaiming that a child in her classroom who had been introduced to Jesus at our school, offered a prayer during morning devotions. A story of a budding faith is a reminder to us of the real rewards of serving at Hope Lutheran Christian School. And it's the support of the congregation that has made this ministry a vibrant reality. Ladies Book Club The Ladies’ Book Club will meet May 25th 7-8:30 PM at Bernice Ulmer’s #10-19044-118B Ave, Pitt Meadows and newcomers are always welcome! We will discuss Captive in Iran by Maryam Rostampour and Marziyeh Amirizadeh. “This is a remarkable, true story of hope and triumph amid the horror of Tehran's brutal Evin Prison.” Voters’ Meeting How can you take an active role in the school ministry? The number of ways of partnering in the school ministry is only limited by one's imagination. Lifting up the students, staff, and the school board in prayer is the most powerful way of supporting the ministry. There will be a voters’ meeting on Sunday, May 31 following the second service. Lunch will be provided. Stay tuned for what will be on the agenda. As for other matters, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you. 2 Thess.3:1 We trust that God hears and answers our prayers in accordance with his will. It is also encouraging when congregational members partner with their presence by attending special functions or volunteer for various activities at the school. As well, the financial partnership that members of Hope have pledged to the school through gifts of money or ongoing support to individual families that are in need of tuition assistance has impacted children and their families for eternity. We thank God for those members who have faithfully given gifts that have allowed children the opportunity to experience the love and care of Jesus each day at Hope. It is an exciting time at Hope where we experience a time of tremendous blessings through our growing school ministry! Thank you for the steadfast faithfulness of following God's call to reach out to our community with the Gospel. If you would like to discuss how you can personally partner in school ministry please contact me and I would be happy to share a variety of opportunities available. In Him, Susan Eisner Spring Clean-up Watch for notices on the bulletin board for a Saturday Spring Cleanup of the Church and grounds near the end of May or beginning of June. Ministry Wives Retreat April 24-26 The BC retreat was wonderful! 12 of us, including Pastor Harry Haberstock, traveled in pouring rain, hail, and snow, some getting lost with their GPS's, but we finally all arrived at beautiful Camp Hope in Hope, BC. In attendance were 7 women whose husbands are currently in a parish, 2 women whose husbands are retired, and 2 women who are widows. We were blessed by the wisdom and humor of our more "mature" ministry wives! We delved into God's Word to study three topics: resting in God's peace; being encouragers to each other as was Barnabas; and taking a leap of (continued on page 4) 4 (Ministry Wives Retreat continued from page 3) faith. There was laughter, there were tears, and there was a great amount of support and care. We had ample free time to enjoy the quiet beauty, to play games, to rest, or to visit and share stories. We were blessed! Thank you to all the disciples of Jesus at Hope who have supported the ministry wives retreat financially (at the FaithLife Bazaar), with prayer, and with words of encouragement. Submitted by Deanna Hautz Church Worker Input Session Results I want to thank all who participated in the Church Worker Input Sessions as we had about 80 people give us their thoughts and opinions. These are the results of how you saw the responsibilities and ministries of a new Church Worker. The top three (3) for the main headings are Church Ministry, Worship Ministries, and Evangelism/Outreach. The top ten (10) for the subcategories are Youth Ministry, Music Leadership, Bible Teaching, Family Ministry, Confirmation Teaching, Evangelism, Outreach to School Families, Community Outreach, Children’s Ministry, and Worship Planning. We are now exploring what ministry position we will call or hire. However, this may change as we wait the outcome of the A-BC District President vote, considering Pastor Hautz has let his name stand for the nomination for that position. If you have any more questions or thoughts on these results, please take the opportunity to talk with myself or one the Elders. In Christ, Bruce Forrieter Director of Elders Thank you from the School Board Thank you to everyone who participated in the School Board information sessions on Sunday and Monday. We had an estimated 80 people represented between the three meeting times. If you have feedback on the information presented in the sessions please contact one of the School Board members or you can send feedback to the School Board via our school website by following this link http://hopelcs.ca/ school/school-board-feedback/ which is located under the Contact tab. If you weren’t able to attend one of the info sessions, the presentation material will be e-mailed to everyone on the church distribution list. If you aren’t on the distribution list or should happen not to receive the e-mail, please contact me (niblockd@telus.net, 604-552-2785) and I would be happy to provide you with the material. Doug Niblock Chair, Hope Lutheran Christian School Board Hope Lutheran Governance In 2014 the Voters assembly elected 8 members to serve on the bylaw and governance committee. The committee’s mandate was to review how Hope Lutheran church and school are currently governed and whether our constitution and bylaws still met our needs as a congregation. It was acknowledged that we have several Boards reporting to the Voters; there is some confusion as to who is responsible for what activities and there is a lot of redundancy, overlap and outdated material in our bylaws. Three of the original 8 members have since left the committee and are being replaced by “guest” members until such time as we can present them to the voters for election to the committee. The committee is using research based on a book entitled “Winning on Purpose” as a model for a new and improved governance process for Hope. We have reached a point where we have a framework for a new model which we expect to have ready for presentation to the voters at either the June or September meeting. In the meantime we would like to invite others, especially females, who may have an interest to serve on this committee to review the model and provide input. Currently the majority of our committee are males with only one female member as two of the three resignations were female. So if you have an interest in participating as a “guest member” please contact Roger Fast at rogerfast@telus.net or 604941-2540. 5 Sunday School News The congregation enjoyed two performances from the Sunday School children this Easter season. The ‘Hopeful Kids’ prepared “Ho-ho-ho-hosanna” for Palm Sunday, which they sang after they waved their palm branches throughout the sanctuary. Then on Easter Sunday they sang “I Will Call Upon the Lord”. It is such a joy to see these children singing praises to the Lord and we hope to have more of it in our worship service. It is also an opportunity for members to see the next generation at Hope Lutheran and possibly get to know someone new. Hope Lutheran is blessed with enthusiastic teachers, helpers and leaders to serve for our Sunday School this year. However, this ministry thrives when parents are involved and encourage their child (ren) to attend and actively participate. We are seeing a decline in attendance and are considering making some changes to build a stronger program for those who utilize this ministry. Children who attend Hope Lutheran Christian School have their Christian education needs met almost everyday, but for those who do not (or cannot) attend the school at Hope, Sunday School may be the only source of a child’s Christian education. So, if it is a small group, let it be small but mighty! Many members have children who need this program and we continually pray that God will guide us in the right directions. We ask you to pray for our Sunday School and for it’s leaders, that they may make good decisions to meet the spiritual needs of our children. Mandy Gervais Sunday School Musical Leader May 3: Lesson 10: The Two Sons: Psalm 61:1-5,8, Matt 21: 28-32/ Communion May 10: No Sunday School (Mother’s Day) May 17: Lesson 11: Clever Bridesmaids: Psalm 90:4-12, Matt 25:1-13 / Communion May 24: Lesson 14: Buried Treasure: Psalm 119:9,11,105, Matt 25:14-30, Baptismal Recognition May 31: Sunday School Wrap up: Movie, Games, Mission Gift selection June 7: No Sunday School / Communion / Confirmation Day (start of one service) Food Bank Fund “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat.” Matt.25:35 As planned, we were again able to deliver 2 loads of potatoes during April, on the 13th and the 27th. A big thank you to all of you who participated in the Easter Breakfast, particularly to the cooks, servers and other helpers and of course all you guests. Your efforts yielded a net contribution to the Food Bank Fund of $319.80. What a welcome boost, at a time when our balance was diminishing rapidly. The current balance in our Fund stands at $960 as per April 27th, compared to $1,496.50 at this time last year. Delivery dates for May are scheduled for May 11th and May 25th. Here are the figures for the past 3 months: February March April (to April 27) Contributions $ 40 $ 390 $ 600 Deliveries $512 $768 $512 Total deliveries for this year (to April 27th) amount to 12,800 lbs. of potatoes plus 97 lbs. of nonperishable food items from the Narthex. “Jesus said, ‘the King will reply, I tell you the truth, whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’” Matt.25:40. Yours gratefully, Claus Schultz 6 22 23 24 May 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 11 12 13 14 16 17 18 19 20 21 Elsie Mepham Wayne Mepham Kathy Boraas Steven Brown Charlene Lyall Carl Schmidt Barb Davis Mary MacDonald Vicki Pescott Desmond Gervais Juliana Besler John Diack Dennis Lyall Chelsea Todd Christopher Burke Breanna Dahlby Trevor Watson Adriano Botelho David Doberstein Adrian Jackson Joan Lynn Mackenzie Edgar Calvin Kaytor Karen Plaetner Maureen Diack Jordie Edgar Brett Ginac Kira Ginac Lisa Olding Bruce Forrieter Robynlee Nydokus Taura Berg Carolyn Harmston Derek Pfeifer Renee Prasad Leah Wilson Christopher Coulthard Lauren Bosley Sophia Bosley Gary Stephens Sabrina Augustine Erin Rioux Benjamin Siska Doris Waidelich Kaaren Griffioen Craig Neill Joyce Gillespie Thomas Votik 26 28 29 30 31 May 3 16 18 20 23 24 30 Ron Berg Jayden Burke Lindsay Charron Michael McIntosh Fred Scavington Terri-Lyn Sudom Mark Forseille Scott Harcus Kevin Kwok Lauren Rieu Olivia Schiemann Karen Horne Zoe Koutsouropoulos Brianne Ulmer Doreen Dotzler Dylan Harmston Lisa Sudom Robyn Woo Alexis Brown Karen Dyke Lisa and Robert Catto Clinton and Carolyn Harmston Sarah & Harry Koutsouropoulos Christopher and Cathy Fahlke Chantel and Sean Hennessy David and Lise Goertz Christopher and Karen Horne James and Richelle Hume Lyndsey and Dan Johnson Marcus and Chelsea Todd Jennifer and Simon Watson Steven and Shelley Frick Laverne and Deanna Hautz 7 Nepal Earthquake Relief CLWR and LCC are calling for financial donations to help earthquake survivors in Nepal. The donations will support the work of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), whose Kathmandu-based emergency team launched an immediate large-scale emergency response. LWF staff members distributed tarpaulins, hygiene kits and ready-made food to about 400 families in Kathmandu over the weekend of the earthquake. Along with assessing the situation in remote communities, LWF priorities are now to provide water, sanitation and hygiene materials, as well as emergency shelter to people who lost their homes or who are staying outside for fear of aftershocks. A Prayer: Gracious God, you draw us together and your Spirit nourishes us along the way. Help us to bear fruit in the world that leads to the mending of creation, where all receive what they need. Work through us. Abide in us. Amen Alberta-British Columbia District Convention The Alberta-British Columbia District of Lutheran– Church Canada will be held May 22—24, 2015 in Calgary, Alberta. CLWR sent out an update yesterday regarding government funding. The Canadian government has announced it will match all donations given between April 25 and May 25. Our delegates are Pastor Hautz and Brenda Horton. Please pray to our gracious Lord that He will bless the work that we will do when we, as a District, formally convene at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church . If you haven't already, please consider making a donation today. Any amount helps. Pray for the Harvest To donate, you may: 1. Donate online 2. Make a designated offering donation through any Lutheran congregation in Canada. 3. Call CLWR at 1.800.661.2597 (204.694.5602 in Winnipeg) to donate by credit card. 4. Send a cheque made payable to CLWR - address it to CLWR, 600-177 Lombard Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3B 0W5. Please indicate that you wish to contribute to “Nepal earthquake relief.” Your gifts will help our partners at Lutheran World Federation Nepal provide water, sanitation, hygiene materials, and emergency shelter to people who lost their homes or who are staying outside for fear of aftershocks. Another one of their urgent priorities is accessing and addressing the needs of people in remote communities devastated by the earthquake. LWF staff members began delivering aid immediately, distributing tarpaulins, hygiene kits and readymade food to about 400 families in Kathmandu, despite some staff being displaced from their homes themselves. This is a joint appeal with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and Lutheran Church-Canada. Our Convention theme for the next triennium is “Pray for the Harvest” based on Luke 10:2 where Jesus says to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” If ever there was a time for all of us to be on our knees in prayer, it is now. We need to pray for one another. We need to pray that God, by His grace and mercy and for the sake of His Son, would bring healing and restoration to His church. We need to pray that He would give us the eyes to see the harvest that is in the world and the heart to reach out to the lost. We need to reengage in the understanding that we are a sent people who are called to “… declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9) We need to pray for the harvest. From President Don Schiemann’s report in the convention workbook. 8 Hope Lutheran Church and School Ministry Staff Rev. Laverne Hautz Marcus Todd Susan Eisner Luke Adam Janice Klassen Gail Hind Clare Wood Pastor Director of Youth and Worship Elementary School Principal High School Principal Secretary Accountant School Office Manager/Registrar lhautz@hopelcs.ca mtodd@hopelcs.ca seisner@hopelcs.ca ladam@hopelcs.ca church@hopelcs.ca ghind@hopelcs.ca cwood@hopelcs.ca Parish Planning Council Roger Fast Rob Brett Roger Fast Suzanne Playdon Interim Executive Director Assistant Executive Director Treasurer Secretary 604 941 2540 604 941 8486 604 941 2540 778 387 5525 Ed Olsen _____ Shirley Fast Joyce Gillespie Emily Reilly Kaitlyn Horton Brenda Horton Martin Pedersen Mai Pedersen _____ Director, Church Properties Director, Evangelism Director, Parish Fellowship Director, Parish Fellowship Director, Christian Education Director, Youth Director, Youth Director, Public Relations Director, Stewardship Director, Lay Ministry 604 944 4979 Doug Niblock Bruce Forrieter Interim Chairperson, School Board Chairperson, Elders 604 552 2785 604 589 1543 Elders Richard Gettle Ron Berg George Intile Bruce Forrieter Mike Yee Dennis Friesen 604 941 2540 604 939 4731 604 941 3506 604 941 3506 604 936 0333 604 936 0333 —— School Board 604 939 4731 604 944 9726 604 945 9777 604 589 1543 778 385 1528 604 945 7315 Paula Purdon Jean Gettle Fred Malmberg Doug Niblock Tina Pettie Mike Eisner Murdoch Coe Joan Fulton Vicki Brett Mike Goetz 604 463 0858 604 939 4731 604 944 4634 604 552 2785 604 941 6680 604 465 3923 604 469 0956 604 460 0576 604 941 8486 604 475 7944