Latest Newsletter - Hope Lutheran Church

HOPE LUTHERAN CHURCH
Xt summer (2015) in
“A Total Life Caring Ministry”
ANCHOR NOTES
2015 Edition No. 16
June 25, 2015
SUMMER WORSHIP TIMES BEGAN JUNE 21
Last Sunday we changed our Sunday worship schedule to
have two services rather than three. This was possible because
our Sunday School is in recess during the summer months.
We will follow the same schedule as last summer with two
Sunday services— 8:30 and 10:30 a.m., but this summer
we are continuing our Saturday evening worship schedule with
services each Saturday at 5 p.m. with guitar accompaniment,
as we have had all year long.
So you all have three chances to worship on weekends
through Labor Day. Join us in praising the Lord!
FAVORITE HYMNS SUNDAYS
A few weeks ago we asked, ‘Do you have a
favorite hymn that you would like us to sing on a
Sunday?’ We got many responses, but there were
some hymns that came out on a “top ten” list, so on
the last two Sundays in June (21 & 28) we are singing them.
We thank everyone who took part in this exercise. Now, just
show up with strong voices to sing these favorites.
2015 SUMMER PROGRAMS AT HOPE
Parents are registering their children for the summer camp
programs we are providing at Hope in July and August.
“CAMP HOPE” Summer Day Camps—
July 20-24 and July 27-31 from 9-3 p.m. for children 3 and
up.
Vacation Bible School—
August 10-14 from 9:00-noon for
children ages 3 through 12. This year’s
theme will be “Hometown Nazareth—
Where Jesus was a Kid.” You can sign
up now.
Drama Camp—
August 17-21 9 a.m-3 p.m. for
children 4 and older. We’ll perform
the play “The Amazing Grace
Race” on Friday evening at 7 pm.
Please look for the registration forms for any or all of these camps.
CONVERSATION TIME WITH OUR PASTOR
ANIMATE YOUR FAITH
Beginning this Sunday Pastor Hill will gather with people at
9:35, between the 8:30 and 10:30 services, for an interesting
conversation around Christian faith practices using a resource
called “Animate Practices.” Each session begins with a brief
DVD presentation and leads to a lively discussion. This week
the topic is “Prayer.”
Plan on spending some time this Sunday in growing in your
faith and knowledge.
EAGLE SCOUT GARDEN DESIGN PROJECT
Jonathan Laza has just received
final approval for a plan to clean
up and renovate our garden by
the church entrance. He plans to
begin work right away. Anyone
who is interested in helping out
with the project may contact him
by calling him or texting him at
631-375-7816.
We will be dedicating an area in the garden in memory of
Katharina Scheer.
HOPE’S ONLINE GIVING OPTION
We are grateful that members have been
taking advantage of it. “Faithstreet” provides
us with a way for people to make donations to
any of our church funds by using credit cards
or their personal bank checking or savings
accounts.
Our church pays a small fee and donors can also pay a small
fee to offset the cost of the program so gifts can be made on a
“one-time” basis or on a recurring weekly or monthly basis.
Special cards indicating that a gift was made are available from
the ushers to be placed in the offering plate. There is even a
QR code that users can access to make their donations using
Smartphones.
ARE YOU INTERESTED IN SEEING THE PLAY
SISTER ACT?
The play “Sister Act”
will be performed in
Bellport at the
Gateway Playhouse
July 1-18. A sign-up
sheet is posted on the
door to All Saints’ Hall
for anyone who is interested in going together with others
from Hope. We will set a date when we know who wants to
go. If you are interested, please sign up. If you are not in
church this weekend and want to be added to the list call the
church office or email Pastor Hill at rohill@optonline.net.
A LETTER ABOUT THE TERRIBLE EVENT
LAST WEEK
IN CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA
It has been a long season of disquiet in our country. From Ferguson
to Baltimore, simmering racial tensions have boiled over into violence.
But this … the fatal shooting of nine African Americans in a church is a
stark, raw manifestation of the sin that is racism. The church was
desecrated. The people of that congregation were desecrated. The
aspiration voiced in the Pledge of Allegiance that we are “one nation
under God” was desecrated.
Mother Emanuel AME’s pastor, the Rev. Clementa Pinckney, was a
graduate of the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, as was the
Rev. Daniel Simmons, associate pastor at Mother Emanuel. The
suspected shooter is a member of an ELCA congregation. All of a
sudden and for all of us, this is an intensely personal tragedy. One of
our own is alleged to have shot and killed two who adopted us as
their own.
We might say that this was an isolated act by a deeply disturbed
man. But we know that is not the whole truth. It is not an isolated
event. And even if the shooter was unstable, the framework upon
which he built his vision of race is not. Racism is a fact in American
culture. Denial and avoidance of this fact are deadly. The Rev. Mr.
Pinckney leaves a wife and children. The other eight victims leave
grieving families. The family of the suspected killer and two
congregations are broken. When will this end?
The nine dead in Charleston are not the first innocent victims killed
by violence. Our only hope rests in the innocent One, who was
violently executed on Good Friday. Emmanuel, God with us, carried
our grief and sorrow – the grief and sorrow of Mother Emanuel AME
church – and he was wounded for our transgressions – the deadly sin
of racism.
I urge all of us to spend a day in repentance and mourning. And then
we need to get to work. Each of us and all of us need to examine
ourselves, our church and our communities. We need to be honest
about the reality of racism within us and around us. We need to talk
and we need to listen, but we also need to act. No stereotype or racial
slur is justified. Speak out against inequity. Look with newly opened
eyes at the many subtle and overt ways that we and our communities
see people of color as being of less worth. Above all pray –
for insight, for forgiveness, for courage.
Kyrie Eleison.
The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
PASTOR HILL’S SERMONS ARE ON YOUTUBE
In recent weeks Pastor Hill ahs posted his Sunday messages
on Youtube for everyone who wishes to see and hear them.
Notices are sent out on Monday with a link to the correct place
where you can see them. You can type the words: rohill 1047
into the search box on youtube.com.
Another way to locate them is to copy and paste the address
below into your browser:
https://www.youtube.com/user/rohill1047
Or: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYoeBE8udFumccirSgheugA
THIRD ANNUAL MEN’S STEAK-OUT AUGUST 4
This annual event will be held on Tuesday, August 4, at the
home of Pastor Hill located at 123
Wedgewood Drive in Coram. It is
sponsored by the Men’s Breakfast
Fellowship and there is no cost for the
event, but many men bring along a
pot-luck dish or dessert to share.
We gather at 6 p.m. Friends are invited
to come for this event, so please sign up
in advance.
JOB OPENING: SATURDAY NIGHT
GUITARIST AND WORSHIP LEADER
Over the past several years we have been very blessed by having
musicians provide lively guitar accompaniment for our Saturday
night services. This year we had Dianne Browning and Erik
Stenswold playing for us.
At the end of the summer both of them will be focusing on their
studies, so we are now beginning a process of finding a person who
can provide music leadership for these services on a weekly basis.
While many of our members come to worship only on Sundays, this
year we have had a very good attendance at our Saturday evening
services, even on Saturdays when there are no Teen Ministry
sessions. On several weekends this has been the largest service of
all four weekend services!
If you know of
someone who has the
skill and the desire to
serve the Lord in this
way, please tell them
about this need. To get
more information about
the position they can
contact our Worship
Team Leader Steven
Gerlach, Director of
Music Joyce Stahl, or
Pastor Hill.
TEEN MINISTRY REGISTRATION LETTERS
A few weeks ago a letter about this fall’s Teen Ministry was sent out
to families with new potential students. We’re still waiting for
registrations to come in. In the meantime we will send out a letter to
all returning students’ families (and a second letter to potential new
students). Please respond to it as soon as possible. Teen Ministry
begins on September 19th.
T he A nc ho r N o t e s i s p ub l i s he d f o r t h e m e m b e r s a nd f r i e nd s o f
HOPE LUTHERAN CHURCH
46 Dare Road Selden, NY 11784
E-mail us at: hopelutheran@msn.com
Site: www.hopeluth.com
Phone: (631) 732-2511 Fax: (631) 732-8369
Pastor’s Cell: (516) 848-5386
OUR MINISTRY TEAM
Dr. Richard O. Hill, P astor
Laura Laza, Director of Discipleship
(& Anchor Nursery School)
Joyce Stahl, Director of Music
Dianne Browning, Assistant Director of Music
Eric Stenswold, Saturday Musician
Susan Soper, Pastoral Assistant
Heidi Thide,
Anchor Nursery School Teacher
Melissa Itara
Assistant Teacher
Barbara Nugent, P arish Secretary
Linda Favale, P arish Bookkeeper
Donna Haller, Sexton and Assistant Youth Director
John Kelly and Rich Hoppe
St. Mark’s Bread Food Pantry
Ed Gildersleeve, Carol Wolff, and Rich Wolff
Congregational Deacons