Mission of the Month
The Stewardship Committee will soon be featuring a Mission of the Month designed to reach out to local charities and possibly global missions. After working with Social Ministries to identify the ones to include, each month we will have a container available in the church to receive contributions. We will also feature the monthly charity with a complete description of their work on our new Stewardship Bulletin Board in the Narthex.
(Submitted by Ed Olney, Stewardship Committee)
Prayers
At Community Lutheran Church we have many ways in which special prayers are prayed for you, your family and friends. These include Church’s Sunday Bulletin, Monthly Newsletter, Email prayer Circle, Prayers and Square Quilts and Prayer Shawls. If you would like prayers to be said for you, your family or friends please contact the appropriate person. If you are asking for prayers for someone outside of your immediate family, please make sure that you have their permission for this ministry.
Church Bulletin is for immediate crisis or situations that you would like to have the individual or family included in the Sunday Morning worship. This should be for a short-term duration. To have someone included in the Sunday morning Church Bulletin contact the Church Office at 632-5812 or (office
clcenfield.org), with a copy to Sharon Roy at 632-9105 or (gsroycomcast.net.)
Church Newsletter is our long-term prayer list. This is for those who have a terminal or ongoing illness or problem. Contact Sharon Roy at 632-9105 or (gsroycomcast.net.) to be included on this list.
E-mail Prayer Circle. When this is activated an immediate e-mail is sent to the Prayer Circle members who, upon receiving the e-mail will say a prayer for the individual. Contact Barbara Dow at barbjdow@aol.com. to activate the chain.
Prayers and Squares Quilt – Quilts provide a tangible prayer for the recipient. The lap quilts are made by members of the congregation, dedicated at a service, finished by the congregation – as they tie a knot a prayer is said for the recipient, then given to the recipient. They provide comfort and warmth as they remind the recipient that God loves them and that we are praying for them. Contact Carol Brudnicki (carolbrudnicki.com) to make arrangements for quilt dedications.
Prayer Shawls – Sometimes it is more appropriate to give a prayer shawl instead of a quilt. They provide the same benefits as the creator prays for the individual when she makes the quilt. Contact Polly Dickinson (bpdickinsoncomcast.net) to request a prayer shawl.
Please notify both the Church Office and Sharon Roy if there is no longer a need for the individual you placed on the Bulletin or Newsletter lists to remain on the lists. If you have requested someone to be included in the bulletin prayer list, please prayerfully consider when their condition is such that they can be removed from the list or be placed on the long-term prayer list included in the newsletter.
(Submitted by: Carol Brudnicki, Elder)
Blessed to be a Blessing
In the book of Genesis, God says to Abraham “I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). Each of us, who calls Abraham our ancestor in the faith, has received this blessing that God promised to convey through Abraham to all the families of the earth.
Even now, most of us, who are taxpayers, will receive an unexpected blessing in the form of a $600 grant from the Federal Government as part of the Economic Stimulus Plan. Bishop Payne has called on each of us to share our blessing, by tithing (giving 10%) of this unexpected blessing to be shared with those who will not receive this grant (the elderly poor, new immigrants, the unemployed and the homeless).
By tithing this unexpected blessing to ministries among those who are hungry and marginalized, we have the chance to be “blessed to be a blessing.” The Stewardship Committee (Ed Olney, Phil Cronenwett and Terry Gebler) have endorsed encouraging CLC members to participate in this giving opportunity. Starting in May, we will have envelopes available in the back of the church in which you may place your tithes and offerings from your economic stimulus benefit. These envelopes may be placed in the collection plate. Ninety percent of the money which is collected through “Blessed to be a Blessing” will be used to support local organizations that minister among people who were too poor to receive this benefit. When you contribute your offering, you will be given an opportunity to suggest possible local organizations which work among the poor, to receive our collected offerings. The suggestions will be reviewed by the Stewardship and Social Ministry Committees for a final selection. A tithe, or ten percent of the money collected will be donated to a particular New England Synod congregation whose ministry focus is the among the very poor.
Submitted by: Pastor Pat and the Stewardship Committee
Portrait of a Biblical Giver
The Stewardship Committee has been studying the book by Charles R. Lane, "Ask, Thank, Tell", published by Augsburg Fortress. We agree with the premise of the book that the goal of our stewardship ministry should be to help us grow in our relationship with Jesus through the use of the time, talents, and finances God has entrusted to us. In the coming months, we will be trying to do just that - making disciples.
#1: INTENTIONAL - Being intentional means to make a plan for your giving and then follow through. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 9:7, “Each of you must give as you have made up your mind.”
#2: REGULAR - To be regular in your giving means to establish a pattern in your giving and to follow that pattern. Paul suggests weekly in 1 Corinthians 16:2, “On the first day of every week.....”
#3: GENEROUS - Generous giving is possibly the most basic stewardship value. As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 9:8, “And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.”
#4: FIRST - Giving first means giving to God first and living off the rest. If you are going to give generously, you need to give first.
#5: PROPORTIONAL - The Bible always calls us to percentage giving. No where will you find something like, “Give fifty dollars.” The language is always, “Give in proportion to the blessings you have received.”
#6: CHEERFUL - Paul says in 2 Corinthians 9:7, “God loves a cheerful giver.” The key to being a cheerful giver is to practice the other stewardship values. If the first five values characterize your giving, you will be cheerful in your giving. If they don’t – you won’t. It’s that simple.
(Submitted by: Ed Olney
Excerpted from “Ask, Thank, Tell”by Charles R. Lane)
New Congregational Goals
On Friday night March 7th, members of the Church Council and the Committees met to reflect and discern God’s direction for our congregation for the upcoming months. We prayed for God to lead us in the ways that God would have us go. Our goal setting work was grounded in the congregational mission statement and overarching goals that were established last year. We are not changing the overall direction of the congregation, but rather establishing some ways of working toward our mission. Based on God’s guidance and our work together six specific goals have been established that will direct our life as a congregation for the next twelve to eighteen months.
These goals and their linkage to our existing mission statement and overarching goals is shown below. Also shown is the committee to which leadership of each goal has been assigned.
MISSION STATEMENT
Empowered by the Holy Spirit through Word and Sacrament, we are called to love one another, to reach out to our community and the world, and to spread the Good News of God’s love in Jesus Christ.
OVERARCHING GOALS AND SPECIFIC GOALS DISCERNED FOR 2008
- Worship—accessible worship that is meaningful to a range of people
- Begin use of seasonal worship folders to make worship service easier to follow (Worship and Music Committee)
- Evaluate impact and plan logistics of continuing Family Worship Services (Worship and Music Committee)
- Spreading the good news—thoughtful and imaginative efforts to deliver the good news of Jesus Christ to the community and to the world.
- Develop additional youth activities for all ages that are engaging and will help to attract new youth and families (Christian Education)
- Love one another—Love one another by encouraging positive interaction that results in mutual support and understanding.
- Improve mentoring of newcomers, confirmation students and college/high school students and develop new ways of encouraging small group gatherings(Social Ministry)
- Pastoral Visitation Help (Elders)
- Reaching out—reach out in service to the community and world to meet targeted needs.
- Develop a “Helping Hands” program to help elderly people in congregation and community with home chores/repairs(Men's Fellowship Group)
(Submitted by Pastor Pat)