The Grapevine
A Monthly Newsletter For The Family And Friends
Of FaithLutheranChurch Of SonomaValley
—Volume 8, Lent2015Issue—
What do you know about fellowship? We have Coffee Fellowship after worship services, and sometimes you receive an invitation to an event hosted by our Fellowship Board. Our core values say, “Fellowship builds genuine friendships as we listen, encourage, pray for, and help each other.” Our Church Constitution states the Fellowship Board is to “provide opportunities for the community of believers to grow spiritually through fellowship.” In other words, our Board works toward bringing people together to strengthen our bonds, our faith, and our love for one another.
Families often gather to share a meal, and this is true for our church family as well. Our Fellowship Board organizes several congregational events that include meals. We host a mid-March luncheon, a Reformation celebration, and a Christmas luncheon. In addition, we organize the Lenten Soup Suppers.We hope all can join us in our next event—Baked Potato Day on Sunday, March 15.
We all are familiar with the frequent cry - “Please sign up to host a coffee hour.” One of Fellowship’s on-going responsibilities is to make sure Coffee Fellowship takes place every Sunday after church so we can welcome and greet one another as well as our visitors and guests. Our team also keeps the church kitchen clean, organized, and fully stocked with coffee and supplies.
Another responsibility of the Fellowship Board is to coordinate the reception that takes place following a memorial service. One of the team members meets with the pastor to determine what type of reception will be needed, how large it will be, and what foods and beverages will be served. The Fellowship Board contacts church members to assist with food donations as needed. Along the way, the committee members provide moral support for one another as well as for the grieving family.
Now you know what the Fellowship Board does, and who we are – guess what — we always welcome more members! If you’d like to join the Fellowship Board, let me know. We’d love to have you!
Susie Ryan,
Fellowship Chair
Over the last two months, I have had quite the education. A topic that (in my experience) many churches take for granted became an area of intense interest here in the Faith Family. The issue: Communion – what it is and how we do it.
Healthy groups get passionate over key issues. If they see something changing that might alter who they are - they respond passionately. Clearly, communion is a key topic for us. Any adjustments we might consider in this area should be madeonly after a great deal of discussion and agreement.
So I would like to propose that over the next year or so we together make a study of the Lord’s Supper. I would like us to ask some thoughtful questions of ourselves: What does communion mean to us as a family? What does it mean as to how we connect to the greater church and the community? What is the “Lutheran take” on communion – and why should we care? What are the possibilities for us?
Faith Lutheran has a vision and passion for its place in the world; we are a church that is alive and kickin’ (and I have bruises to prove it!). Our Lord will use that passion and purpose to continue to grow us, bless us and impact the people around us.
I look forward to this growing in our understanding together. It should be interesting. We don’t always need to agree on everything, but with Jesus’ guidance, we will better know how the Lord’s Supper can bless our family and keep us in His mission.
Peace
Pastor Bill
SPRING TRAINING For those of you who follow baseball, you know that this is the time of year when baseball teams head to Florida and Arizona to prepare for the coming season. Well, on February 25th, some of "your team" here at Faith headed to Arizona for some spring training ... the Best Practices Ministry conference. Six of us attended three days of workshop sessions sharing successful practices of churches throughout our synod. We look forward to sharing inspirational ideas with you in weeks to come.
God's blessings to you as we look through these Lenten weeks with eyes for Easter.
Harry Akre
On behalf of our congregation, and particularly the Worship Board, we wish to offer
Lucy Musick our heart-felt thanks and sincere gratitude for the great work she has done with the new banners and flags. So that she won’t forget how much we love her and appreciate her labor of love, the Worship Board will be hostingcoffee hourin her honor, onMarch 29th. Please plan to stop in and thank her in person!
GUEST ORGANIST Pastor Joel Smeby, a friend of Jim Griewe, has graciously offered to accompany our congregation at the organ on the March 8th, the Third Sunday in Lent. He is a retired pastor but continues to be musically active in his love of congregational accompaniment. It will be good hear the sound of our organ again.
A topic like “encouraging generous stewards” might be thought of by some readers as a “how to do it” approach. It is true that this topic is directed at pastors and congregational leaders to provide ways to encourage generous stewards. But we want to make it very clear that the theology that supports this topic of stewardship is true to the Holy Scriptures and to our confessions.
In 1998, LCMS delegates to our Synod convention approved the adoption of the Biblical Stewardship Principles as the basis for all that we do in stewardship education. These principles reinforce our definition of Christian stewardship as the “free and joyous activity of the child of God and God’s family, the church, in managing all of life and life’s resources for God’s purposes.”
The document offers eight principles of stewardship, explains each in detail and provides their scriptural basis, along with their implications for practicing Christian stewardship in all that we think and do as God’s redeemed people. The principles are designed for use by pastors, congregational leaders and members as we encourage one another and grow in our stewardship attitudes and practices.
The full text of the eight principles is available on the LCMS Stewardship Ministry website (). A careful reading and study of the principles will underscore the importance of thinking about Christian stewardship as a whole-life, year-round activity for all ages. In fact, the principles are available in three languages and for different age levels, including one specially designed for young children.
These principles have helped us to understand that Christian stewardship is much more than thinking of stewardship as the management of time, talents and treasure. These are indeed important parts of stewardship, but they don’t present the total picture of how God’s stewards live out their lives as His redeemed people.
Please keep this in mind as you read, teach and model good stewardship and grow as God’s generous stewards.
“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.” (Heb. 10:24)
For Faith’s Stewardship Committee, In Christ’s Love
Jim Griewe
Got the DONER DOT? Our Mission Outreach Committee is supporting the effort by Sonoma’s newest Alcaldessa, Marcie Waldron, to encourage people to identify themselves as organ donors on their Driver’s License. Marcie is hoping the ENTIRE Sonoma Valley will sign up. We hope our ENTIRE congregation will sign up. It is simple to do. You can be ANY age. At the time of your death, the medical profession will determine if you have organs that can be used. There is a tremendous need for organ donors and the results have been lifesaving for numerous individuals in dire need - including individuals in Sonoma Valley. It is easy.
Go to:donateLIFEcalifornia.org.
If you are renewing your Driver’s License, check the box that asks if you would like to be an organ donor. This act of caring costs you nothing. A little time now could save a life later.
MIDWEEK LENTEN SERIES
Join us for Soup Supper at 6:00pm in Goehring Hall followed by worship service at 7:00pm in the Sanctuary on Wednesday evenings in March.
This year’s theme “Singing With The Exiles” will be most interesting and informative for all.
We thank our Circuit Bishop, Pastor Ted Zimmerman, for filling in for Pastor Bill on February 27th.
Also, we are very grateful toHelen Anderson for sharing her time and talent as our piano accompanist for the Lenten Services.
10th Annual Ladies’ Tea
Dust off your favorite hat and get ready to join usfor tea on May 16th. Invitations will be distributed April 12 and reservations accepted no later than May 3rd or until sold out, whichever occurs first. Since tickets usually sell out within two weeks, be sure to reserve your place quickly.
Request for Donations
The popular Silent Auction will again be held. Our inventory was nearly sold out last year. So, once again, we are asking parishioners, friends and family to consider donating to our cause as you downsize, clear your home of unwanted or unused items, or are just inspired to donate an item. Sought after items include vintage dishes, paintings, jewelry, wine and lovely household items. If you wish to donate, please call Cheryl at 938-4487.
We appreciate your consideration and support!
IN FAITH’S GARDEN
Faith’s Garden is AWESOME!!! Winter gardens are infamous for the difficulty in planting, tending, growing and harvesting, but Faith’s Garden Team has learned a great deal about gardening and our garden exhibits that fact. Go see for yourself…Faith Lutheran’s Memorial Garden, Faith’s Garden and the surrounding property are amongst the most beautiful places in the Sonoma Valley.
The last complete weekend in February 2015 Faith’s Garden took a huge leap with the installation of its own water and electrical systems. Many thanks to Earl Petersen, Ken Burlund, Tim Hingtgen, Carol Petersen-Villasenor, Bonnie Kruger, Paul Chapman, Mike Ah San and Al Martinson for their major effort in completing this massive project. We worked hard, laughed together and had a wonderful lunch in Christian Fellowship.
On Behalf of Faith’s Garden Team,
In Christ’s Service,
Jim Griewe
It has pleased Almighty God in His loving wisdom to call unto Himself the soul of our beloved NOEL OLSON who died peacefully on February 12, 2015. A gravesite service will be held in the near future in Southern California. We express our sincere condolences and our confidence in the resurrection promise of our Lord Jesus to his family.
Rest eternal, grant to him, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon him for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
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