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In This Issue …
Article Page
Pastor’s Corner 1-2
Emergency Pastoral Care 2
President’s Message 3
Meeting Date Changes 4
Welcome New Members 4
Those Who Serve 5
Remember in Prayer 6
Our Budget and Expenses 7
Offering Envelopes 7
Birthdays and Anniversaries 8
Bible Study 9
Time Change 9
Maritime Shoeboxes 9
Remembering: All Saints’ Sunday 10
Monthly Calendar Center
Respite Care 11
ELCA Federal Credit Union 11
Candle Lighting Service 12
Thanksgiving Interfaith Service 12
Looking Ahead: Holiday Boutique 13
Advent Devotion and Soup Supper 13
1st Sunday of Advent – Wreath Prayer 13
Mission Moment 14
Outreach Team 14
Flowers 15
Lessons to Study 16
Disaster Relief/Ongoing Outreach 17
Worship and Discipleship 18-19
Office Information 20
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PASTOR’S CORNER
“Saints Among Us”
Dear Friends:
When you look at the calendar in the middle of this Newsletter you will see that November 1st is All Saints' Day and Sunday the 5th is all Saints' Sunday, the Sunday that we especially remember and thank God for our members, that are listed on page 10, who are now in the Church Triumphant. . . For some God-given reason, looking at those names and reflecting on their lives among us has caused me to think back over the years of ministry to think about and thank God for the privilege of knowing so many of his saints. The first one was Louise.
Louise was a hard working farm wife, living about twelve miles out of town, in a not very fertile part of southern Idaho. She lost a son in a tragic farming accident. Besides all the chores of a farmer's wife, she ran a little store to help make ends meet. There was no whining. Instead, she gave thanks for what she had. Yes, she certainly knew the hardships in this life, but she also knew God's love. She saw it clearly in His Son, Jesus Christ, who through His death and resurrection had redeemed her from sin to joy and peace. So much so, that she invited neighbors to her home for instruction in the Christian faith. And we added over a dozen new members to the congregation. Yes, she was quick to share the joyous message of Jesus' salvation with others.
Church Office Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. - Tuesdays and Thursdays. Please call and leave a message at all other times. Phone messages are checked daily.
Sunday Worship: 10:30 a.m. Traditional Service
(Holy Communion on first and third Sundays)
Bible Study: 10:30 a.m. Wednesdays – Fellowship Hall
Outreach Visitation: 2:00 p.m. the 4th Tuesday of the Month – Conference Room
Council Meeting: 2:30 p.m. the 4th Thursday of the Month – Conference Room
Respite Care: 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesdays and Thursdays
Church Staff
Pastor: Gilbert Moore
Food Donations: Mickey Costello, Carl and Jessica Keene
Secretary: Margo Geesing
(Tuesday and Thursday mornings)
Organist: Sharon Heck
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toner supplies on our old machine was getting really bad. It is costing us about $20.00 a month more than the old machine (before the last increase in costs for the old one) and is a set cost for 5 years. We make up that difference plus some in cost by your secretary not being here and extra 3 hours once a month printing the newsletter! I am also doing a little more work in preparing the newsletter for mailing so that this next year we should not have to pay our annual fee for the bulk mailing – that’s $125.00 savings! Terry (and Mickey before him) is doing maintenance work that normally we would need to call professionals to come in and do. Judy and her crew are running the Bargain Basement which has raised funds to replace the outside office door (and continuing to collect for a new door to the Fellowship Hall) rather than it being paid for out of the general gifts.
Two things are going to happen before the end of the year: Annual Meeting Part 1 which is going to include a budget for 2018 and the annual sealed pledge letters will go out. I know that none of us are rich. Some are barely getting by. But I am still going to ask you to sit down and look at your budget. Is your gift to the mission of the Church a budgeted item or whatever you have in your pocket? In your budget is it an afterthought or actual “first fruits”? Are you giving to God your excess or a sacrifice?
Take a moment over the next week before the annual meeting to read the story of the Widow’s Mite (Mark 12:41-44, Luke 21:1-4). In this Gospel story Jesus explains to his disciples that the small sacrifices of the poor mean more to God than the extravagant but proportionately lesser, donations of the rich. Reflect on this story. Pray over it and your decision on what you are going to give this coming year as a gift back to God for his many gifts to you. Blessings to you all as you make your decision.
As we celebrate another All Saints' Sunday, we remember not only our own Christian members, who have passed on to glory, but many others that we know, and those who have been taken by the recent tragedies in our country. And I also think of the saints still living in this troubled world, who point us keenly to the wealth that is ours in Jesus, our Savior.
Blessings to you saints,
PS: I again call your attention to an article prepared by Margo at the end of this Newsletter. Give it some serious thought.
Emergency Pastoral Care: Whenever you are in need of emergency pastoral care give Pastor Gil a phone call (562) 430-7999. Cedric Elmer and Margo Geesing (our secretary) also know how to reach Pastor Gil.
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Message from Our President …
Dear Members and Friends of Redeemer:
This month we invite you to attend the first part of our Annual Congregational Meeting following the service on Sunday, November 12th in the Fellowship Hall. Two items of business will be presented for your vote:
1. The election of four council members: Cedric Elmer, to a second 3-year term and Marion Fraide, Carmen Leslie, and Pamela Smithson to their first 3-year term. The nominees listed have accepted the nominations to these positions. Other nominations from the floor will be accepted at the meeting provided they are first contacted to indicate they are willing to serve.
2. The review and approval of the 2018 church budget
The second part of the Congregational meeting will be held in February 2018.
I wish all a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Cedric Elmer,
Council President
Reflections on WORSHIP
and DISCIPLESHIP by Margo Geesing
“I’m Climbing Up On My Soapbox”
I’m climbing up on my soapbox again. I try not to do this very often but occasionally it has to happen. Discipleship happens to include support of the church and its works. Go take a gander at page 7. Kind of worrisome. No one likes to talk about Church finances: not the Pastor, not the President of the Council, not the Financial Chair, not anyone. But I am going to ask a simple question: how do we, as a Church, continue in our mission when we cannot meet our financial obligations? Yes, there are those who give a special Year End gifts and we thank you kindly for it. Frequently these special gifts come close to breaking even for the year. This is how we have managed to stay mostly afloat over the last number of years but we should and cannot depend on “angels” gifting us at the end of the year. The rest of the difference comes out of our money market fund which is getting decidedly low.
I’ve heard some of the discussion about the new budget and I’ve seen the monthly finance reports (I copy them for the Finance/Council meetings). The expenses are what they are. It costs to have lights, the phone, internet connection, water, and all the other usual expenses that everyone has. We need to respect the people who work for us by paying them a reasonable amount for the work they do. We need insurance. We need equipment to do our work. We are not frivolous with the financial gifts you give. There’s not a lot of wiggle room in the budget even when we have unexpected expenses. Just a couple of things I know we have done to reduce expenses over the year includes getting a new printer: the cost of maintenance and
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DISASTER RELIEF
Gifts designated to a specific response will be used in full -- 100 percent -- to help disaster survivors clean-up, rebuild and recover. Donations given “Where Needed Most” help to respond immediately and effectively where it is needed most. If you give cash or check, on offering envelope write “Disaster Relief” If you give by check make it out to Redeemer Lutheran Church and placing it in the offering plate. Or if you wish you can send a check directly to: ELCA Disaster Response 39330 Treasury Center; Chicago, IL 60694-9300. Or donate online at: http://www.elca.org/Our-Faith-In-Action/Responding-to-the-World/Disaster-Response.aspx
BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION
Thank you to those who have been turning in your Education Labels!
Box Tops go directly to the Navajo Mission. They can be found on more than a 100 different General Mills products. They do have an expiration date, so be sure to turn them in with time to send them to the Mission! These labels generate points that turn into dollars!
CONTINUING FUNDRAISER AND ENVIRONMENTAL CARE
Thank you to those who have been turning in your used ink cartridges!
We have an ongoing collection of used ink cartridges and cell phones. Please bring them with you when you come to church and place them in the box in the Narthex (entryway)! We received a check for $57.00 for items turned in.
MEETING DATE CHANGES
FOR THIS MONTH
Please note on the calendar that the day and time for the Finance Committee Meeting and the day for the Church Council Meeting are a week after our usual dates due to the Thanksgiving holiday!
Finance Committee Meeting: Tuesday, November 28th at the usual time.
Church Council Meeting: Thursday, November 30th at the usual time.
Welcome New Members!
New members were received at the Reformation Worship Service on Sunday, October 29th. We welcome them all. May we be a blessing to them as they are to us. Following the service we had our Annual Bratwurst Lunch in honor of our new members.
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THOSE WHO SERVE
THIS MONTH
Please study the following at home to prepare for Sunday Worship:
Lessons for the 22nd Sunday after Pentecost
through the 2nd Sunday of Advent
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Altar Guild
Carol Costello
Beverly Dinning
Sara Gould
Sylvia Makus
Pam Smithson
Financial Team
5th: Leslie Arrington
Flo Nesland
Alma Zamzow
12th: Barbara Dykman
Flo Nesland
Alma Zamzow
19th: Leslie Arrington
Barbara Dykman
Alma Zamzow
26th: Wendy Alfageme
Phyllis Mackey
Alma Zamzow
Acolyte
Shirlene Bradrick
Communion Assistant
Carmen Leslie
Greeters
Not Available at time of printing
Reader
Shirley Reimers
Prayer Leader
Beverly Anderson
Ushers
Maria Swift
Choir
Beverly Anderson
Charles Cullimore
Joan Cullimore
Lynda Elmer
John Graber
Debbie Hugdahl
Julia Langevin
Sara Lee
Nancy Luebben
Chris Moore
Kay Pushman
Violet Quist
Shirley Reimers
November 5, 2017 – 22nd Sunday after Pentecost
Micah 3:5-12
Psalm 43
1 Thessalonians 2:9-13
Matthew 23:1-12
November 5, 2017 – All Saints Sunday
Revelation 7:9-17
Psalm 34:1-10, 22
1 John 3:1-3
Matthew 5:1-12
November 12, 2017 – 23rd Sunday after Pentecost
Amos 5:18-24
Psalm 70
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Matthew 25:1-13
November 19, 2017 – 24th Sunday after Pentecost
Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18
Psalm 90:1-12
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Matthew 25:14-30
November 23, 2017 –Thanksgiving Day
Deuteronomy 8:7-18
Psalm 65
2 Corinthians 9:6-15
Luke 17:11-19
November 26, 2017 – Christ the King
Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24
Psalm 95:1-7a
Ephesians 1:15-23
Matthew 25:31-46
December 3, 2017 – First Sunday of Advent
Isaiah 64:1-9
Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19
1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Mark 13:24-37
December 10, 2017 – Second Sunday of Advent
Isaiah 40:1-11
Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13
2 Peter 3:8-15a
Mark 1:1-8
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Altar Flowers for November
November 5th:
Jann and JoAnn in Honor of Dorothea Moll on Her Birthday. (1)
Lois Beatty in Memory of Steve Beatty for His Birthday. (1)
Margaret Deaton in Memory of My Husband at Our Anniversary. (1)
November 12th:
Anonymous. (2)
November 19h:
Mickey and Carol Costello in Honor of Our Anniversary.
Mickey and Carol Costello in Memory of Our Daughter. (2)
November 26th:
Open
Flower Chart Directions
1. There are 2 bouquets for each Sunday.
2. Print your name and the special reason for the request on the line next to the date you would like them.
3. If there is not enough room to write your request on the chart, please leave the secretary a note in her box specifying your request.
4. The requested donation for one bouquet is $15.00; $30.00 for both. If you wish to request both bouquets, please note that on the chart.
When putting your donation in an envelope, please note that it is for altar flowers and the date of your flowers. Please write a separate check for flowers. Do not include it with your regular offering.
Note from Outreach and Worship and Music Committee. Guidelines for prayer list: We are requesting all members (and friends) to please call the church office and leave a message requesting prayer regarding any illnesses, surgeries, procedures, and treatments regarding you, church members, and family members. Please also notify us when the prayers are no longer needed.