Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church DeLand, Florida

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“Pray without ceasing ” (I Thessalonians 5:17)

Short and to the point. I’m willing to bet this is the second-shortest Bible verse, right behind

“Jesus wept”. (John 11:35). Summertime gives us an opportunity to do just that – pray without ceas-

ing. “Aww, Pastor, how can I do that?” How about thirty hours of prayer AND fasting? Our youth did it a couple of years ago; the “30-Hour Famine”. I still have the “survivors kit”! Remember, Jesus did it for forty days. “Prayer without ceasing” can be a singleness of purpose directed toward

God. You know, the constant awareness of Jesus, our constant companion. You may have noticed that, aside from the Ice Cream Social on the 3rd, and

hosting “Fools for Christ” clown ministry the last week of the month, July is pret-ty tranquil. There are hardly any meetings scheduled. I think this is the perfect time to pray for a vision for this congregation. It is time to stop lamenting church decline and pray for how God might see FELC reverse that decline.

We don’t need another method, another program. We need only turn our thoughts and lives intentionally toward God, seeking His wisdom and guidance.

I am calling for Wednesday, August 3rd to be a 24-hour period of corporate prayer and fasting. Would any of you be willing to commit to this? It is God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, who yields increase from the seeds we plant. Since we believe that God answers prayer, I feel this is the perfect way to begin turning the tide here.

Our “spiritual muscles need the exercise.” No one said it would be easy. But we are equipped with all the tools we need to be an active, vibrant, and yes grow-ing, family of Faith. Whether or not you participate on Wednesday, August 3rd, at the very least continue to pray for this congregation. Invite others. Develop and cultivate nurturing relationships. Serve our community. Also, rest and recreate. Take advantage of the freedom from over-scheduled lives to draw closer to the One who loves us unconditionally.

Yours in Christ,

Notes from the Pastor 2

July & August News & Announcements 3

2016 FL-Bahamas Synod Assembly 4-5

Christian One Liners and Humor 6-7

Calendars, Birthdays & more news 8-9

Money Matters, Prayer Chain 10-11

Council, Staff and Business Directory 12

IN THIS ISSUE:

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Located in the basement of the

First United Methodist Church of DeLand

Thanks to all who served in March !

Great teamwork – thanks be to God!

On Tuesday, June 14th, we served 85 meals, plus 18 second

helpings to the hungry. Big thanks go to the following for

preparing and serving: Janice Cornwell, Dennis Hanson,

Danny Stewart, Marianne Stewart, Adam Stoddard , Mi-

chael Swanto, Pam Swanto, Debbie Wuertz, Thanks also

again to Veronica “Teddy” Holmes.

We serve on the second Tuesday of each month. This is a

great opportunity for a group, club, or family to serve the

community. There is no financial commitment necessary;

simply a gift of time and service. The entrees for these meals

are provided, but salads, side dishes, and desserts are al-

ways appreciated.

Our next turn is

Tuesday, July 12th at 5:00pm. If you would like to serve, please call

Debbie Wuertz at 453-9420.

COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS

1. Don’t forget Christmas in July! Read up on the details on this page. Please find the bins in the fel-lowship hall, on these are the lists of suggested items to donate. Thank you for your donations!

Next meeting will be September 12th, 2016

Faith Lutheran is on Facebook! Find us at:

Come join us in celebrating Christ-mas in July on Sunday, July 24, 2016! The focus of the event is to show appreciation to the service men and women who put themselves in harm’s way to protect our great country. For the currently deployed servicemen, we will be collecting ap-proved items that will be shipped overseas. Items will also be collected for delivery to the Emory L. Bennett Memorial Veterans Nursing Home in Daytona Beach. Collection items will be accepted during the months of June and July. There are bins in the fellowship hall with the lists of approved, or suggested, items. A potluck luncheon will be held after service on July 24 after which the donations will be sorted and pre-pared for shipping or delivery. We currently have addresses for L.J. Smiley and Dolores Schimd’s grand-daughter, Lisa. Please see Debby Boyer if you have addresses for oth-er currently deployed servicemen so they can be included in our ship-ments.

Beginning Sunday, August 7th, Pastor Art will be offering a class for prospective new members after worship in the Fellowship Hall. This is pri-marily for those who are new among us, but current mem-bers are also welcome to join in. We will explore life and op-portunities in this congrega-tion. Please join us for coffee, snacks, and stimulating con-versation!

From July 10th to the 16th at Lutheridge in South

Asheville, NC,, Tiernan Sutton, Dotty Schoenfeld-

er, Beverly Reidy, and Alfred and Cornelia

Policke, will enjoy singing with a renowned in-

structor in the morning and in the afternoon will

have the option to participate in handbells and in-

strumentals. Campers enjoy all of the regular

camp activities with the added excitement of a

camp wide concert on Friday. We wish the best of

Music Week for staffers Bob and Deborah DeGae-

tano and those attending!

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“LET JUSTICE FLOW LIKE WATERS”

2016 FL-BAHAMAS SYNOD ASSEMBLY

June 10-12

We should be very thankful for, and proud of, our two volunteers, Dotty Schoenfelder and Debbie Wuertz. When Debbie and I arrived at the venue on Friday, there was Dotty, already helping with the service project! Since our Flagler-Volusia Conference, being the host conference, was charged with coming up with the service project, we earmarked Halifax Urban Ministries to be the recipients of “plarn” sleeping mats. Made from recycled plastic shop-ping bags, the method is like crochet, or plastic + yarn=”plarn.” We have brought back the instructions so that we and other groups can learn how to do this. Halifax Urban Ministries (HUM) will give these sleeping mats to the homeless of Volusia County. They are remarkably water-proof, heat- and cold-resistant. It was amazing and so gratifying to see so many volunteers and vot-ing members pitch in throughout Assembly to make these. I will let you know when I hear of the final count. This time, “paperless” worked! The platform used was “Guidebook”, and it was a great “app”. It was so foolproof that even this “pastor-fool” could navi-gate it! This year, as in all even-numbered years, was a discipleship assembly. The plenary sessions were mostly about ministry reports and just a few elections. There were no major legislative decisions, and only one resolution – that our Synod memorialize the Churchwide Assembly in August to speak out on hu-man rights violations in Africa. It was just a delight to be present. I can’t say enough about how wonderful our Bishop, Robert Schaefer, is. We here at Faith experienced him first-hand as he preached and presided over our Eucharist on May 1st, celebrating with us our congregation’s 65th anniversary. That was not a put-on display. He is just as authentic, genuine, and down-to-earth when he presides over Synod Assembly as well. He is unflappable when things do not go totally according to script. The worship is always so uplifting. The Praise Ensemble did a great job with their contemporary treatments of traditional hymns. Due to the death of Rich-ard Hoel earlier in the week, I missed the Saturday a.m. agenda in order to do

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his memorial service here at Faith. In the afternoon, I attended two work-shops. The first one was on social media. It was presented via Skype by Mere-dith Gould, a 65-year-old pioneer in digital ministry. The days of blogging are just about over. She encouraged us to use Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest as tools for evangelism and communication. The second workshop I went to was “Called Forward Together in Christ.” This is an ELCA process that asks questions about our future as a Church. We are so much more than a social service organization with sacraments! The discussion was lively, even as we all lamented our declining numbers and increasingly elderly look. We at FELC are not alone, and we are not “failures”! Again, I have brought back talking points and conversation starters for small group use. Pastor Russell Myer, St. Paul Lutheran in Tampa and Executive Director of the Florida Council of Churches, was the facilitator. The ELCA representative was Judith Roberts, Director for Racial Justice Min-istries. I regrettably missed her Keynote Workshop, but I know you will be able to access it via our synod website soon. Justice and racism were the un-derlying themes of this Assembly. In addition to our congregation’s anniversary and my ten-year anniversary of ordination being recognized, I was elected to the Synod Discipline Committee for a six-year term. This committee meets ONLY in the event of a rostered leader or a congregation that has crossed the line or has violated church policy or constitution. I will be delighted to show you on my phone what went on, even the live Twitter feed! Next year, it will be back at the Embassy Suite in Kissimmee from June 1-3, a Thursday through a Saturday. Now, a repeat from last year’s report: There should be NO REASON WHATSOEVER that we cannot have two voting members from our congregation attend! It is such an important and rewarding experience. As we have collected Second Offerings this year for our various internal ministries, we can certainly do so for this. In His service, Pastor Art Wuertz

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Christian One-liners

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Don't let your worries get the best of you; Remember, Moses started out as

a basket case.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Some people are kind, polite, and thoughtful Until you try to sit in their

pews.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Many folks want to serve God,

But only as advisers.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* It is easier to preach ten sermons

Than it is to live one.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* The good Lord didn't create anything

without a purpose, But mosquitoes come close.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* When you get to your wit's end,

You'll find God lives there.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* People are funny; they want the

Front of the bus, Middle of the road, And back of the church.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* Opportunity may knock once, but

temptation bangs on the front door forever.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Quit griping about your church;

If it was perfect, you couldn't belong.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

If a church wants a better pastor, It only needs to pray for the one it has.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

We're called to be witnesses, not law-yers or judges.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

God Himself doesn't propose to judge a man until he is dead. So why should

you?

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* Some minds are like concrete

Thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* Peace starts with a smile.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* I don't know why some people change

churches; What difference does it make which one you stay home from?

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* Be ye fishers of men. You catch 'em -

He'll clean 'em.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* Don't put a question mark where God

put a period.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* Don' t wait for 6 strong men

to take you to church.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Forbidden fruits create many jams.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

God grades on the cross, not the curve.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

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Check the pew pocket for details!

God loves everyone, But probably prefers 'fruits of the spirit'

over 'religious nuts!'

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

He who angers you, controls you!

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

If God is your Co-pilot, swap seats!

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Prayer: Don't give God instructions, just report

for duty!

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* The Will of God never takes you to

where the Grace of God will not protect you.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

We don't change the message. The message changes us.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* You can tell how big a person is

By what it takes to discourage him/her.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* The best mathematical equation I have

ever seen: 1 cross + 3 nails = 4 given.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* If this blessed you in a profound way today, Share it with a few friends to bless them! I bet someone else will

LOVE it too.

There is no greater treasure than a good friend!

May you always have love to share, Health to spare, And Friends that care.

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5:00

July 4th Donald Gooden July 13th Samantha Theesen July 6th Carl Fauble July 14th Anndrea Kulhanek July 7th Marianne Stewart July 20th Amy Wuertz July 7th Rick Swann July 22nd Dora Mallett July 8th Joseph Neib July 25th Joyce Parrillo July 9th Dan Eriksen July 26th Pat Brown July 10th Maryann Rosenberg July 31st Ruth Erickson

The Second Sunday of every month is

Faith’s Outreach Ministry will be continuing our partnership with

St Barnabas to help their

Faith at Work

Food Pantry! On the second Sunday of each month, everyone is asked to

bring a specific non-perishable food item the pantry needs.

On July 10th

Please Bring:

Peanut Butter

1

2

3 Service 9:30 am

4 Finance Meeting

5:30pm Worship & Mu sic

7:00pm

5 Rebekah Circle @ Good Samaritan 10:00am

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7

8 9

10 Service 9:30 am

Bring Peanut Butter! Music Week Begins @

Lutheridge

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12

13

14

15

16 Music Weeks Ends @

Lutheridge

17 Service 9:30 am

Mission Sharing For Military Christmas

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19 20

21

22

23

24 Service 9:30 am

Christmas In July Collection Day!

Potluck Luncheon After Service

25 Clown Ministry Arrives

26 27 Care Package Help

from “Fools for Christ”

28 29 30

31 Fools for Christ

Mime and Celebration Service 9:30am

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

FELC Day

On the third Sunday of each month there will be a

second collection for various needs of the church. The collec-tion today will go

toward:

Military

Christmas

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1 Finance Meeting

5:30pm Worship & Mu sic

7:00pm

2 Rebekah Circle @ Good Samaritan

10:00am

3 Potluck 6pm

4 5

6 Annual Mayor’s

Backpack Giveaway

8am - 10am

7 Service 9:30 am

Faith Explorers 11:00am

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9

10

Potluck 6pm 11

12 13

14 Service 9:30 am

Bring Tasty Tuna! Faith Explorers

11:00am

15

16

17 Potluck 6pm

18

19

20

21 Service 9:30 am

Mission Sharing Discretionary Fund

Faith Explorers 11:00am

22 CHMS

School Starts

23 24 Potluck 6pm

25

26

27

28 Service 9:30 am Faith Explorers

11:00am

29

30 31 Potluck 6pm

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

Aug 1st Amy Jecks Aug 14th Rachel Morris Aug 2nd Janice Cornwell Aug 15th Kerry Sholtis Aug 2nd Roy Erickson, Jr. Aug 17th Joshua Folsom Aug 3rd Thomas Wheeler Aug 20th Marilyn Snow Aug 5th Chanelle Smiley Aug 24th Debby Boyer Aug 7th Jean Cornwell Aug 25th Meghan Broeker Aug 7th Brayden Dailey Aug 25th Carol Sutton Aug 7th Symia Williams Aug 26th Kenneth Cornwell Aug 9th Christopher Martin Aug 27th Hazel Bryngelson Aug 10th Thomas Groover Aug 27th Virginia Fauble Aug 10th Martha Policke Aug 29th Todd Peterson

On the third Sunday of each month there will be a

second collection for various needs of the church. The collec-tion today will go

toward:

Pastor

Discretionary Fund

The Second Sunday of every month is

Faith’s Outreach Ministry will be continuing our partnership with

St Barnabas to help their

Faith at Work

Food Pantry! On the second Sunday of each month, everyone is asked to

bring a specific non-perishable food item the pantry needs.

On August 14th

Please Bring:

5:00

FELC Day

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Bank Account Deduction: Use the convenient Electronic Funds

Transfer option and have your offering automatically deducted from your checking account.

Never forget your check or offering envelope again!

You choose how often and how much you give.

Add fund splits for Building, Capital, Lutheridge, etc.

On The Website Visit www.FaithLutheranDeLand.org. Click the Make A Donation link at the

left side of the page. All major credit cards accepted. Fund splits for Building, Capital,

Lutheridge, etc. Give a one-time gift, or set up

recurring donations.

With Your Smartphone Upload the free QR code scanner app at

the Google Play Store. Scan the QR code found on donation

cards, bulletins, and newsletters. All major credit cards accepted.

General & Ministry Offerings includes Regular and Loose Tithe offerings, Steward-ship, and Sunday School offerings.

Capital Fund Offerings are included with Memorial and other Pass-Thru Offerings

Average

Attendance

General

Tithes

Received

General

Tithes

Needed

Designated

Giving

May

Total

CHMS

Contribu-

tions

78 $11,190.00 $11,785.00 $3,070.12 $13,496.13 $3,062.00

Attendance & offerings for the month of

Month of May All of 2016

$0.00 $30.00

Thank you for all your support! Please re-member that Capital Fund donations should be in addition to your regular tithe. We still

need your regular tithe in order to maintain day-to-day opera-tions.

Thank you to these and all member who allot-ted their Thrivent Choice Dollars to faith Luther-an Church FELC in June: Deborah Boyer, David

Peterson.

Based on Thrivent Choice ® participants recom-mendations, Faith received $2,475 in 2015!!

General Tithes Budgeted $11,785.00

General Tithes Received $11,190.00

Difference -$595.00

Thanks for Giving! We need your regular tithe in order to

maintain day-to-day operations.

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Intercessory prayer is one of the Christian’s most powerful tools. By lifting up those in need, we bring them to the Lord for His healing hand, strength and comfort.

We pray for those who are chronically ill, that God would be their daily companion and strength:

Laura Coe, Hazel Bryngelson, Nina Eriksen, Linda Feiler, Lloyd Zeller, Kerry Sholtis, Lance Borows, Faith Eriksen

For those who are fighting cancer, that they will know they are not alone in the battle: Austin Carey, Ray Bebee, Curt Doroban, Bob Jordan, Alfred Mueller, Isabelle Lee Pritchett, Emily Snyder, Suzie Farris,

and Craig Parrillo

We rejoice with those who are recovering form injury, illness, or surgery: Nina Eriksen, Peggy Sherman, Bryce Warrensford, Ruth Niederstrasser

For those who are shut in, that they will feel the Lord’s constant presence:

Lucille Eaton (FLHC), Millie Glover, Carl & Virginia Fauble , Ingrid DeSellems

We pray for those whose needs are known only to the Lord: Cathy Buchner, Marilyn Snow, Heather Kinney, Preston Kinney, Carolyn Stevens, Jackie Hays,

Cathy, Dorothy Caldwell, Scarlet Valdez

We pray for the special concerns of our neighbors, our community, our nation and our world: Our men and women in the military, Habitat for Humanity, All people in war-torn nations, Storm victims, Rain for areas that need it, For our local, state and national leaders, for those in the grip of addiction to drugs and alcohol and

for their families.

Email your prayer request to prayerrequests@faithlutherandeland.org or contact Faith Eriksen at 736-1799

“Fools for Christ” is a clown ministry troupe sponsored

by Messiah Lutheran Church of Cape Coral, Florida.

Members are in sixth grade through high school, and are

from all over the greater Fort Myers area. This ministry

represents several different denominations, but shares a

common love for Jesus Christ and a desire to share the

Good News of God’s love through the medium of clown-

ing. The ministry will arrive in DeLand July 25th and

will on that day begin rehearsing at Faith. On the 26th

they will be at the Good Samaritan Retirement Center.

On the 27th they plan to help us with the care kits for

the service men and women as part of our Christmas in

July celebration (see details below). On Sunday, July

31st, they will present a service of Mime and Celebra-

tion. Don’t miss this unique service!

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OUR MISSION STATEMENT:

Sharing Christ’s love, our mission is to extend hospitality, serve our community, and spread the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

CHURCH OFFICE: 509 E. Pennsylvania Ave. DeLand,

FL 32724 Hours: Mon. Wed. 9:00am - 5:00pm;

Fri 9:00am - 1:00pm Phone: (386) 734-2791

Fax: (386) 943-8758

Email: mission@faithlutherandeland.org

Website: faithlutherandeland.org

facebook.com/faithlutherandeland

Children’s House Montessori School: Administrator: Sherri Holzman

CONGREGATION COUNCIL MEMBERS:

Pastor: Rev. Arthur Wuertz

President: Don Boyer

Vice President: Bob Bebee

Council Secretary: Helen Martin Treasurer: Dora Mallett

Financial Secretary: Debby Boyer

CHURCH STAFF:

Pastor: The Rev. Arthur Wuertz

Office Manager: Amy Cornwell

Music Director: Deborah DeGaetano

Church Sexton: Bob DeGaetano

Organist: Tiffany Demps

Bob Bebee

Julia Beckwith

Dorothy Caldwell

Janice Cornwell

Debbie Morris

Carol Sutton

Sue Thurmond

Adam Stoddard

Christine Medrano

Let your friends at Faith know about your business! See it listed here, and in the printed directory! Submit your business online, or get a submission form in the Com-munication Center in the back of the Sanctuary. Call the office for details!

Open Fridays 8:00am-1:00pm

Located inside the Orange City Flea Market

No job to small!

Pressure Washing

& Painting by Mike Swanto

Guitar Bass Saxophone Ukulele Music Theory

Bob DeGaetano (386) 848-3630

Private instruction for all skill levels

Custom Assembly & Installation Carpentry / Cabinets / Floors Fencing / Antiques & more...

Business & Home

Computer Repair

David Hickman (386)804-9182

24/7 Emergency Road-

side

Bee Powell (386)956-9498 Commercial / Residential Investment Properties MOBILE DETAILING

(407)914-5280

Amy Wuertz 386-589-4579

amywuertz@gmail.com

Weddings, family and “get-to-gether” Pictures

Danielle Baker 518-331-9676

www.mysilpada.com/Danielle.stokely

Silver Stones Pearls Gems Jewelry