june 2020 outreach newsletterimages.acswebnetworks.com/1/2938/2020juneoutreach.pdf · expertise of...
TRANSCRIPT
MISSION STATEMENT
To proclaim the love of Jesus Christ,
invite others to participate in our faith community,
and be a blessing to all in word and deed.
American Lutheran Church of Sun City
June 2020
Outreach Newsletter
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Message from Pastor Lowell Nelson ............................................................................. 3-4
Worship and Music .......................................................................................................... 4
Wellness Minute ............................................................................................................... 5
President of the Congregational Council .......................................................................... 6
Trust Committee ............................................................................................................... 6
Women’s Ministry ............................................................................................................ 7
Neighborhood Groups ...................................................................................................... 7
Finance Committee ........................................................................................................... 8
The Story of the Geese ................................................................................................ 9-10
Bible Study with Debbie Nelson .................................................................................... 10
Gifts and Memorials .................................................................................................. 10-11
Directory Changes .......................................................................................................... 11
Staff Directory and Emails ............................................................................................. 12
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A MESSAGE FROM PASTOR LOWELL NELSON
Dear Members and Friends of American Lutheran Church,
Welcome to summer this month! I survived my first Sun City summer last
year but will go on record to state, “there’s absolutely no value added to
creation to have temperatures over 113 degrees!” When it hit 114 degrees
last year, I recall being understandably frustrated and uncomfortable.
Thank God for the early morning hours when temperatures are 30-35 degrees cooler. A new
prayer request: God, help me to set my alarm clock and get up at 5 am this summer!
June is the first month of Pentecost and starts with a theological “bang” with Trinity Sunday on
June 7th. I struggle, as every pastor, to present a clear and compelling explanation of the
Trinity to the congregation. However, that is far easier said than done. For me, it took a
picture to bring forth a new understanding of the Trinity. Instead of using some object such as
a triangle to denote the unity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, it was a picture showing the
Trinity in dance together. Reminding me of a Greek dance celebration I attended in college,
the joy of seeing divine relationship through dance was captivating. The word “Perichoresis”
(note the root of the word choreography) denotes the ongoing joy of dance in loving
relationship. Our God expresses the joy of community, the joy of mutual movement, and the
joy of a rhythm of eternal life in the Holy Trinity. As ready as I am to preach, I am delighted to
announce that our Presiding Bishop of the ELCA, Rev. Elizabeth Eaton, is recording a sermon
for nationwide distribution. What a great way to start the Pentecost season with Bishop Eaton!
Each year, I encourage congregations to “make this their best Pentecost ever!” Some of that
comes from a gentle banter to enjoy Pentecost as it is a very long season: 26 weekends, half of
the entire calendar year. Far too often, I see a gradual diminishment of the joy of the “dance”
as the weeks add up. I intend to preach throughout the season on the joy of Religion. Now,
before you get concerned, I mean the joy of the root meaning of religion. It has taken on such a
negative connotation in the past 25 years; so much better to be Spiritual than religious. But I
take that as missing the main point, as the root meaning is “to re-connect, to re-attach.” This
comes from combining “re” meaning again, and “ligare” meaning ligament. As surely
ligaments connect bones to bones ensures freedom of movement and structural integrity, this is
the goal of the Christian religion: to reconnect us with God and our neighbors with amazing
freedom to serve in Christ’s name, while being part of a coherent system of faith far greater
than our own individual spirituality. I pray for God’s blessings to articulate and share this
message of “Pentecost Reconnection” throughout our 26 weeks.
Please remember to share your story, your testimony of the truth of God’s abiding presence in
your life. I learned while encouraging you to share your testimony with others, I had neglected
to share the same story I shared in a sermon with my own family. As you may recall, I
experienced the wonderful joy of directly encountering the love of Jesus in a profound way
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during a summer high school youth retreat. It was so powerful, so compelling that never again
was I concerned whether this “religion” was true. Jesus is alive! His love is real! With utter
certainty I could connect with God for the rest of my life. My hope for you is the same hope
for me: may we boldly proclaim the love of God in Jesus Christ, invite others to live in faith
and bless the world in all we say and do. I finally shared the story with my family; let’s make
this Pentecost a season of sharing our stories of faith to “Reconnect” with God and others, in
Christ’s name.
Love, Pastor Lowell
WORSHIP AND MUSIC
Rituals are so important to us in our spiritual life – praying, singing The Lord’s Prayer, hymns
and liturgy, responsively reading the Psalms, reciting the Apostle’s Creed, and greeting each
other in Christian fellowship. We feel a connection to each other through those rituals that
somehow changes an ordinary moment into something special and sacred. We mourn the loss
of these rituals right now, but with the very real hope and expectation that we WILL be
together again one day. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to
prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
It’s especially heartbreaking that, during the pandemic, we’re not able to honor our friends’
passing with the ritual of a funeral or memorial service. If we were in a different time, we
would surely gather to honor the life of Gene Hersrud with glorious organ music, choir anthems
and enthusiastic hymn singing. Gene leaves quite a legacy for this congregation! Under his
leadership as Organist and Director of Music in the 1990’s, the Celebration choir grew to 96
members -- divided into two groups, one for each Sunday service plus the Praise Singers choir
for Saturday services. He demanded excellence as the choir presented large classical works
with full orchestra and frequent cantatas. He also was instrumental in creating the Wednesday
Night Alive program, and initiated the Intercessory Prayer group of which he was still an active
member. Well done, faithful servant!
In the absence of our customary sacred rituals, we’re using technology to stay connected with
each other, and we pray that our on-line ministry is meaningful for you. Initially we were
required to stay in our homes and use the limited technology available to us with “Zoom.” Now
we’re happy to be able to record worship in the sanctuary with the recording and editing
expertise of staff members Rick Lamb, Dave Tigges and Oddesy Hernandez. In the coming
weeks we’ll add readers and singers as possible while maintaining safe physical distance from
each other. Make it your ritual to tune in to the service, sing the opening hymn and Gloria with
us, read the Psalm responsively and pray the Lord’s Prayer together.
“We are one in the spirit; we are one in the Lord!”
Linda Shirck, Interim Organist/Worship Coordinator
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WELLNESS MINUTE: What to do When You’re Stuck at home during this pandemic!
Lori Kellar ALC Wellness [email protected]
Explore the world via the World Wide Web: Use Facebook and other social media platforms to keep up with family and friends and your neighbors, play games . Research everything you’ve wondered about, the possibilities are endless.
Do some light exercise: As walking inside and outside, do arm and leg movements to keep your muscles from tightening up, anything that keeps you moving.
Board games don’t have to be boring: From Scrabble to Solitaire and jigsaw puzzles.
Games are a great way for you to not resort to hours of mindless TV watching.
Write a letter or call someone without using a computer. It’s a simple activity, but it has great benefits. Correspondence keeps you socially connected, gives you something to look forward to and ensures that someone outside your home knows how your doing.
Do something creative or learn something new: Draw, knitting, crocheting, painting or journaling. Find something to keep your mind busy.
Mind the view: Look out your windows or sit outside and watch all the things going on around you, as they can be a source of ongoing intrigue and activity. ( ie: people watching, bird watching, all the desert bloom).
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PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL
I have been asked numerous times over the last few weeks “When will the Church reopen for
public worship?” I wish I had an exact date to tell you. We continue to have online worship,
Bible studies, Council and staff meetings, messages of encouragement, pastoral care along with
maintaining support for Benevolence. What I do know is that we want our members to be safe.
We will follow CDC guidelines stressing that we need to have a 2 week decline in cases before
we will reopen. That means, if we have a decline for 10 days and then a spike, we will need to
restart our count. What I can also tell you is that we will reopen for public worship! You
will probably see us reopen in phases until we can finally return to normal (or our “new
normal”, although I am getting tired of that phrase). I can assure you that we have a great team,
headed by Robert Wecker, planning for our reopening. Things may be a little different when
we reopen. We are discussing many things: entrance, exit, cleaning before and between
services, offering collection, communion, to name just a few, all with the safety for our ALC
congregation as a priority. I will continue to keep you updated.
We have had several people nominated for “Heroes and Heroines”. You will read about some
of them in the upcoming e-blasts or weekly messages. I continue to get nominations so don’t
stop! If you nominate through the mail, please use this summer address: Terri Polk, 32741
North Lakes Trail, Site 16D, Lindstrom, MN. 55045. My email address and phone number
remain the same.
If you are getting both an e-blast through email as well as the same e-blast message through the
postal service, please let us know what your preference is so we can clean up the duplications.
Call the ALC office and leave your message with one of our volunteers, who are taking
messages from their home, or call and ask to speak to Toni.
Please continue to be safe and reach out to others through phone calls or email,
checking on them to see they are safe. We will keep the Sunday Parking Lot
Offering Drive-Thru open from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. until we return to having
public worship.
Keeping you in my thoughts and prayers,
Terri
TRUST COMMITTEE
No meeting was scheduled for the month of May. The trust committee is exploring what would
be required to resume in-person meetings at the church.
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WOMEN’S MINISTRY
Greetings from the Women’s Ministry Board! While traditionally the middle of April through
September is the time of few events for our ALC Women’s Ministry, this season of coronavirus
has totally changed our schedule. A special ‘thank you’ to those who were able to ‘Give a Ride’
to our boxes of bandages and diapers to Global Health Ministries in Fridley, MN. The last of
our boxes ‘hitched a ride’ with the Geigers.
We have no events planned in June. In fact, our Annual Board Planning Retreat in April to set
our 2020-2021 events was cancelled and we are not sure when we will be able to again gather.
The event we are looking forward to and hoping to be able to hold is our Annual Holiday
Bazaar which is scheduled for November 21, 2020 in the Fellowship Hall from 8:00 a.m. to 12
noon. We hope you will attend this annual fundraiser. In the fall, we will have sign-ups for
donations of:
Baked Goods
Silent Auction Items
Craft Items
Gift Cards and Items for Raffle
Baskets
Plants .
Please consider what you might be able to contribute. As we
continue through these uncertain times, please take care, stay safe
and know we look forward to seeing you as soon as possible.
Sincerely, Jan Powell
NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS
The Arizona Governor is starting to allow reopening of many facilities in our state. This will
include churches and restaurants. However, there are still group distancing recommendations
for seniors 65+ and for those 60+ with underlying health issues. Group meeting activities may
still be months away.
All Neighborhood Group members are encouraged to continue staying in touch with each other
through non-physical means. They include email, phone, USPS mail, Zoom, Skype, messaging
and even fax. Most groups do not start meeting until September each year but we need to be
thinking of what needs to be done for personal health and safety once ‘Group Distancing for
Seniors’ is relaxed. We should all be thinking of ways to maintain member safety in the future
whilst still meeting in our individual Groups. Watch future issues of Outreach for suggestions.
Blessings to all, Bryan Cooper-Keeble,
[email protected], 623-376-6666
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FINANCE COMMITTEE
Due to the coronavirus restrictions, January-April regular giving income is down $74,761 from
our original budget. At the same time our expenses are down $4,466 from the budget. We have
some reserves held over from 2019. With this pandemic, we are projecting an average loss of
$20,000 per month. These figures do not include the benefits of the $92,500 grant received
from the SBA Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP).
April 2020 Year To Date January through April
Budget Actual Better/(Worse) Budget Actual Better/(Worse)
Regular
Giving Income
$120,845 $83,077 $(37,768) $491,885 $417,124 $(74,761)
Operational
Expense
$98,165 $92,302 $5,863 $418,438 $413,972 $4,466
Notes: Income includes regular offerings and excludes debt reduction, gift,
memorial, and in/out revenue. Expense includes the principal portion of the
mortgage payment and excludes gift and memorial expenses which were not
budgeted.
$83,077
$92,302
$120,845
$98,165
Regular Giving Income
Operational Expense
April Regular Giving Budget Actual
$417,124
$413,972
$491,885
$418,438
Regular Giving Income
Operational Expense
YTD- January through April Budget Actual
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THE STORY OF THE GEESE
A Spiritual Archives Story from All-Creatures.org
Submitted by Terri Polk
I came by the following beautiful story. I hope you enjoy the message. In these lonely, isolating
times, it’s a clear reminder of the gift we have been given. Let us be thankful for God’s saving
grace.
There was once a man who didn't believe in the incarnation of Christ or the spiritual meaning
of Christmas, and was skeptical about God. He and his family lived in a farm community. His
wife was a devout believer and diligently raised her children in her faith. He sometimes gave
her a hard time about her faith and mocked her religious observance of Christmas.
"It's all nonsense - why would God lower himself and become a human like us? It's such a
ridiculous story!" he said.
One snowy day, she and the children left for church while he stayed home. After they had left,
the winds grew stronger and the snow turned into a blinding snowstorm. He sat down to relax
before the fire for the evening.
Then he heard a loud thump, something hitting against the window. And another thump. He
looked outside but couldn't see. So he ventured outside to look. In the field near his house he
saw, of all the strangest things, a flock of geese! They were apparently flying to look for a
warmer area down south but had been caught in the snowstorm. The storm had become too
blinding and violent for the geese to fly or to see their way. They were stranded on his farm,
with no food or shelter, unable to do more than flutter their wings and fly in aimless circles.
He had compassion for them and wanted to help them. He thought to himself, "The barn would
be a great place for them to stay! It's warm and safe; surely they could spend the night and wait
out the storm." So he opened the barn doors for them. He waited, watching them, hoping they
would notice the open barn and go inside. But they didn't notice the barn or realize what it
could mean for them.
He moved closer toward them to get their attention, but they just moved away from him out of
fear. He went into the house and came back out with some bread, broke it up, and made a bread
trail to the barn. They still didn't catch on. Starting to get frustrated, he went over and tried to
shoo them toward the barn. They panicked and scattered into every direction except toward the
barn. Nothing he did could get them to go into the barn where there was warmth, safety and
shelter.
Feeling totally frustrated, he exclaimed, "Why don't they follow me?
Can't they see this is the only place where they can survive the storm?
How can I possibly get them into the one place to save them?" He
thought for a moment and realized that they just wouldn't follow a
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human. He said to himself, "How can I possibly save them? The only way would be for me to
become like those geese. If only I could become like one of them! Then I could save them!
They would follow me and I would lead them to safety."
At that moment, he stopped and considered what he had said. The words reverberated in his
mind: "If only I could become like one of them, then I could save them." And then, at last, he
understood God's heart towards mankind, and he fell on his knees in the snow and worshiped
Him.
BIBLE STUDY WITH DEBBIE NELSON
Hello Ladies of American Lutheran Church,
How I miss you! I pray that you are all staying
healthy and doing well. Since this virus started,
Pastor Lowell and I have learned to Zoom with our
family and friends, enjoying conversation, games
and fellowship. Now that I have a handle on the art
of “Zooming”, I would love us to come together for
a bible study!
The Gather Magazine’s website has free bible studies as well as articles that would make good
conversation for us to stay connected and encouraged. Take a look at gathermagazine.org,
click on “Bible Studies” and then “Free Bible Studies”. You will see a tab for articles too.
Please let me know if this appeals to you. I was thinking of Wednesday mornings at 10 a.m.
Don’t worry if you don’t have Zoom. It is easy to set up and use or you can phone in if your
computer does not have a camera. If the idea of Zooming with others isn’t your cup of tea, you
might email your comments/suggestions to the group and be a part of the conversation that
way.
I so look forward to seeing your smiling faces and appreciate your feedback on this idea!!
Peace and Love,
Debbie
(402) 651-3635
GIFTS AND MEMORIALS
Gifts given to American Lutheran Church in memory of:
Evelyn H. Nelson, Larry and Jan Muller, Carol and Harold Moe, Donna Raus, Jerry and Patsy Pokrandt,
George and Joyce Zoske, Jim and Janet Keck, Donna Betcher, Judith A Morrison,
Charlene and James Trageser, Jeanette Danielson, Glen Schulz, Clare Randall
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Gil Thoele
Vicki Merlak, Carol and Harold Moe, Rolfe Blaess, Van and Janet Judd, Bill and Cindy
Bartlett, Dell and Janice New
LaVonne Klandrud Marilyn and Curtis Bah
Robert Miller The Morrison Family
Rose Kroeplin For Mother’s Day by Joyce De Vantier
Seth Twichell
Gena Marks
Wally and Ferne Harmell's Anniversary Sheila Harmell
Gifts were given by Chuck and Denice Louderback for The Genesis Bell choir in celebration
of Bernice Gill's 92nd birthday; and by Faye Westphal for postage toward the mailing of the
Outreach newsletter, which she dearly loves to receive and read.
DIRECTORY CHANGES We express our deepest sympathy to those who have lost loved ones.
RECENT DEATHS
Berg, Greta M. (4/16/2020)
Twichell, Seth W. (4/19/20)
Ford, Catherine M. (4/24/20)
Barth, Barbara F. (5/1/20)
Boyce, Barbara J. (5/9/2020)
Johnson, Rosemary J. (5/16/2020)
Hersrud, Gene E. (5/18/2020)
CENTENARIANS
Mary Graybiel (105)
Norma Carlsson (105)
Dorothy Noren (102)
Florence Johnson (100)
LOCAL ADDRESS CHANGES
Susan Sherbocker
10015 Royal Oak Rd., Apt. 134
Sun City, AZ 85351
MOVED OUT OF AREA PERMANENTLY
Ivan & Liz Dorn
19354 Halwood Rd.
Glenwood, MN 56334-5011
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Phone: 623.974.2512
Fax: 623.974.2515
www.alcsuncity.org
PASTORAL STAFF
Rev. Lowell D. Nelson Senior Pastor
Rev. Gary R. Ulrich Pastor of Care Ministry
Rev. Judith Rainforth Pastor
MUSIC MINISTRY
Linda Shirck Interim Organist
Janet MacDonald Choir Director
George Zoske Director of Christo Bells
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF Julie Ochs Finance Coordinator
Toni Molck Operations Coordinator
Oddesy Hernandez
Communications/Media
Lori Kellar Wellness Ministry
Dave Tigges Property / Grounds
Rolfe Blaess Sound
American Lutheran Church of Sun City
17200 N. Del Webb Blvd
Sun City, AZ 85373
CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED