newhope newsLutheran Church - Agoura Hills July and August 2018

Summertime 2018

We have already had an excitingSummer at New Hope! Weintroduced our Day of Service onJune 27th. The picture shows thekids making a movie and retellingthe story of the promise God madegood with Abraham. Here areSarah and Abraham meeting thethree visitors (even the sheep,Kaily Vitt, is on the BBQ). Wehave two more Wednesdayscoming up in July – we hope allmembers of New Hope will attend. This is an event for all ages!

At the same time the whole Evangelical Lutheran Church in America was throwing a YouthGathering in Houston, Texas. A couple of our high school youth attended the National YouthGathering in Houston with 30,000 other Lutheran teenagers!

Pictured here are New Hope youth with the D’Onofrio family enjoying lunch in Houston! Above isthe group from Ventura County that traveled together to the Youth Gathering. And lastly, next page,is what 30,000 Lutheran teenagers look like in the stadium in Houston!

We are grateful to all who helped raise funds for our youthprograming through the “Love Gift Envelope” fundraiser orthe Gala Fundraisers! Your gifts make these trips possible!The next National Youth Gathering will be in Minneapolis,MN in 2021! Let’s get ready!!

Vacation Bible School is going to begin the last week of July and first week of August! You don’t wantto miss it. Please look for more information in this newsletter!

The church’s building has undergone some renovation recently as well. In the Spring we did a significanttrim and clean up of the trees and landscape along the driveway. In June the Operations Committee haverepaired (removed and re-poured) concrete sidewalks along the parking lot and removed the gate rail andcompleted concrete work along the driveway.

Under the leadership of Joe Bulock and Natalie Larkinthere is work being done on a new labyrinth (prayerwalk). A labyrinth is a geometrically designedwalking path leading to and from a central point. It isnot a maze; you cannot get lost. There are no deadends. The point is not disorientation, but orientation.Labyrinths have been used for centuries to facilitateprayer and meditation. The most famous prayerlabyrinth today is probably the one in the ChartresCathedral. Here are four ways to get you started:

1) Ask God a question as you enter the path. Then, as you walk slowly through the twists and turns, listenfor an answer. Let your steps and your silence invite the presence and guidance of God.

2) Start your journey to the center with confession (you may want to visualize your sins being left behindwith every step you take). When you reach the center, journey out with affirmation (perhaps visualizingyourself picking things up or putting things on – like the righteousness of Christ, the smile of the Father,the purity of the Holy Spirit, etc.). Pause at the exit and give thanks for your cleansing journey.

3) Recite a breath prayer as you navigate the labyrinth, perhaps praying a different prayer on each leg orquadrant of your journey.

4) Lay down your burdens as you walk to the center of the labyrinth (perhaps laying down pebbles alongthe way as symbols of your worries or cares). In the center, pause to thank God for taking your burdens onhimself (1 Peter 5:7). Then count your blessings and give thanks on the journey to the exit.

Several are working on the labyrinth and it will be featured in Amplify and Day of Service events. If you’dlike to be a part of the process, please see Joe or Natalie.

Sunday mornings have had changes in June and will last throughout the summer months. We have oneservice offered at 10 AM, changing our schedule in June from two services to one. We have all sensed anincreased energy in our worship experiences. However, our attendance numbers are running considerablybelow average. In May our average attendance for the year was 110. In June our attendance per Sundaywas recorded at 100 (6/3), 90 (6/10), 82 (6/17), 101 (6/24), and 77 (07/01). These are slightly lowerattendance numbers than comparable dates last year during sabbatical. If you are able to be with us onSunday morning, we would greatly appreciate seeing you in church!

We are finishing a message series entitled This Is Us (relying heavily on the second lesson from 2ndCorinthians). In July andAugust ourmessage series is entitled: “WhoDoYouThinkYouAre?” based uponthe letter to the Ephesians. Wewill need some pictures ofmembers of the congregation holding to completethe graphic. If you would like to be a part of that please let me know (BTW: for those who are shy or hateyour picture -- your face will be covered by a part of the graphic). We hope you will join us for worship!See you Sunday!

Yours in Christ!

Pastor Craig

Caring CornerLet us remember the followingpeople in our prayers........

Jill Fisher is recovering fromback surgery.

Lisa Huntsinger is recoveringfrom eye surgery.

Continued prayers of healing forSteve Blair, Elisabeth Brown, EvelynColby, Bob Davis, Holly Dolliver,Mariella Edgar, Chris Fisher, BobGreen, Sandy Hansen, Del Hultgren,Chuck Kemmerer, The LaVanneFamily, Joyce Lawson, Reeta Leland,AvaGraceMcConnell, CherylMerrill,CindyO'Hare, AhooPilehvari, SharonPryor, Arnold Reuter, JaneTaschereau, Rose Topliss, FredTurner, Jax Rains-Turk, and VegaWolf.

Prayers for our servicemen -Landen Anderson, Gerren Blair,Taylor Blair, Heather Brown, KeithBrown, Patrick Clohessy, CynthiaColby, Logan Hershman, KyleMcCarley, Ikenna Olelewe, and JasonRetter.

To the many "Trip to Texas" donors ofNewHope,wewould like toexpressourappreciation to allow our youth (KevinWilkinson and Darian Kamali) totravel to Texas and experience the loveand gratitude of God's teachings andblessings. Thanks to all of you whohelped put this trip together.

Rose Topliss and Kevin Wilkinson

Dear church family -Iwanted to extendmydeepest gratitudefor the love and support sent my waythese past few month during my spinalsurgeries. It was a stressful time for myfamily, especially when it became 2

surgeries! But I so appreciated the mealsmade for us and the many lovely cards,prayers andwords of support. I definitelyfelt the love from the congregation! It istimes like these that having a churchfamily makes difficult times, less difficultand helps bring you closer toGod. Thankyou for remembering us and holding usclose to our beloved church.

With hugs and love,Jill Fisher

Thank you for the wonderful brunch andGod speed. Wewere blessed byourmanyyears at New Hope Lutheran Church.Your cards and well wishes meant somuch to us and we will always rememberyou. Wehave finallypurchasedahome inNorthernCalifornia. Our new address is15135 Venetian Way, Morgan Hill, CA95037. Please stop by to visit if you are inthis area. We wish you all the best in thefuture.

Rick and Elinor Martin

Risk Taking Mission andService Opportunities

Please check out our "HelpWanted" section on the bulletin board inthe narthex. These are tasks and supportprojects we are in need of help with.Some tasks may require a one daycommitment while others may be 3-6months, but all offer an opportunity foryou to bring yourmuch needed skills andgifts to New Hope. Additional "HelpWanted" cards will be posted as needsarise so please check back often. Whenyou see a card that interests you, pleasecontact the person noted on the card formore information. We thank you inadvance.

New Hope MessageNever miss a New Hope

message again! All sermons given atchurch are posted on YouTube at:w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m / u s e r /newhopeagoura. Listen to messagesagain that impactedyou - or better yet,share them with a friend.

Coffee Table

Bonnie and John Bell have an EthanAllen coffee table for any one that canuse it. It is distressed dark pine withdrop leaves. Call Bonnie if interestedat 805-495-5883.

eScrip Program

Are you part of the online eScripprogram? Did you know that localrestaurants are part of eScrip Dining?Dine, enjoy a good meal, and earncontributions for the church. I havealso found restaurants across thecountry participate and have earneddonations to the church while onvacation. Contact Joe Bulock if youhave any questions.

"We do something for someoneelse that we may not evenremember but can cause thatother person's life to turn insome way that's positive."

- Ann Curry

The Daytime Book Club willmeet at 11:30AM in the church libraryon August 7th to discuss "Little FiresEverywhere" by Celeste NG. Pleasejoinus if youcan. The future booksweare reading are....

September 4th - "Daring to Drive" byManal Al-Sharif

October 2nd - "Women of God" byJames Patterson

TheTuesdayMorningBible Studymeets each Tuesday from 9:30-11:15AMin the social hall. Weare currentlyusing the study from the GatherMagazine from the Women of theEvangelical Lutheran Church. Wewill NOT meet on Tuesday, July 3rd.

Monday NightBible Study

TheWomen’sMondayBible Studyis open towomen of all ages. Wemeetin the New Hope Library from 7-8:30PM for prayer, study and fellowship.All women are welcome!

Prime Timer'sLuncheon

Come join us for lunch onTuesday,July10thandAugust14that11:30AMin the social hall. Our speaker forAugust will be Andrea Gallagher ofSenior Concerns. Please let RoseTopliss know if you are able to attend.Hope to see you all there. All adults 50years and older are invited to join us.

The New Hope LutheranMen's Fellowship

Join us on Thursday morningsforMen'sgroup from7:30-8:30AM.Weare continuing in our stimulatingDVD series featuring Rev. AndyStanley from North PointCommunity Church near Atlanta,Georgia. His programs are fun,thought-provoking, and Biblicallybased. Come and help stimulatesome great conversations aboutcurrent issues involving life andfaith. Come when you can to enjoythe coffee, donuts, and fellowshipwith some great men of faith.

Sunday Morning AdultStudy

Join us at 9 AM in classroom 2when we will resume our "WiredWord" study of current events andthe life of faith.

ChurchNursery

This is just a reminder thatthere is a church nursery for infantsthrough 3 years old during theworship service. If there isn't aperson in the nursery, please ask anusher and they will let the volunteerknow you need someone to watchover your child while you are inworship. We are happy to watchyour child and look forward tospending time with them.

Amplify

Preschool through4thgrade studentsare encouraged to attend our Sundayschool program, Amplify. It takes placeafter Children's Time each Sundayduring the 10 AM service and meets inthe Amplify classroom behind the socialhall. Amplify takes the place ofChildren's Church and Sunday School.

VBSwill take place from July 30ththrough August 3rd. Lutheran Retreats,Camps and Conferences will join usagain this summer to lead our elementaryyouth through an awesome week ofVBS! The theme this summer is AllAboard! Lunch and snacks will beprovided during our week together. Ifyou have kids or grandkids enteringgrades K-6 that you would like to attendthis exciting week of learning about Godin a fun, faith-filled setting, a sign-upsheet is posted on the bulletin board. Allkids participate for free.

SundayMorningCoffee

If you enjoy a cup of coffee afterworship service, why not put in somemoney in our coffee can to help purchasethe coffee that we serve. The canwill beon the goodie table once a month.

"If God is love, the onlywaywecan worship God is by lovingothers."

- John Shelby Spong

Lay Ministry Community Connections

Just a note thatwe are changing ourmeeting time for Prayer Shawl to 9:15 AM, beforechurch, every first and third Sundays. With our new time, we hope to see some newfaces!

Or be a driver? We give thanks for our volunteer drivers and the friendships they havemade with their passengers.

If you are in need of a ride or would like to volunteer as a driver, email Marsha atchewscmc@gmail.com.

Social Ministry Summer

Conejo Meals Program- July 22 and August 19

Support our Troops - Socks and Hygiene/Treats for Military Dogs -July and August

Supplies for Prince of Peace Houston School kids - July 15 through August 15

President’s Corner

President’s Corner,

We are a few weeks into our One Service Sundays and the feedback has been extremely positive for themost part. Oh, yeah, some like their early time more than the later and vice versa. Some like the musicbetter at one than the other. Some like robes better than suits. Change is not easy. And be patient aswe alternate, trying to find the right blend. But what really matters is that we are a family worshiping,breaking bread, singing and laughing together and everyone has come together to make it a joyful,prayerful experience. Our worries about overcrowding in the parking lot seem to not have materializedyet but we will be monitoring in the Fall when people have returned from travel and school is back insession. We have a couple of contingency plans if it changes.

This month, our Council spotlight is on Merylee Blair. Merylee chairs our Social Ministry committee. Herareas of responsibility include the Conejo Meals program, LSS lunches, MANNA, NAMI, CROP Walk, andmany others. She has church members who help with many of these, but the Conejo Meals program isone she personally leads. I know you have seen her once a month with her sign-up sheet, looking forsomeone to help at the dinners. If everyone who is able would volunteer once or twice a year, she wouldhave lots of help to prep and serve, and it is a short time out of your evening.

I asked her to share a little about herself that you may not know.

I am a native Californian born in Glendale. My family moved to the Fullerton area when I was fiveand I remained there through high school. While in college I went to work for United Airlines andmoved to metro Washington DC area where I remained for several years. During that time, Itraveled extensively until I met my husband Steve and returned to California. We married in 1983and had our sons Gerren and Brent and our daughter Brianna. Our family joined our New Hopefamily 22 years ago and have been blessed to be part of this loving family ever since. My childrenhave blessed us with 7 grandchildren who will all be baptized together here on July 15th. I amlooking forward to our number 8 grandbaby next year.

Enjoy your 4th of July, however you chose to celebrate. Remember, Council and staff are always thereto hear your thoughts, comments, praises or complaints. We really like the praises!!

Blessings, Gaye

From Deacon Lynn

By the time you read this, our first Intergenerational Day of Service will be finished. I hopethat if you weren’t able to join us, you can ask participants how it went (it’s going to beawesome!) and listen to what they have to say. We will be making sandwiches for LSS, andin July we will help build New Hope’s new labyrinth. We will also be learning songs, coloringposters, and finding out how to love likeGodwith compassion. Even if you aren’t going tomakeit to the events, you’ll be touched by them in worship and what the kids and adults learn andshare.

Coming soon in July therewill be a new addition to worship that should be a help tomany. NewHope has been looking at assisted listening devices to help make it easier for those withhearing impairment to get the most out of worship. Our new system has been ordered, andas soon as it comes and gets set up we will start using it in worship. There are eight headsetsthat work with or without hearing aids. A huge thanks to Chris Chigaridas for helping leadthis effort.

One thing that we’ll need to be aware of with this system, is that if you are making anannouncement during services, please use a microphone. Even if you have the world’s loudestvoice, the listening boost system will not pick you up if you’re not on one of the microphones.Thank you for your help,

Deacon Lynn

Stewardship MusingsBy Karen Ingram

Stewardship is a demonstration of our grateful response to the blessings God has bestowedon us. Sometimes this is expressed by helping others. The ELCA has a day of service comingup on September 9th - “God’sWork. OurHands.” How canNewHope showAgouraHills God’slove in action on September 9th? Please contact Karen Ingram with your ideas805-496-7097 or ksuingram@earthlink.net. Thank you.

New Member Luncheon

Anewmember luncheonwill be held onSunday, July 22nd following the 10:00church service. This 90-minute sessionled by Pastor Craig, is open to anyonethat wants to know more about NewHope and membership in our church.Please RSVP to Pastor Craig or LaurieScott in the church office at818-889-8700or email Lorie Paulson at:lorie@terrypaulson.com. A brunch/lunch will be provided.

Gardeners andLandscapers!

We have an opportunity to create a newGarden/landscape on the property alongthe driveway (it's bigger than it looks).Should it be California natives? Plantsfound in the Bible? Plants that bloom inthe colors of the Church Season? If youwould like to provide plant input or mapout a garden, contact JoeBulock orGaryMcGinnis.

MANNA at BJ’s

Too hot to cook? Want to helpMANNA? Consider eating at BJ’sRestaurant and Brewhouse on Monday,

July 16th for lunch or dinner (or both!).BJ’s is located at 3955 Thousand OaksBoulevard in Westlake Village. BJ’s willdonate 20% of your food and soft beveragesales to MANNA when you you present aflyer for this special fundraising and dine-in or take-out from 11AM– 11 PMon July16th. Pick up your flyer in the narthex. Youdon’t have to cook, you get to eat great foodand MANNA gets a helping hand to feedthe hungry – it’s a win-win-win.

17th Annual Bowls of Hope

Tickets are on sale for the 17th Annual“Bowls of Hope” fundraising event to beheld November 4th, from 11AM– 2 PM atCLU’s Gilbert Arena (60 W. Olsen Road,Thousand Oaks) - $50 general admission;$15 for children (2 and younger are free).Enjoy delicious soup from Conejo Valleyrestaurants, listen to music provided byyouth from local schools, bid on silentauction items, catch up with friends….andhelp Many Mansions provide services totheir residents. Tickets are on sale now ateventbrite.com or manymansions.org/event/bowls-hope-2018.

MANNA FOOD PANTRY

The top items that MANNA needsare canned tomato soup, canned chickensoup, canned variety soup, canned stew/chili, baked/refried beans, boxed cannedpinto beans, canned diced/stewed potatoes,

hot cereal, hamburger helper.MANNA will gladly accept

ANY unexpired (within 12 monthsprior to the “sell-by” date), non-perishable food items that areunopened and in good condition.Home gardeners are alsowelcome todrop off fresh fruits and vegetablesthat are ripe and in good condition.

Please leave any donations inthe box in the narthex.

Any questions, call AnnAshamallah at (818)-613-6818.

"We have a choice everyday of what we can putinto the world. Pleasechoose love every singleday."

- Harry Styles

"I've come to believe thatif we start each day froma place of gratitude, thenit's bound to go a bitbetter than it would if wedidn't."

- Maria Shriver

"Don't speak unless youcan improve upon thesilence."

- Quaker Proverb

July Birthdays

1 Gary Alwood3 Wayne Rickert4 John Leland5 Allison Graybill8 Tim Neal13 Chriss Alwood

Jane TaschereauDoug Harrell

16 Luayne Valestrino17 Jeanette King21 Hannah Hershman23 Morgan Huntsinger24 Merylee Blair

19 Tom Beddingfield20 Del Hultgren

Aleta Braxton23 Bethany King

Leila Mahmoudi24 Alison Rowe

Sandy Hansen28 Zac Beeker31 Zack Niebolt

New Hope Lutheran Church29295 Agoura RoadAgoura Hills, CA 91301818-889-8700www.newhopeagoura.com

The deadline for all articles forthe September newsletter isAugust 23rd. Be sure to emailthem togsmcginnis@roadrunner.com.

29 Carla Stoffel30 Denny Koons

August Birthdays

1 Robbie Gwartney4 Marsha Chew5 William Huntsinger

Jack Powledge8 Eilene Green10 Kristine Beeker

Tom Powledge13 Craig Beeker17 Joe Bulock18 Stan Fisher

Rob Taschereau