SeptemberSeptemberSeptemberSeptember 2012012012012222

Volume Volume Volume Volume 44445555, Issue, Issue, Issue, Issue 9999

The LeafThe LeafThe LeafThe Leaf – a monthly publication of GLC

Gethsemane Lutheran ChurchGethsemane Lutheran ChurchGethsemane Lutheran ChurchGethsemane Lutheran Church The LeafThe LeafThe LeafThe Leaf

35 Ea35 Ea35 Ea35 East Stanton Avenue st Stanton Avenue st Stanton Avenue st Stanton Avenue ♦ Columbus OH 43214 Columbus OH 43214 Columbus OH 43214 Columbus OH 43214 ♦ 614614614614----885885885885----4319431943194319

www.gethsemane.orgwww.gethsemane.orgwww.gethsemane.orgwww.gethsemane.org

PastorPastorPastorPastor

Rev. June A. Wilkins pastorjune@gethsemane.org

Music Music Music Music MinistrMinistrMinistrMinistriesiesiesies

Dr. Timothy E. Guenther tguenther@gethsemane.org

Learning & Family MinistriesLearning & Family MinistriesLearning & Family MinistriesLearning & Family Ministries

Terri Siebert tsiebert@gethsemane.org

Child Care CenterChild Care CenterChild Care CenterChild Care Center

Brenda Weilbacher bweilbacher@gethsemane.org

Parish SecrParish SecrParish SecrParish Secretaryetaryetaryetary

Diane Gutgesell glcoffice@gethsemane.org

CustodiansCustodiansCustodiansCustodians

Kate and Shana Bumster

In this IssueIn this IssueIn this IssueIn this Issue

Inclusive Language – P. 2

VBS / Rally Day – P. 4

Swahili Concert – P. 5

Adult Education – P. 6

Quilt Dedication – P. 8

Service Day – P. 8

Sunday, September 9, 2012Sunday, September 9, 2012Sunday, September 9, 2012Sunday, September 9, 2012

Potluck Potluck Potluck Potluck Brunch andBrunch andBrunch andBrunch and

Special ActivitiesSpecial ActivitiesSpecial ActivitiesSpecial Activities

in the Great Hallin the Great Hallin the Great Hallin the Great Hall

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Inclusive Language By Pastor June Wilkins

Words matter. We use words to express ourselves,

convey instructions and tell stories. Words can heal

and they can hurt. They can include or exclude. As

Christians, we use words to tell the story of Jesus and

God. Through words, the stories of Jesus have been

passed down from the original disciples to us. And

words are all we will have to pass the stories on to the

next generation. The Gospel of John even calls Jesus

“The Word of God.” Words matter. Language matters.

What we say matters.

That is why I think, as Christians, using inclusive

language in our speech, worship and writing is

important.

Inclusive language is when we use nouns and

pronouns that are not male gender-specific when

referring to people and even to God. Being inclusive in

our language means using “humankind” instead of

“mankind”, “he or she” and not just “he” and “brother

and sister” and not just “brother” when referring to

people. And it also means using “God” or “Creator”

and not just “He” or “Father” when referring to God.

I try to do this intentionally in my speaking and leading

because I believe words matter and how we convey

the message of Jesus to each other matters. When we

use only masculine language, I believe that it can

inadvertently exclude females from the message.

Sometimes this can be difficult because the Bible itself

uses many masculine words and pronouns when

talking about people and especially when talking

about God. There are new translations like the NRSV

and the New Living Translation and the Message that

have intentionally used gender-neutral words for

humanity. (Most still use mostly masculine language

for God.)

It’s important to remember that the languages of

Hebrew and Greek, in which the books of the Bible

were originally written, are gender-specific languages.

That means that every noun and verb conjugation has

a gender assignment. And the ancient traditions of the

languages proscribe that any mixed gender reference

defers to male. That means if there is a crowd of all

women and one man, the crowd is referred to in the

masculine form of the word therefore, people or

humans as a group were always referred to as “men”.

Like at the end of Paul’s letter to the Galatians he

writes “May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with

your spirit, brothers and sisters.” (Gal 6:18) The

original reads only “brothers” but it is obvious that he

is addressing the whole community and not just the

men.

We do not have that gender specific issue with the

English language. But when the Bible was translated

into English early on (until the last half of the 20th

century), the translators made a choice to use the

male pronoun when referring to crowds and human

beings. This is probably because it was also the

custom at the time of those translations to use mostly

male pronouns in the English language.

The gender-inclusive use for God might be a more

difficult issue for some. The original writers of the

Bible certainly referred to God as male and

understood God as male. This might be partially a

3

STAFFSTAFFSTAFFSTAFF

convention of the languages they used, but it might

have been their assumption at the time that men

were superior to women and therefore God was

obviously male.

But we don’t share that assumption today. We also

understand that God is neither male nor female.

Genesis 1:27 reads “God created humankind in his

image, in the image of God he created them; male and

female he created them.” Even while it is referring to

God as “he”, it still says that male and female were

created in God’s image. So God’s image is of both

genders. Also, in the Hebrew scriptures, the Spirit of

God is referred to as “Ruach”, which is a feminine

word. And in Proverbs, the Wisdom of God (which was

said to be there during creation) was metaphorically

spoken of as a female (Proverbs 8-9). In Isaiah and

Psalms and other places, God is spoken of metaphor-

ically as a woman (Is 42:14, 49:15, Ps 22:1, 9-10.)

The writers of the Bible used metaphors to attempt to

convey God to the listener. God cannot be fully

understood or captured, so they used familiar things

in an attempt to point to God with them. These

metaphors, though, should not be understood

literally. Even when Jesus referred to God as “abba”

(translated by us as “father”) it was meant to convey

the closeness and familiarity of God, (more closely the

word is “daddy”) not necessarily to identify the gender

of God. At the best these metaphors point us towards

God; they do not and cannot covey the whole reality

of God. It is important that we convey God in many

and varied ways so we don’t exclude other images of

God from our understanding and imagination.

Sometimes it’s hard to use inclusive language,

especially in speaking. Many of the gender pronouns

like “mankind”, “Father” and using “He” for God are

ingrained in our tradition and our heads. Since most of

us have used them since we were young, it comes

more naturally to us than using more inclusive

language. But just because something comes

automatically or naturally that doesn’t mean that it is

the best way. And, like anything, practicing makes it

easier to do.

Using inclusive language in Christian expression is not

just a politically correct thing thought up by feminists

to make life difficult. It’s an intentional act of including

more people into the story of God. It’s about

welcoming people with our words just as we do with

our actions. Words matter. They have an effect on

people. I believe it is our call to have our words match

our intentions: Welcoming all people into God’s

community.

Pastor June Wilkins

4

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From Terri...

Wow, what a great Vacation Bible School we

had! Twenty children from GLC, Play and Learn,

neighborhood, and friends sang, learned, created and

played together. Especially exciting was sending our

high school youth off to the National Youth Gathering

in New Orleans. They and youth from four other

churches piled into that big red, white and blue charter

bus and we sent them off with a blessing in the form of

water balloons! After that momentous occasion we

learned some stories about praying - Daniel and the

lions, Jesus feeding the 5000, and Jesus giving his

disciples a special prayer (Lord's Prayer). We had a few

challenges - bees under the bench on Tuesday...ouch! -

no power on Wednesday...we had fun anyway seeking out light and coolness (relatively) - and Thursday...hey, a

day with no challenge!

Thank you so much to the staff - Judy Kulikowski and

Andrea Mayer (preschool), Jill Woods, Margaret

Murphy, and Kelly Fleming (preK and K) and Diane

Langer and Joy McLemore (elementary). Your time and

talents with our children are so appreciated! Thanks

also to Dr. Tim (Guenther) for music and Joyce Geary

for storytelling (she was the proud mama of the little

boy who shared his lunch with 5000 people). We also

had Angela Miller, a 9th grade alum of both Play and

Learn and our VBS, help in the classroom. Angela was

earning service hours for her high school requirement.

So all in all, and even with no power, it was a great time together. Now on to Rally Day...Sunday September 9.

Here's a teaser for Rally Day...peace frisbees. Come to worship and find out.

And following worship, join us in the Great Hall for a celebration potluck brunch. Bring a favorite brunch item to

share. Tableware and drinks will be provided. Along with enjoying great food, we will lift up the many and diverse

activities and ministries that happen here at Gethsemane, both within our walls and outside our walls. Browse the

displays of our ministries and take the opportunity to ask questions and sign up. Children can make a Rally Day

creation. Along with the displays, we'll also hear from our Swahili Ministry group (Imma Lyatuu) on Tanzania as

well as a video display from our New Orleans Youth Gathering group. A busy morning! And what a great way to

kick-off the year at Gethsemane!

5

WORSHIPWORSHIPWORSHIPWORSHIP & MUSIC& MUSIC& MUSIC& MUSIC

Swahili Ministry Team Hosts Gospel Music Concerts

On Saturday and Sunday, September 1 and 2, from 5-8:00pm the Swahili Ministry Team will host Gospel Music

Concerts here at Gethsemane in the Great Hall. The members of Gethsemane are invited to join the Swahili

community for this exciting musical event. For more information, please contact Imma Lyatuu (806-7636 or

immwilly@hotmail.com) or Jackson Lyimo (316-204-0178 or jackson.w.lyimo@chase.com).

The concert on Sunday will be preceded by a Swahili Eucharist service in the sanctuary at 3:30pm.

Gethsemane Choirs Begin Rehearsals Vocal Choir – Thursday, September 6 at 7:15 pm

Handbell Choir – Thursday, September 13 at 6:00 pm

Interested in Joining?

Contact Dr. Tim Guenther at tguenther@gethsemane.org or 614-885-4319

6

LLLLEARNEARNEARNEARN

FOR ADULTS:

Thanks to all the Gethsemane members who shared

their stories in the Library this summer – stories of

welcome, the origin of Lutheran Memorial Camp,

promoting a healthy lifestyle, journey to ministry,

Thrivent Builds – El Salvador, Engineers without

Borders and storytelling from the Bible and Us. They

led a very informative, interesting and helpful series.

Story Time the last two summers have provided a

good history of GLC.

RALLY (FOR GETHSEMANE) DAY- September 9

Mark your calendars and plan now to attend the

brunch and special activities in the Great Hall.

LIFETIME LEARNING HOUR

“Faith, Politics and the Christian Citizen”

Sept. 16, 23, 30, Oct. 7, 14

GLC member and Trinity Seminary professor, Hank

Langknecht describes his five week series to be held in

the Multi-Purpose Room as follows.

The Republican presidential primary campaigns of

Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, and Newt Gingrich

prompted many conversations about many things, not

least the relationship between politics and faith—both

personal and public. It remains to be seen whether

and how the private and public faiths of Mitt Romney

and Barack Obama will become issues in the general

election campaign.

In the United States, the conversation about faith and

politics has to scale (or tear down) the “wall of

separation between church and state” and wrestle

with the question, “Is America a ‘Christian Nation’?” In

the Lutheran caucus, we often talk about faith and

public life using the idea of “God’s Two Realms.” (With

God’s “left hand,” God attends to the public realm of

governments, economies, and institutions; with the

“right hand,” God attends to the soul and spirit of

God’s people.) And surrounding the entire discussion

is our cultural tendency to think of faith and politics as

private matters.

Sept. 16 – “Faith and Politics Audit: Ideas, Reactions,

and Stances”

Sept. 23 – “Politics and Citizenship in the Bible”

Sept. 30 – “Lutheran Views on Christian Citizenship”

Oct. 7 – “The Christian Nation”

Oct. 14 – “How Should Christians Vote?”

First Reflections Bible Study

Resumes September 10

First Reflections Bible Study will pick up again this Fall

beginning September 10. Anyone who would like to

study the gospel lesson for the upcoming Sunday is

welcome. Bring your Bible and yourself to La Chate-

laine in Worthington at 627 High Street, Monday

mornings at 8:00. You can order a breakfast, just a

beverage or nothing at all. If you are off to work from

there, you be the judge of when you need to leave.

Most Mondays we end around 8:45, sometimes 9:00.

You can find us in the back room at the big table.

Contact: Paula Sauer at paulagsauer@yahoo.com or

888-4625. Join Us! Add your voice to the study!

7

LEARNLEARNLEARNLEARN

Wednesday Noons

Starting September 12

For all of you Word-hungry Bible lovers or just curious

sisters and brothers in Christ, we are planning a

BROWN BAG BIBLE BASH at noon on Wednesdays,

starting the first Wednesday after Rally Day,

September 12. The leaders are Bob Davis and Dick

Lyndes. Our goal is to study God's Word, usually verse

by verse, injecting all kinds of personal experiences

while doing our best with God's guidance to make it

relevant to the issues in our lives.

We intend to limit it to one hour. Our initial book will

be announced in the September bulletins and will

probably be only 3 - 5 weeks. During this, you, the

class, will help decide what's next in terms of time

length, books of the Bible to study and any other

concerns that will enhance our experience.

As you might guess from above, we also plan to have

fun!

SO, reserve Wednesday noon hours from Rally Day

forward, bring your lunches and expect to participate

or just listen per your comfort zone in this group that

always turns out to be more like family, but better! -

GOD's FAMILY!

Attention All Readers! New . . .

Gethsemane Book Group

Join us for a new Adult Education offering: The

Gethsemane Book Group: Reading Together with the

Eyes of Faith. We will explore all types of literature

…fiction and non-fiction. One of our objectives will be

to learn to know more about our neighbors and

ourselves. It would be great if the group could include

people of both sexes and a variety of ages.

We will meet on the last Wednesday of each month

and will make a yearly calendar that will adjust for

weeks in Lent and other church conflicts. Readers may

come to individual sessions but it would also be nice

to have an established core group to give continuity to

the reading.

The book discussions will be held from 7:30-9:00pm in

the Gethsemane Library. Our first group will meet on

Wednesday, September 26, 2012 and our first book

will be: The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar. The

book takes place in modern India and has a basic

theme which is somewhat similar to the main theme

in The Help. However, this book was published earlier

and is much different in many respects. Be sure and

get the book by Thrity Umrigar since there are several

books with the same title! This book has many positive

reviews and Thrity Umrigar has written other well

received works. She is an Ohio author and teaches at

Case Western in Cleveland.

Barbara Ford and Sharon Walton will be facilitators for

this group and will lead the first few book discussions.

The future plan would be for members to help in the

book selection and discussion leadership of the group.

The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar is available

at libraries and in paperback, and is available for

digital download. Mark your calendar for Wednesday,

September 26 and start reading!

8

SERVESERVESERVESERVE

Quilt Dedication Sunday Set for

September 30

We are on the final stretch to our Quilt Dedication

Sunday, September 30. So what does that mean? It

means picking up a roll or two of squares (found in the

basket on the sign-up desk in the narthex). It means

sewing a quilt top with those squares (directions are

on each roll). It means returning the top to the same

place so it can be pinned and sewn to a back. It means

coming on Saturday, August 25 from 9am - 1pm (come

when you can, leave when you must) to help knot

quilts and pin tops to batting and backs.

We continue sewing until Saturday, September 29

(same time, same place) when we finish the quilts and

move them to the sanctuary. What a beautiful task!

What an amazing sight.

On Sunday, September 30, the quilts that we have

sewn all year long will be dedicated in preparation for

shipment to Lutheran World Relief's warehouse and

on to near and far places of the world.

Your help is needed if you can sew, if you can pin, if

you can knot, if you can move quilts to the sanctuary.

Everyone can help bless them!

Our quilt ministry is supported financially by the West

Franklin County chapter of Thrivent Financial.

Gethsemane’s Fall Service Day –

Part I: Getting the Word Out

This Fall, the Outreach Ministry team is sponsoring an

event to, well, reach out to the neighborhood around

the church. On November 10th

we will have a Service

Day where our members will help local homeowners

with small repair or maintenance projects around

their homes and yards. But in order to get the projects

to do, we have to get the word out. For that, we need

your help to walk around the neighborhood and drop

off Service Day fliers at area homes. We will walk on

two Sundays: September 23 and September 30. On

both days we will walk no more than two hours (about

noon to 2pm), and if you can only do part of the time,

that’s fine, too. (Another option is to deliver fliers on a

week day.) To really have an impact, we need lots of

volunteers to deliver the fliers, so please, look for the

sign-up sheets in the Narthex and Atrium Way and

sign up for one or both days!

If you have any questions, contact

Jim Siebert (jsiebert@columbus.rr.com)

Gary Rader (grader@wowway.com)

Joe Reilly (JoeTReilly@yahoo.com)

9

SERVESERVESERVESERVE

Reminders from Health Ministry

Health Ministry is

again sponsoring a

Red Cross Blood Drive

on Saturday, Oct. 6

from 9am -2pm. We

hope for at least as

good participation as

at our drive in April

when we achieved

157.1% of our goal!! We have many of you to thank

for that! Your reward is the good feeling of having

helped others through your giving plus a chicken

sandwich!

Also, Flu Shots will again be given here at Gethsemane

by Life Care Alliance on Sunday, Oct. 14 from

10:45am-11:45am. There will be a sign-up sheet in the

future.

Alert – Nut Allergies

Snacks are so yummy....but not if there are nuts

in them and you have a nut allergy. We do have

several allergies in our congregation so please

refrain from adding nuts to those wonderful

baked goods. Even separating a nut snack from

no-nut snack can be a danger. For the health

and safety of all, cookies and brownies are so

good without the nuts! Thanks!

Thanks to All Our Augsburg

Fortress Music Clinic

Volunteers!!

Many, many thanks to ALL who helped with the

Augsburg Fortress Music Clinic August 6-7!! Your

gracious hospitality as a congregation was

appreciatively received by both presenters and

attendees at the clinic. Special thanks to Barbara Ford

for organizing the army of reception and refreshments

volunteers, and for helping the Augsburg Fortress staff

make contact with FreshBox Catering from LSS for the

daily lunches; Dick Reuning and Byron Ford for

coordinating parking and off-site shuttles; Judy

Reuning, Wendy Luedtke, registration coordinators,

and all who helped to staff the registration table; Ian

and Evelyn Lyatuu for carrying boxes and helping the

Augsburg people set up; all who brought snacks for

the breaks and reception; all who assisted last Sunday

with setting up tables and chairs in the Great Hall for

the event; all who helped set up and serve the

lunches, breaks, and reception, all the volunteers who

helped with parking and shuttles; my supportive

colleagues on the Gethsemane staff, Diane, Terri,

Pastor June, and Brenda, who assumed additional

duties to make things run smoothly; Mike Siddall and

Paul Siebert for their technical expertise and

assistance; all of you who came to the Hymn Festival;

and anyone else I might have forgotten who helped in

any way to make the event run so smoothly! Both

attendees and presenters commented on your

gracious and welcoming hospitality, and the way you

made them all feel comfortable using our space. You

provided a great example of hospitality to the larger

church, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart

for stepping up and setting an example of what it

means “to be church” in the wider Lutheran

experience! It is truly a joy to work among you and

experience your witness! Sincerely, Dr. Tim

10

CONNECTCONNECTCONNECTCONNECT

11

CCCCONNECTONNECTONNECTONNECT

Small Group

Ministries

First Reflections

Monday Bible Study

Paula Sauer

paulagsauer@yahoo.com

Connections:

Faith at Work

Judy Reuning

jreuning@lifecrossings.com

Men’s Breakfast

Bob Davis

rjdjr@wowway.com

Habitat for Humanity

Bill Darlage

Darlage_bill@hotmail.com

LWR Quilts

Terri Siebert

tsiebert@gethsemane.org

Prayer Shawls

glcoffice@gethsemane.org

OR

Call the

Church Office

614-885-4319

� Camaraderie, the first Friday of the month

� Cheerfulness, even at 7 am!

� Coffee – with or without a full breakfast at Bob Evans on Olentangy River Rd

south of King Ave

� Community of supportive people looking for ways to connect faith with other

aspects of life

� Conversations among Christians about:

o Current challenges in our work – work at a job, at church, at home, or as

a volunteer

o Possible course of action and likely consequences

� Caring through prayer

� Contact person, Judy Reuning, jreuning@lifecrossings.com

And, using our Gift Cards, we can support Gethsemane too.

Topics for the coming year are:

• Compliments – how to accept, when to give

• Dealing with the cutthroat; competition vs. cooperation

• What bugs you about volunteer jobs? What are the rewards?

• Contemporary job hunting

• What is expected from volunteer jobs at church? Do you feel the weight of

responsibility? Can a volunteer be fired?

• Where is truth? Is bending the truth ever justified?

• Exploiting the gender gap. Equal pay for equal work.

Fall season begins Oct 5th

with “How do you measure success and rejoice at the

success of others?” Why not join us when a topic interests you and see if this small

group is for you.

12

PPPPEOPLE NEWSEOPLE NEWSEOPLE NEWSEOPLE NEWS

September

Birthdays

1 Janice Dunham

2 Pam Seidelmann

3 Dorothea Koch

Isaac Lyatuu

4 Bill Darlage

Naomi Fortis

5 Byron Ford

Rick Langner

8 Samuel Ankrom

11 Dorothy Grewe

13 Linda Mackov

Paul Siebert

15 Ruth Ann Norris

16 Denise Frashier

17 Betty Guenther

19 Marcia Rees Conrad

21 Lee Ann Perin

23 David Reutter

29 Bob Abdou

Michael Jung

Jim Sauer

30 Charles Goetsch

Tiffany Hagerdorn

Karen Melton

Our Prayers and

Concern Are With . . .

“Pray in the Spirit at all times in every

prayer and supplication. To that end

keep alert and always persevere in

supplication for all the saints.”

Ephesians 6:18

New concerns: Bob Hagerdorn … Lee

Ann Perin … Ralph Portzline

Members with ongoing concerns:

Sibylle Custis … Bob Edwards …

Manfred Maeffert … Rob Needham …

Phyllis Nelson … Howard Spring …

Harry & Vickie Lyatuu and their

children Ian & Evelyn for immigration

issues.

Family and friends with concerns:

Jerry Abrams (father-in-law of Pastor

June) … Sandy Davis (friend of Bob and

Jan Davis) … Bob and Elaine Dean

(parents of Pam Seidelmann) … Andy

and Deb Greicius (friends of Jen Tatz) …

Dan Needham (son of Rob and Marie

Needham) … Dennis Weirrick (brother

of Jan Davis) … Colin Young (friend of

the Hillers).

Homebound: Marilyn Bosen (Arlington

Court) … Dotty Edwards (Laurels-Wor-

thington) … Carolyn Fergus (Wesley

Glen) … Jean Fritchen (Worthington

Christian Village) … Ken Gerken … Mary

Manship (Wesley Glen) … Eleanor Nagy

… Becky Oldaker (Bennington Glen) …

Reva Woodruff.

Family and friends serving overseas:

Kirk Lloyd (step grandson of Doris

Devine) … Colin Steffa (son of Meredith

Dobyns).

Would you like to add your

prayers?

For Sunday Prayers:

Contact church secretary, Diane, at 885-

4319 or glcoffice@gethsemane.org

before 12:00 noon on Thursday. After

that time, you will have the opportunity

in worship to name those silently or

aloud during the prayers.

13

HIGH SCHOOL YOUTHHIGH SCHOOL YOUTHHIGH SCHOOL YOUTHHIGH SCHOOL YOUTH

Report on the ELCA National

Youth Gathering

Thank you again to all of those who have

supported the Sr. High Youth this year as we

prepared for the National Youth Gathering. The

5 youth ( Katlin Hiller, Maddie Van Winkle, Rosa

Prigan, Morgan Melton, and Emily Gardner)

and two adults (Mike Siddall and Jen Tatz) have

returned from a busy, rain-soaked, and spirit-

filled week. We were joined in New Orleans by

33,302 other Lutherans including 730 from the

Southern Ohio Synod.

Each night we gathered as a large group to hear speakers, listen to music, and learn about how God is at work

within the lives of ourselves and others. Among the powerful speakers were Nadia Bolz-Webber, Shane Claiborne,

and Leymah Gbowee. Each night was brought to a close with devotions called “Final 15” back in our hotel.

Thursday we meet for a morning worship and Bible study with the other groups from our Synod. From there we

ate lunch and went for a rainy afternoon in the city. Highlights included Café Du Monde and street artists.

Friday morning our time in the Interaction Center was filled with different workshops and booths. Among

opportunities for learning were 100 Wells Challenge, representatives from the ELCA Universities and Seminaries,

and ELCA Malaria Campaign. In addition to learning there were many chances to blow off steam and have some

fun with activities like bumper cars, yoga, and mini golf. After the Interaction Center we headed for lunch at

Emeril’s New Orleans restaurant.

On Saturday our service project was to help clean up a

city park by pulling weeds and picking up trash. We

then were able to walk around the park and enjoy its

beauty before heading back to our hotel for a swim and

down time.

Sunday worship was a great experience. We had a

moving sermon by Bishop Mark Hanson and a call to

action. Communion of 33,309 was interesting and well

orchestrated. After worship was over we slept our way

home on the 15 hour bus ride.

14

RECONCILING IN CHRISTRECONCILING IN CHRISTRECONCILING IN CHRISTRECONCILING IN CHRIST

Purpose Statement The people of

Gethsemane

Lutheran Church

Sing God’s good news

Share God’s

unconditional welcome

Care for each other

Serve those in need

Guiding Principles • The life, words, and actions of Jesus Christ are

the inspiration for all we

do and are.

• We recognize the uni-queness of each individual.

We welcome and value

everyone.

• We reach out to each other, our neighbors, and

creation with our hearts

and minds as well as with

our labor, generosity, and

works of justice.

• We create a supportive environment to nurture

growth and learning. We

find Christ in the study of

God’s Word and through

sharing questions, doubts,

a diversity of opinions, and

new ideas.

• As a faithful Christian community, we are led by

the Holy Spirit to live and

worship together, respect

differences, communicate

openly, and seek consen-

sus.

Welcoming in Christ Ministry Team Begins

Discussions with Congregation

With the unanimous approval of the Congregation Council, the Welcoming in

Christ Ministry Team will begin discussions with the congregation about

Gethsemane becoming a Reconciling in Christ congregation. This is a recognition

awarded by ReconcilingWorks http://www.reconcilingworks.org (formerly

Lutherans Concerned/North America) which designates a congregation as

specifically welcoming to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people. Since

such welcome is already stated amidst the wide welcome of Gethsemane’s

Affirmation of Welcome Statement, it seems prudent to seek “Reconciling in

Christ” status. This can bolster our outreach to individuals and families looking for

such a welcoming congregation. They would see Gethsemane listed on the

ReconcilingWorks website, along with the other four such Lutheran congregations

in the Southern Ohio Synod: Lord of Life, Trinity Downtown, Redeemer and First

English – all in the Columbus area.

A program of study, discussion and mutual discernment will be held during the

Adult Education Hour on October 21st

, November 4th

and November 11th,

giving

the entire congregation the opportunity to be aware of and part of the process of

becoming RIC. Watch for further information in The Leaf and in the weekly

bulletins.

15

SERVING THIS MONTH – SEPTEMBER 2012

September 2

9:30 AM

September 9

9:30 AM

September 16

9:30 AM

September 23

9:30 AM

September 30

9:30 AM

Assisting

Minister

Barbara Ford

Barbara Ford

Barbara Ford

Barbara Ford

Barbara Ford

Readers Eric Walton

Sharon Walton

Dick Lyndes

Elaine Haines

Howard Feole

Nancy Feole

Jim Siebert

Heidi Hiller

Bonnie Spring

Howard Spring

Ushers

Ed Savolaine

Bob Hagerdorn

Barb Driver

Jim Driver

Jim Siebert

Howard Feole

Gott. Maeffert

Man. Maeffert

Howard Spring

Brian McLean

Rick Langner

Diane Langner

Jeff Luedke

Wendy Luedke

Sayuni Kimaro

Bill Darlage

Paul Siebert

Dave Reutter

Jane Sieberth

Don Cumberland

Nursery Terri Siebert Diane Langner

Communion

Bread

Joyce Geary Wayne Melton Margaret

Murphy

Brian Lutz Brian Murphy

Communion Care

Barb Driver Pam Seidelmann Diane Langner Bonnie Reilly Bonnie Reilly

Counters Dave Reutter

Joyce Davis

Dan Erwin Wendy Luedke

Jeff Luedke

Hugh Geary

Joanne Leussing

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

A new schedule through December has been added to our electronic sign-up page. The following address will

take you to our page: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0D4CAFA92AA13-sunday. Two volunteers are

needed each week to serve our families. The nursery is now located in the day care lunchroom (also known as

Trinity Hall). A speaker will be added soon to connect our volunteers to the worship service. If you cannot log

into the sign up form, or would prefer signing up personally, please do so at the sign-up desk in the narthex.

Questions? See Terri Siebert, Director of Family Ministries, 885-4319 or tsiebert@gethsemane.org.

16

SEPTEMBER 2012 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1

5-9:30 PM

Gospel Music

Concert

2

9:30 AM

Worship

10:45 AM

Education

2:00 PM

Swahili Choir

3:30 PM

Swahili Worship

5:00 PM

Gospel Concert

3

CHURCH

OFFICE & DAY

CARE CLOSED

8:00 PM

A.A. & Al Anon

4

10:30 AM

Staff

12:45 PM

P&L Chapel

5

6

7:15 PM

Vocal Choir

7

8

8:00 AM

Men’s

Breakfast

10:00 AM

Rally Day Setup

3:00 PM

Kimaro-Lyimo

Wedding

9 Rally Day 9:30 AM

Worship

10:45 AM

Activities and

Potluck

3:30 PM

Swahili Choir

NEWSLETTER

DEADLINE

10

8:00 AM

Reflections

8:00 PM

A.A. & Al Anon

11

10:30 AM

Staff

12:45 PM

P&L Chapel

6:00 PM

P&L Staff

12

12:00 PM

Brown Bag

Bible Study

7:30 PM

Swahili Ministry

Team

13

4:30 PM

Mission & Min.

6:00 PM

Handbells

6:00 PM

Executive Com.

7:00 PM

Council

7:15 PM

Vocal Choir

14 15

16

8:30 AM

Health Ministry

9:30 AM

Worship

10:45 AM

Education

3:30 PM

Swahili Choir

17

8:00 AM

Reflections

6:00 PM

Day Care Com.

7:30 PM

Prayer Shawl

8:00 PM

A.A. & Al Anon

18

8:45-3:30 PM

Therapy Group

10:30 AM

Staff

12:45 PM

P&L Chapel

19

12:00 PM

Brown Bag

Bible Study

20

6:00 PM

Handbells

7:00 PM

Block Watch

7:15 PM

Vocal Choir

21

10:00 PM

Mkesha Prayer

Worship

22

23

9:30 AM

Worship

10:45 AM

Education

3:30 PM

Swahili Choir

24

8:00 AM

Reflections

8:00 PM

A.A. & Al Anon

25

10:30 AM

Staff

12:45 PM

P&L Chapel

7:00 PM

Worship Team

26

12:00 PM

Brown Bag

Bible Study

7:30-9:30 PM

GLC Book

Group

27

6:00 PM

Handbells

7:15 PM

Vocal Choir

28

29

9:00 AM

Quilting

30

9:30 AM

Worship

10:45 AM

Education

3:30 PM

Swahili Choir

Check out Gethsemane’s online calendar at www.gethsemane.org.

Click on the calendar link.