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August 2006 Newsletter
    
Deadline for Newsletter Articles for next month is the 15th of the month.
Email the Church Office or fax the office at 330-836-8872
Use Newsletter submission form here on the website or place in church office newsletter mail box.
Worship
We give thanks . . . for the musical gifts of Faith members who will be providing special music during worship this month. Bob Hartz, Shirley Kmet, Jeff Mallison, Connie Mollard, Womens’ Chorus
All ladies of the church who would like to provide special music are invited to sing at the 9:15 a.m. service on August 20. We will be performing two numbers by John Rutter: “All Things Bright and Beautiful and “The Lord Bless You and Keep You”.
Rehearsals are scheduled for August 6 and August 13 at 10:30 a.m. and August 20 at 8:30 a.m.
Sermon Series
During August the sermons will focus on readings from the New Testament book of Ephesians, chapters 4,5 and 6, and the book Adventures in Missing the Point by Brian D. McLaren and Tony Campolo.
Pastor Jean had the opportunity to meet Brian McLaren when he was in Akron several years ago and spent a day with her Peer I group. His writing focuses on the church in the midst of a cultural shift. He is the founding pastor of Cedar Ridge Community Church, an innovative congregation in the Baltimore area. Tony Campolo is a professor emeritus of sociology at Eastern University in suburban Philadelphia. He has written more than 30 books.
Come and experience something different in worship this August!
CLN??
What Ever Happened to CLN?
Glad you asked! You remember, CLN - - the group that brought us such great activities as the Advent tea, progressive dinners, Women’s banquet? We’re excited to announce that CLN, Christian Life and Nurture, is being reorganized and revitalized thanks to the leadership skills of Penny Thompson. Penny has answered God’s call to lead a team of members as they strive to offer Christian love and support in various ways.
Penny would like your help! If you have any ideas for projects or events that help us grow in our faith and care for each other, please talk to Penny or Carolyn. In addition, Penny can only be a team leader if she has a team! To that end we announce a CLN organizational meeting on Wednesday, August 16 at 7:00 p.m.
We’d love to have you sit in on this first meeting and see if God is calling you to use your talents to help this worthwhile group. Childcare and refreshments will be provided. If you have questions, or want more information, contact Penny or Carolyn.
Stephen’s Ministry
Stephen’s Ministry Now a Reality at Faith
Faith Lutheran Church has recently been registered into the Stephen’s Series program so that we can train some of our members to be the one-on-one caregivers known as Stephen’s Ministers.
Stephen’s Ministers are lay people trained in listening and caring for those in times of stress. Many of us can use someone to listen and care! Whether you have relationship problems, have lost a job, or just been diagnosed with a chronic illness, connecting with one person on a regular basis can prove to be extremely helpful.
Carolyn is currently in Pittsburgh, PA for a 60 hour training which will teach her how to expedite Stephen’s Ministry here at Faith. Please pray that God calls many people to learn more about how they can use their gifts as Stephen’s Ministers.
Middle School Day Retreat
Middle School Day Retreat is on Saturday, August 5 at Leo and Wendy's home.
You'll leave the Church at 10 a.m. and return at 5 p.m. All youth in the Fall Confirmation Class (those entering 7th and 8th grades) are invited
Wear old clothes & shoes! (You may want to have an old pair of tennis shoes or boots for hiking.) What to bring: bathing suit and towel (if you want to swim).
Carolyn is currently in Pittsburgh, PA for a 60 hour training which will teach her how to expedite Stephen’s Ministry here at Faith. Please pray that God calls many people to learn more about how they can use their gifts as Stephen’s Ministers.
All were not lost in space ...
One hundred people attended the Space Task Force’s Forum on Sunday, June 11 and Monday, June 12. Here is a brief account of the format. Randy Cole began each forum by asking those present to sign a giant Faith timeline indicating when they joined the church. The timeline also highlighted significant dates in the history of the building, for example: The main sanctuary was completed in 1960; The preschool began in 1983; Fellowship Hall renovations were 1994; Air conditioning in the sanctuary was 2000 The timeline and other notes from the Space Task Force are on display on the bulletin board across from the Fellowship Hall. Please take a look and sign your entry into the Faith family! Dineen Dowling reviewed the history of the Task Force and explained the task and the process by which the team came to their report. She reported that council unanimously approved to Share the space report with the congregation (you received that in the mail in early June); Establish forums to clarify the report to the congregation and gather input; Gather cost estimates for initial drawings from area architects; Establish a Building Team and a Building Finance Team
The timeline is that Council would review initial drawings over the summer and be prepared to present a project plan and kick off a capital campaign by the Annual Meeting in November.
Diane Christoff and Judy Vernon presented the Back Entrance/Gathering Space portion of the report, indicating the need for a new, easily identifiable entrance closest to the majority of parking in the back of the church which would open into a large gathering space to be used for multiple purposes. (See our report for details.) Wendy Boes presented the Education/Youth portion of the report, indicating needs for more classroom space, a designated youth and adult meeting space. All areas of Christian education would benefit from added classroom space: Preschool, Explorers Club, Vacation Bible School, Confirmation and Youth Ministry, and Adult classes. At the end of the report, we opened the floor to questions and concerns and clarifications. The process continues. Stay informed! If you were unable to attend any Space Forum, or you have more questions, concerns, ideas to share, please contact Pastor Jean, Carolyn, Dineen or Randy.
In July, the Faith congregation council voted to hire Hasenstab Architects, Inc. to discuss and submit initial drawings of our proposed Welcome Center and Education/Youth Space.
Thank You’s
Dear Penny, Thank you for the beautiful afghan you knitted and gave us on the occasion of Mark’s baptism on behalf of the church. What a wonderful keepsake to always remind Mark that he is wrapped in God’s love and his Faith family’s love too. Thank you for sharing your talent with us. - Barb, Paul, and Mark Hinderegger.Dear Ms. Wagar: On behalf of the Rape Crisis Center of Medina and Summit Counties I would like to thank Faith Lutheran Church for their generous donation of shirts, shorts, undergarments and shoes. Your commitment to helping survivors of sexual assault in our community is sincerely appreciated. Last year the Rape Crisic Center provided service to over 1000 hotline callers, offered support to more than 200 individuals in our offices and have met with over 300 survivors during hospital exams and legal proceddings. Our education team has reached over 2500 members of the community during programs provided to schools, churches and organizations. With continued support of our community and donations from caring organizations such as yours we hope to continue the fight against sexual assault and advocate for those whose lives have been affected by this crime. Thank you again for your generous support of the Rape Crisis Center of Medina and Summit Counties. Best Wishes,
(Once again the congregations of West Akron, who worship together on Thanksgiving, used the offering from that service to purchase 2,232 dictionaries for Akron Public Schools third graders. Printed below are a few of the thank-you letters to Faith Lutheran Church. They are printed as they were originally written.)
Dear Reverend Hansen, Thank you for the dictionaries. We use the dictionaries a lot to spell difficult words and words we never heard of before. The dictioniers will help me and my class mates. Love Brenda - Margaret Park ElementaryDear Rev. Jean Hansen, Thanks for the Dictionary. It is very important to me. I use it a lot for my journal vocabulary words and language. I am very happy I have my own Dictionary. You are very thoughtful. I hope you can come to 207 one day. Thanks again. Shaynell - Margaret Park Elementary Dear Rev. Jean Hansen, Thank you for your student dictionary. What I like the most is the words in the dictionary because I like to learn new words. When I have homework and I don’t know what it means, then I have to use the dictionary. McEbright student, Innocencia Yenn Sphapmixay
Dear Rev. Jean Hansen, Thank you for the dictionary. I like the big word, it has 1,909 letters. And I like the American sign language. But my favorite part is the Braille alphabet. I learned some new words. Sincerely, Steven Bensch - McEbright ElementaryDear Rev. Jean Hansen, Thank you for the dictionary. I will use it often. That was a wonderful gift. Sincerely, Tiyona Millender - Mrs. Preston’s 3rd grade class, Crouse Elementary School
Faith Focus: Lay Weeders
Have you ever noticed how really nice our church grounds look? The well maintained exterior is due in large part to a group of retired gentlemen known as the Lay Weeders. These troubadours of lawn mowers and weed whackers gather once a week April through October to mow, trim, pick up, and generally keep things in tip top shape. Our thanks to caring for God’s creation is extended to Don Dillahunt, Bob Heldridge, Bob Johnson, Charlie Ramsey, Mitch Greenawalt, Garth McHenry, Dick Kesti, Lowell Unger, and Don Johnson.
Goodies Needed - Calling all bakers.
Please consider the Kinship Café the next time you are in the mood to bake some wonderful breakfast goodies. We can use breads, coffee cakes, muffins, etc. Bring them with you any Sunday, or any day of the week and put them in the freezer in the storage room off the fellowship hall (door to the right of the cross). Please mark them clearly for the Kinship Café along with the date baked. If you have any questions, please contact Diane Christoff at 330-835-9669. Thank you in advance for your baked good donations!
SCHOOL SUPPLIES PROJECT
Summer has just begun, but we’re already thinking about the re-opening of school at the end of August. Once again, Summit County Children’s Services is asking for our help in their annual campaign to collect and package school supplies. These donations provide school supplies to children in needy client families and to foster children. The goal is to help more than 1,000 children start the year with the necessary tools. The last day to bring in these supplies is Sunday, August 6.
Suggestions: For kindergarten through Middle/High School
School Boxes, Crayons (16 or 24), Blunt Scissors, Erasers, Pencils, Ruler, Tissue Boxes, Pocket Thesaurus, Washable Markers, Pens, Pocket Dictionary, Folders, Planners, Binders, Colored Pencils, Memo Pads, Spiral Theme Books, College Ruled Filler Paper, Paste or glue, Elementary Writing Paper, Wide Ruled Paper, (stick or liquid), Artist/Colored Pencils,
Please note: Compasses cannot be accepted.
Finding God in EAST ASIA
Thursday, August 10, 11:30am in the church library, Immediately following the women’s Bible study
You are invited to come and hear how God is making himself known in East Asia! Learn about the culture and people there. See a power point presentation and ask questions of someone who has spent time there. Rachel Kimble will share her experiences and ministry from her past year in East Asia. ALL ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND!
Rachel is a 2005 graduate of University of Toledo and a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Akron. She is good friends with Faith member Dineen Dowling and family. She even has a Faith connection, attending Workcamp with John Maroni and Faith’s Youth Group in 2001. Following graduation, she spent a year doing ministry in East Asia and is excited to share her story with others!
Golfing with Faith
August 27 3:00 p.m. Pine Valley Golf Course 469 Reimer Road , Wadsworth
Followed by supper at the home of Bob and Maxine Heldridge 500 Hampshire Road - Sign-up sheets are in the Narthex and outside the Fellowship Hall
Care For A Hurting World . . .
The entire congregation is invited to join us on Monday, August 28 at 6:45 p.m. to participate in discussing outreach opportunities for the elderly, impoverished children, and an upcoming mission trip. Child care and refreshments will be provided.
In Our Prayers:
Health Concerns: Faith member Dick Eichner, Faith member Bettemae Ramsey
Special Prayers: For all military personnel who have been deployed to Iraq and surrounding areas, and for their families, with special prayers for those who have endured injury or loss.; For the Stephen Ministry program, a new ministry at Faith Lutheran church, and for Carolyn Wagar Hier as she attends leader training.; That members of Faith would respond to God’s call to serve as Explorers’ Club (Sunday School) teachers in 2006-2007.
In Time of Loss: For Faith members Pat, Dale, and Mary Gsellman, and Beth Papadelis, and their loved ones, upon the death of Pat’s father Richard Gsellman on July 9, that they would be comforted.; For the family and friends of Henry Kretchman Jr. upon his death on June 28 that they would be comforted. Pastor Jean presided at his funeral on July 3. ; For the family and friends of Peter Popio upon his death on July 6, that they would be comforted. Pastor Jean presided at his funeral on July 10.
In Thanksgiving: For the marriage of Dan and Beth (Gsellman) Papadelis on July 1 at Faith Lutheran Church, that they would sense God’s presence daily in the years to come.
Let’s Not Forget our Children
There is so much to be excited about right now at FLC. We’ve just completed a successful bake sale, we are talking about community outreach opportunities, and building teams are being formed to move forward on transforming our space. New opportunities and challenges are fun and often put God to the “test” as we pray and discern what He has in store, BUT. . . .
We must continue to care for the needs of our members, too. One huge need that cannot be overlooked is to continue to offer to our children a vital and interesting Sunday morning education experience. Many parents are willing to bring their children to Explorer’s Club each Sunday and trust that we will provide some Bible knowledge, fellowship time, and other Christian activities. We have done this well in the past and want to continue to do it well in the upcoming year.
Explorer’s Club is blessed to have at the helm Heather Stafford and Barry White. These individuals are caring, creative, and committed. They want EC to be a time of fun and learning for our children.
Barry and Heather cannot do Explorer’s Club by themselves. There are openings for teachers and helpers at both times and in a variety of age groups. As Pastor Jean said in a recent sermon, “sometimes God’s call might be a bit out of our comfort zones.” You are invited to prayerfully listen for God’s call in your life, and if you have any glimpse of that call involving children, please call Barry, Heather, or Carolyn for details on how God could use YOU at Explorer’s Club!
Stephen’s Ministry Now a Reality at Faith
Faith Lutheran Church has recently been registered into the Stephen’s Series program so that we can train some of our members to be the one-on-one caregivers known as Stephen’s Ministers.
Stephen’s Ministers are lay people trained in listening and caring for those in times of stress. Many of us can use someone to listen and care! Whether you have relationship problems, have lost a job, or just been diagnosed with a chronic illness, connecting with one person on a regular basis can prove to be extremely helpful.
Carolyn is currently in Pittsburgh, PA for a 60 hour training which will teach her how to expedite Stephen’s Ministry here at Faith. Please pray that God calls many people to learn more about how they can use their gifts as Stephen’s Ministers.
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