Attention: All Creatures, Great and Small · Attention: All Creatures, Great and Small St. Francis...

8
A Monthly Publication of Atascocita Lutheran Church 7927 FM 1960 East, Humble, Texas September 2010 Volume 16 Number 9 Attention: All Creatures, Great and Small St. Francis of Assisi is considered the patron saint of animals because of the respect he showed to all of God’s creatures. In recognition of the Feast of St. Francis, Atascocita Lutheran Church will have a Blessing of the Animals on Sunday, October 3 rd at 4 p.m. We are inviting ALL neighbors of our com- munity to bring their furry, feathered or scaled friends for a special service and blessing to be held on ALC’s lawn. Please ask your pet-loving friends to join us. For the safety of everyone, pets need to be on a leash or in an appropriate container. New Member (Discipleship) Class to Begin September 12th If you have been visiting with us at Atascocita Lutheran Church, or you know of someone who might be interested in joining our community of faith, there will be a ―New Member Basics‖ class offered, beginning October 12th. The class will run for seven consecutive weeks during the Sunday School time, from 9:30 10:30 a.m., in the Pastor‘s Study. Whether you are a life-long Lutheran, have practiced your faith within another Christian tradition, are just looking to know more about what it means to be a Christian, or are even a current member who is interested in a refresher course, this will provide an opportunity for you to learn and meet new people. The format of the class will be informal and non-threatening. If you wish to join us, or if you have any questions, please give me a call at 281-852-7333. Pastor Gary L. Anholt

Transcript of Attention: All Creatures, Great and Small · Attention: All Creatures, Great and Small St. Francis...

Page 1: Attention: All Creatures, Great and Small · Attention: All Creatures, Great and Small St. Francis of Assisi is considered the patron saint of animals because of the respect he showed

A Monthly Publication of Atascocita Lutheran Church

7927 FM 1960 East, Humble, Texas

September 2010 Volume 16 Number 9

Attention: All Creatures, Great and Small

St. Francis of Assisi is considered the patron saint of animals because of the respect he showed to all

of God’s creatures. In recognition of the Feast of St. Francis, Atascocita Lutheran Church will have a

Blessing of the Animals on Sunday, October 3rd at 4 p.m. We are inviting ALL neighbors of our com-

munity to bring their furry, feathered or scaled friends for a special service and blessing to be held

on ALC’s lawn. Please ask your pet-loving friends to join us. For the safety of everyone, pets need to

be on a leash or in an appropriate container.

New Member (Discipleship) Class to Begin

September 12th

If you have been visiting with us at Atascocita Lutheran Church, or you know

of someone who might be interested in joining our community of faith, there will be a ―New Member Basics‖

class offered, beginning October 12th. The class will run for seven consecutive weeks during the Sunday

School time, from 9:30 – 10:30 a.m., in the Pastor‘s Study.

Whether you are a life-long Lutheran, have practiced your faith within another Christian tradition, are just

looking to know more about what it means to be a Christian, or are even a current member who is interested

in a refresher course, this will provide an opportunity for you to learn and meet new people. The format of the

class will be informal and non-threatening. If you wish to join us, or if you have any questions, please give

me a call at 281-852-7333.

Pastor Gary L. Anholt

Page 2: Attention: All Creatures, Great and Small · Attention: All Creatures, Great and Small St. Francis of Assisi is considered the patron saint of animals because of the respect he showed

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

From MEMBERSHIP to DISCIPLESHIP is going to be the focus of all of our

upcoming programming. What is the difference you might ask? I would suggest

that fifty to a hundred years ago, membership and discipleship were perhaps not

exactly the same, but at least similar.

However, in our modern culture, membership has taken on a whole new meaning.

It has more to do with the idea of entitlement. We have memberships in video

stores, health clubs, book clubs, men‘s or women‘s organizations, country clubs,

etc. We join because of the benefits. We fill out some basic information, pay a

fee, and we are in. As members, we have rights and privileges, and receive preferential treatment and praise. If

we at any point believe that we are not getting a good enough ―bang for the buck‖, we discontinue our

membership and look elsewhere. After all, there are an unlimited number of organizations promoting their goods

and services trying to convince us that in order to be truly fulfilled, we need to join their club.

But membership doesn‘t ―go‖ anywhere. It is more about having arrived than it is a journey. Membership

requires very little of us since they do not want us to be burdened, hence we take our membership elsewhere. As

you can see, this kind of idea is deadly for the church. It goes against everything that Jesus taught when he

invited people to follow him.

Indeed, membership promotes spiritual immaturity. Sensing they are now officially ―in‖, members are free to

learn as much or as little as they desire; to be as involved or inactive as they prefer; to give as much or as little as

they find convenient; and to attend as frequently or as infrequently as they find helpful. I know this to be true,

because I am a ―member‖ of a local health club, and my attendance has been a little infrequent lately.

You see, this model for membership does not require connecting to the ―Head‖, nor does it require the

connection to the other parts of the Body. Subsequently, we have promoted a sense of personalized spirituality

that reflects the needs of our culture, but not the design of the body of Christ, the Church.

Discipleship, on the other hand is something very different. To say the least it is biblical, which is not the case

with membership. The Great Commission in the 28th chapter of Matthew confirms that the call of Jesus is to be

disciples, and the command of Jesus is to make disciples. This is Jesus‘ ONLY plan for growing the Church and

bringing forth God‘s Kingdom.

Of course this takes time. If Jesus took three years, 24/7 to make those first disciples, isn‘t it presumptive for us

to think that we could do it in less time – say one hour a week on Sunday mornings, that is, if there are no other

conflicting opportunities at that time.

Yes, discipleship takes time. It is a

transformational journey in which the goal

is to become more ―Christlike‖. Instead of

joining for the benefits, we become

disciples in order to be humble servants to

one another and the world. It does not cost

a ―minimal monthly fee‖, but rather it

costs us our very lives.

Gary L. Anholt

Q & A - STEWARDSHIP KEY LEADER

Q: WHAT IS ATASCOCITA LUTHERAN CHURCH

PLANNING TO DO AS A RESULT OF THE STEWARDSHIP KEY LEADER PROGRAM THAT

IS UNDERWAY?

A. The contributions from commitments pledged this fall will be

utilized with two purposes in mind:

#1—to grow our faithfulness in mission forward while;

#2— by making payments on the new mortgage that began as we

dedicated the New & Renewed Worship Center and upgrades earlier

in 2010.

Page 3: Attention: All Creatures, Great and Small · Attention: All Creatures, Great and Small St. Francis of Assisi is considered the patron saint of animals because of the respect he showed

“I’ve always wanted to know…” ALL WET*

ALL WET* … how are hymns chosen?

The Director of Music Ministries, Zane Barra, selects the hymns (and

other music) for each worship service. There are several criteria used.

First, what is the theme of the day (season of church year, the lessons

and prayers chosen for the day)?

Next, what liturgical actions are scheduled for the day (baptism, Holy

Communion, installation of volunteers)?

Third (and most particular), what is the purpose for each hymn? The

opening hymn gathers the community and a closing hymn sends it

forth. The hymn of the day serves as the congregation‘s ‗amen‘ to the

sermon and hymns sung during distribution of communion can be

meditative reflections on the Eucharist and the theme for the day.

Take a moment to share your thoughts about hymn selection with

Zane AND take a moment to thank him for his service.

* WORSHIP ENRICHMENT

TEAM

2010 FUNDS APPEAL

FOR GROWING THE

MISSION FORWARD

IS UNDERWAY

The 2010 Stewardship Key

Leader stewardship education s

appeal for financial commitments to grow our mission

forward for God began on August 29th.

The 2010 commitments place an emphasis upon growing

our ministries forward by securing contributions over a

three-year period that underwrite the mortgage payments.

With commitments in place for the mortgage payments

leaders will be able to utilize the week-to-week disciple-

ship stewardship giving to enrich, expand and be more

creative in our faithfulness in mission.

Sunday, October 3rd will be COMMITMENTS & CELEBRA-

TION DAY. All constituents will be invited and encouraged to

make a 3-year financial commitment. In 2007 the Faith Ven-

ture appeal resulted in commitments of $434,512. At the end

of July contributions had exceeded the 80% level for those

commitments.

NOW LOOK WHAT YOU’VE DONE

(AUGUST) Discipleship giving for the 2010 Mission Spending

Plan and Faith Venture 2007, the funds appeal for

the new worship center, have been underwhelming

during June, July and early August! The chart else-

where in this edition provides a month-to-month pro-

file of the contributions for the first seven months.

Though leaders expect contributions to improve after

school resumes, there is a important need for contri-

butions to improve greatly so that sufficient funds

will be available for both the Mission Spending Plan

and the mortgage payments.

Thanks in advance for catching up...help us stay

on task and on target with our plans for faithful-

ness in ministry.

Q & A STEWARDSHIP KEY LEADER

Q. WHAT PERIOD WILL THE 2010 COMMITMENTS COVER?

A. This will be a 154 Sunday program commit-

ments beginning on October 3, 2010 and concluding

on the last Sunday in September 2013.

Page 4: Attention: All Creatures, Great and Small · Attention: All Creatures, Great and Small St. Francis of Assisi is considered the patron saint of animals because of the respect he showed

Third Graders to receive Bibles

An important part of the ministry this congregation shares with the children is the presentation of a Bible

to each student in third grade.

This year they will be presented on October 3 during the worship services. (You may attend either ser-

vice.)

Please give the full name of the child so that the Bible may be engraved.

To ensure correct spelling we ask that you submit the name in writing.

2010—2011 Third Grader _______________________________________________

Parent Name __________________________________ phone # ________________

Return in offering plate or church office no later than September 5.

Chrysalis

School News The Chrysalis School kicked off their 12th year

of preschool on August 31st. We have an exciting staff

that has been hard at work creating high quality program-

ing to meet the educational needs of preschool children in

a church setting. We are happy to say that two of our

classrooms are full and three of our church families have

children enrolled with us.

Please keep the Chrysalis School staff in your prayers

as they work to "make Christ known" in this school year of

learning and fun. We do have some spots still open, so for

more information and a tour of the preschool, please con-

tact Renee Wallace at 281-852-6002. Our website is

www.thechrysalisschool.org.

J. A. M. (Jesus and Me)

Elementary Age Youth Group

JAM is Atascocita Lutheran Church‘s elementary

age youth group that exists to nurture friendships

between the school age children of the church, pro-

vide a strong foundation for discipleship training

and spiritual formation, and to stress service minis-

try.

JAM is dependent on parental involvement to be a

successful group. Parents (even dads) are asked to

participate in all aspects of the monthly meetings

by providing lunch and assisting in the program.

For more information, please contact Renee Wal-

lace at (281) 852-4031 or RNJWal-

[email protected].

FIRST MEETING OF THE YEAR IS

SEPTEMBER 26TH

FROM 12 NOON TO 1:30!!

Q & A - STEWARDSHIP KEY LEADER Q. HOW DOES THIS FUNDS APPEAL AF-

FECT THE COMMITMENTS THAT WE

MADE DURING THE PONY EXP RESSPONY EXP RESS

PROGRAM LAST YEAR?

A. This funds appeal is separate from both the 2010

and the 2011 PONY EXPRESSPONY EXPRESS program commit-

ments that are made for financial support for the Mis-

sion Spending Plan for each year. FYI – The PONY PONY

EXPRESSEXPRESS process for commitments for 2011 spend-

ing .

Page 5: Attention: All Creatures, Great and Small · Attention: All Creatures, Great and Small St. Francis of Assisi is considered the patron saint of animals because of the respect he showed

ALC PARTICIPATING IN STUDY &

RESPONSE FOR ELCA GENETICS

SOCIAL PURPOSE STATEMENT

The ELCA, our church body,

has asked constituents to

study and respond to a pro-

posed social statement about

genetics.

Beginning Sunday on August

15th, a group of ALC disci-

ples began the process of

studying, discussing and re-

flecting upon the draft state-

ment the ELCA has developed.

As people of faith our review and response at ALC will

be to focus on such things as: What are Christians to do with or about what is being

learned and delivered through the developments in genet-

ics?

Are we really interested in consuming genetically modi-

fied plants and animals?

What does our confession of God as Creator provide as

information for us to have good conversations about ge-

netics?

How does our doctrine about human sin provide implica-

tions for our approaches to the technological advances of

genetics?

How will we use our strong sense for biblical justice and

godly wisdom influence our decisions about genetics.

The Sunday evening sessions begin at 7:00 p.m. and are

scheduled to end at 9:00 p.m. Six individuals from a de-

sign team are sharing with the facilitator‘s duties. One or

more persons is preparing for a topic in the draft state-

ment and will facilitate conversation.

There is space for more participation.

Month Mission Faith VentureJan 22,409.00$ 6,880.00$

Feb 21,005.00 12,330.00

Mar 21,082.00 28,039.00

Apr 25,827.00 4,575.00

May 26,522.00 6,816.00

Jun 15,855.00 4,978.00

Jul 17,125.00 3,302.00

149,825.00$ 66,920.00$

216,745$ seven month total

7,225$ avg p/wk for 30 weeks

2,230 avg FV07 for 30 weeks(*) unaudited

2010 Discipleship Contributions*

The WIRED WORD is one of the Sunday morning adult

learning opportunities this fall. A couple of dozen adults

have been exchanging ideas each week about the topics

that have been ―ripped from the headlines.‖ The materials

are a subscription service that e-mails the leader‘s lesson

each Thursday a.m. Participants receive a preview copy of

the session if they have registered to be on ALC‘s distribu-

tion list.

Weekly sessions include prayer, an overview of the topic,

big questions related to the topic, confronting the news with

scriptural materials plus thoughtful interpretation, addi-

tional questions for consideration and more.

Adults are invited to sample The WIRED WORD a few

weeks to get into the flow and to participate in the lively

and friendly conversations. Several persons have shared

guiding the group‘s approach to a topic.

Moms’ Bible/Book Study Stay At Home Moms are invited to come to a Bible

Study/Book Study starting in September! Child care is

available upon request. We meet the 1st and 3rd Fridays

of every month (September-May). We'd love to have

you join us! Please talk to Allyson Evans or Sandra

Anderson for more details!

FAITH VENTURE 200FAITH VENTURE 200 77— A RECAP

(November 2007 thru mid-July 2010)

FAITH VENTURE 2007FAITH VENTURE 2007 commitments began on

November 1st of that year. $443,512 was the total of

commitments at the end of the brief education and

commitments process. These funds were dedicated for

the jumpstarting of the construction of a new worship

center and renewal/renovations for existing facilities.

Nearly two dozen households have already contributed

100% of the commitment that were made in 2007!!!

Another dozen giving units are within 10% to 15% of

joining those at 100% or greater.

The 3-year commitment period for FAITH VEN-FAITH VEN-

TURE 2007TURE 2007 concludes on October 31st of this year.

Contact Tim Trautman ([email protected]) with

requests for information about the status of a commit-

ment for FAITH VENTURE 2007FAITH VENTURE 2007 ..

Page 6: Attention: All Creatures, Great and Small · Attention: All Creatures, Great and Small St. Francis of Assisi is considered the patron saint of animals because of the respect he showed

Altar Flowers

Given With Love Sept. 5 by Wanda Burns in honor

of Sharon Seamon‘s

birthday

12 Open

19 by Sam & Sharon Sledge in honor of their wedding

anniversary

26 by Matthew Johnson in honor and memory of

Harry & Mary L. Stoke

Sign up in the narthex to give altar flowers. Our church florist

will make a beautiful arrangement. Cost is $40.

Sept. 2 George Brookover

Brady Mikesell

10 Judy Christiansen

Leann Hutto

13 Jeff Wallace

14 Robert Graham

17 Daymon Muehl

18 Stephen Beyer

19 Barb Poloni

22 Patricia Bosse

23 Jack Christensen

25 Cade Evans

26 Marcia Hearn

27 Zachery Rittenhouse

30 Heather Espenlaub

IF YOU HAD A BIRTHDAY OR AN ANNIVERSARY

DURING THIS MONTH AND YOUR NAME DOES NOT

APPEAR ON THIS LIST, PLEASE CALL THE CHURCH

OFFICE.

Celebrating Birthdays

Sept. 7 Craig & Sandra Anderson

Erik & Michelle Mikesell

13 Don & Rita Foisie

14 Bill & Helen Moyer

15 Dan & Judy Cargill

20 Wayne & Marcia Hearn

22 Steve & Kari Galloway

26 John & Melissa Christensen

SPECIAL GIFTS LISTS for

NEW WORSHIP CENTER & REMODELING

YES!...there are still items available from which donors can

choose for furnishing, supplying and underwriting for the

new worship center and the other aspects of upgrading the

facility. An updated list with associated costs is available.

Contact Pastor Anholt for with questions.

Diners’ Club will

meet at La Madeline in Kingwood (by Randall's) at 7:00 p.m. on Thurs-day, September 16th

(third Thursday of the month). Everyone is invited for an evening of good food & Chris-tian fellowship.

Q & A - STEWARDSHIP KEY LEADER

Q. SHOULD OUR GIFT TO THIS PROGRAM

BE OVER AND ABOVE OUR GIVING TO

CURRENT EXPENSES, BENEVOLENCE AND

OUR OPERATIONAL SPENDING PLANS

FOR THE 2010 & 2011 SPENDING PLANS

FOR MISSION OF THE CONGREGATION?

A. Yes. The regular operating expenses of our

congregation, both at home and abroad, must

be supported first. Any reduction in these areas

would not allow Atascocita Lutheran Church

to operate faithfully and effectively.

Q & A - STEWARDSHIP KEY LEADER

Q. SHOULD OUR COMMITMENT BE A CHALLENGE FOR US? A. YES. If we put Christ at the center of our

life, God will challenge us to give on a self-denial

basis. This will require faith. No person can predict

what will happen tomorrow, next month, or next year,

but it was the faith of our congregation that helped to

bring us where we are to day. The only thing certain

is that without God, there can be no peace or happi-

ness in our lives or in the world. God is active in and

through the church, and we are privileged to be part of

God's activity.

Page 7: Attention: All Creatures, Great and Small · Attention: All Creatures, Great and Small St. Francis of Assisi is considered the patron saint of animals because of the respect he showed

TEAM TALK Our ALC Leadership Team (LT) includes: Pastory Gary Anholt; Joy Berthold (President); John Christensen (Vice President);

Cheryl Howard (Secretary); Kari Galloway (Spiritual Formation); Patty Hutchinson (Worship & Hospitality); and Claudia Simon

(Outreach & Congregational Life). The team met on August 5 and discussed the following items:

ALC's finances are in good shape. Although giving is down a bit, as it typically is during the summer months, expenses are

also down, and we expect giving to return to previous levels in the fall.

We are paying $168/month for a storage unit to hold the old pulpit, altar and chairs. We will look into whether there is a

church just starting out that may be able to use this furniture.

The LT will begin preparing for the mission plan for spending for 2011 by working with Stewardship Team leader George

Brookover to assess the needs of their ministries, what is going well and should be continued, and what is not working and

needs to be tweaked or discontinued in the coming year.

Our current Faith Venture 2007 capital campaign comes to an end in October and we are making plans for the next campaign

to carry our growth forward. Pastor Haynes from the ELCA's Stewardship Key Leader program will be our guide on this

journey and he will be with us on August 29 to preach at both services and present information on this new undertaking.

The person hired for the sexton position did not work out and was let go. We have retained our previous cleaning service

and will not actively seek another sexton candidate at this time, although we will keep our ears open if we should hear of

someone who may be right for the position.

A proposal was made to replace the old and broken lighting fixtures in the downstairs classrooms, nursery, hallway and of-

fice. Although the quoted cost of $2,000 is an excellent deal, we do not have the funds at this time to move forward with this

project. If giving increases in the fall, the LT will re-visit this proposal.

All LT members will rally their ministry leaders to participate in Rally Day on August 29. This is a great opportunity to get

people excited about the ministry we do at ALC, to recruit help that is needed and give disciples a chance to sign up for ac-

tivites that will begin in the fall.

Team members would love to hear from you with ideas, suggestions, opportunities to serve, or willingness to serve. Thanks to

all for your continued service to the ministries of ALC.

Q & A - STEWARDSHIP KEY LEADER

Q. WHAT IF I PLAN TO GIVE, BUT I DO NOT BE-

LIEVE IN PLEDGING OR MAKING A COMMIT-

MENT?

A. All of life is one pledge or commitment after an-

other.Almost everyone makes pledges daily. When you

purchase anything without paying cash for it, you pledge to

pay later. When you sign for telephone, water or gas ser-

vice, you pledge to pay at a later date. When you united

with the church, you pledged to uphold it "by my prayers,

attendance and gifts." Why not make a pledge to support

the work of the church? A financial commitment is a state-

ment of your intentions to be part of our congregation's

faithfulness in ministry through (theme) and beyond.

Begin Baking! ALC‘s Annual Fall Festival is Sat-

urday, October 9th. Please re-

member the church‘s bake booth

needs your goodies as a part of the

Fall Festival! You can deliver your baked goods to

the church on Friday, October 8th, until 8 p.m. or on

Saturday directly to the bake booth. Homemade

breads, rolls, muffins, cookies, cupcakes, brownies,

and pies are popular items. Please package cookies

and brownies in individual baggies of 2 or 3.

We‘re looking forward to another successful year, but

it is not possible without the help of everyone! We

encourage every family at Atascocita Lutheran to

make a baked donation for the bake booth! Please

consider supporting this important effort to help those

in need. Contact Heather Espenlaub at 281-436-

1889 or 713-417-8223 or [email protected] with

any questions.

We’re on the web!

alutheranchurch.org

Page 8: Attention: All Creatures, Great and Small · Attention: All Creatures, Great and Small St. Francis of Assisi is considered the patron saint of animals because of the respect he showed

ATASCOCITA LUTHERAN CHURCH

7927 FM 1960 East, Humble Texas 77346 - (281) 852-7333

www.alutheranchurch.org

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage

PAID Huffman, Texas Permit No. 19

ATASCOCITA LUTHERAN

CHURCH

Our Vision:

As a growing, diverse community of believers on a

journey of faith, we seek to make Christ known

through reflecting Christ in our lives.