June 2020

Newsletter of Reformation Lutheran Church (ELCA) Rev. Jeffrey Gross, Interim Pastor

INSIDE

Birthdays/Anniversaries 6

Bishop’s Message 7

Calendar 8

Congregational Care 6

Council Minutes 5

COVID-19 Update 3

Disaster Relief 7

Financial Update 6

Lunch Bunch 4

Music Ministry 4

Pastor Jeff’s Message 2

President’s Message 1

Social Ministry 1

Tidbits—A Little of This & A Little of That 4

Who to Contact 5

This Newsletter is being published with regularly scheduled events

as we now know. All activities are subject to change because of the

COVID-19 Virus. Watch your e-mail for most current changes.

Our annual school supplies drive for Padgett Elementary School is still planned to take place. We will start accepting donations after we can hold church services again. As soon as we have enough information to set the dates for our collection, we will let you know.

The church council continues meeting monthly on Zoom. Our plan at this time is to complete the required readings and documents for the transition checklist during the June meeting. Continued thanks to Pastor Jeff and the worship team for the Wednesday and Sunday services. We will continue to follow guidelines from the Synod to determine when we will be able to resume in-person services. Continue to stay healthy and safe.

Sam Wason, Council President

FATHER’S DAY, JUNE 21

Tomorrow, pick one person from

the Church Directory you haven’t

spoken with recently. Call them

just to say “Hi! How you doing?

Miss seeing you.”

Repeat at least weekly!!!

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“All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the

Spirit gave them ability.” Acts 2:4 NRSV

They just replaced Judas with Matthias and they were back to twelve. These disciples, apostles, were primarily

fisherman who could neither read nor write. If they spoke any language it was Aramaic and they spoke it with

a Galilean dialect, which is to say, unpolished and crude. Yet Jesus chose them and loved them, rough edges

and all.

And now something happened that could only be described as “extraordinary.” With the help of the Holy

Spirit, they spoke different languages. Pilgrims who came from afar heard the Gospel proclaimed in their

native tongue. This miracle was the birth of the Church.

Many faith traditions follow the same liturgical calendar as Lutherans. And in many traditions, such as the

Roman Catholic tradition, the Sundays that follow Pentecost are referred to as “Ordinary Time.”

Lutherans refer to the Sundays from Pentecost to Advent as “The Pentecost Season.” Pentecost Season is the

longest season of the church year. The color of Pentecost is Red but the color of the Pentecost Season is

Green and the paraments remain Green right up to Reformation Sunday. I suppose we could call it “Ordinary

Time.” I am kind of glad that we do not. I never get excited about anything that describes itself as “ordinary.”

Perhaps our leaders refused to call this season ordinary and by calling the season Pentecost they were calling it

“extraordinary.” I like “extraordinary,” that is an exciting word and considering to this particular time of

isolation and separation, “ordinary” does not work.

What is “extraordinary” is God continues to bless this congregation. What is “extraordinary” is the fact that

people have remained faithful in their giving. What is “extraordinary” is that we have reached out beyond this

building into the community, the state, the nation, across the ocean with our Facebook broadcast. What is

“extraordinary” are the leaders of this congregation who remain faithful, dedicated and in good spirits. What is

“extraordinary” is the leadership of our Bishop and his staff and the fact that congregations are coming together

and connecting in ways that has never happened before.

We are entering into, if you will “Extraordinary Time.” There is nothing “ordinary” about these summer

months. I thought Covid 19 would make the summer less than ordinary. But God, as usual, surprised me

throughout the season with blessings beyond measure.

May God bless you. Stay safe. And let us enter into this “Extraordinary Time” with joyful anticipation of a happier tomorrow.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Jeff

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Below is an excerpt from a message Bishop Suarez issued May 22, 2020, regarding issues arising from the COVID-19 Virus. This afternoon, President Donald Trump declared that all governors should open churches immediately and said that churches should be considered essential businesses. I want to offer some reflection on this and how it affects us in the Florida-Bahamas Synod. I want to remind you that churches are already listed as essential businesses in Florida. Governor DeSantis does not prevent any of us from worshipping. Because of the separation of church and state, the government cannot prevent us from worshipping, or compel us to worship, at any time. However, it is strongly recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Florida Department of Health that in this “Phase 1” of our reopening, we limit public gatherings as much as possible. In the Florida-Bahamas Synod, my recommendation is that congregations wait until at least “Phase 3” of statewide reopening before they return to in-person worship. When we are finally able to gather, we recommend continuing to follow safe distancing practices, including wearing masks, staying six feet apart, and cleaning and disinfecting the sanctuary after services. The ELCA and our Synod's guidelines are available on our webpage www.fbsynod.com. COVID-19 is a national emergency but returning to in-person services is not yet a priority at this time. We urge you to continue doing services online for the time being, until we are in “Phase 3” or upon recommendation from the CDC. I am longing for us to be able to gather together and worship in our sanctuaries. It would be a blessing for us to be together, but as we have seen across the country, congregations who gather become super spreader events where large percentages of the congregation contract the virus. This has happened in worship services, choir rehearsals, and general meetings. My ultimate recommendation is that we continue to hold off on in-person worship until, at least, “Phase 3” of reopening. For those who have decided to try and have services , we strongly recommend following the safe meeting practices and continuing to uphold social distancing. In all of this we continue to encourage you to pray for each other, for our communities, for our nation and world as we struggle with this pandemic. Sisters and Brothers, I continue to thank God for you. Thank you for the way you care for each other and for your congregations in this time. May God be with you. Peace and health, Rev. Pedro Suarez, Bishop Florida-Bahamas Synod, ELCA

Pastor Jeff and your council agree with the Bishop that now is not

the time to resume face-to-face worship services. The sanctuary at

Reformation is not conducive to social distancing and the ages of

our congregation puts us more at risk. The effects of resuming our

day-to-day activities are still not known when we hear of new cases

of the virus occurring. We will continue with our worship service

and weekly devotions live on Facebook . A notice will be sent as

soon as we can resume meeting in the sanctuary.

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TIDBITS – A LITTLE OF THIS AND A LITTLE OF THAT!!!.

• Facebook Views of Sunday Worship since last newsletter: May 3, 179; May 10, 220; May 17, 168; May 24, 144.

• Facebook Views of Wednesday Devotions weekly average for May was 98.

• Pastor Jeff will be in the office Tuesday – Thursday. He is reachable via cell 941-920-1564. During this period of limited contact due to COVID-19, Pastor Jeff will be working from home some days, however, he is always reachable by cell phone.

• ATTENTION CHOIR MEMBERS: Be sure to return your music when we can get back into the church. Just place your folder, with the music, on Marvin’s desk in the robe room.

• Please notify Karen Hamilton or Marilyn Hodge of any changes in address, land phone and/or cell numbers, or email addresses so Church Directory can be updated. Also this assures you will receive the most current email “blasts” of information.

• Need HELP but don’t know where to find it? CALL 2-1-1. This is a trained referral agency that will connect you with a program that can help you. Examples are: Disability Services, Food Medicine Financial Aid, Health Services, Home Health & Homemaker Services, Legal Services, Senior Citizens Services, Transportation. A more complete list of Polk Community resources is on the credenza in the narthex. This includes copies of the booklet “Elder Care – Senior Resource Guide”.

Lunch Bunch

Due to the coronavirus, we have not been able to meet since February Our next scheduled get-together is June 25th at Smokey Bones. Watch your email and I will let you know a week in advance if we are going to meet.

As you know, Lunch Bunch is open to all the ladies from Reformation and their female friends. We meet monthly from September through June on the fourth and

occasionally the third (usually November and December) Thursday and go to a different restaurant for lunch. The time is spent on catching up on what we have been doing, what’s going on within our families, what plans we have and sometimes what concerns we have. It’s a group of ladies enjoying each other’s company. This past year, several of you acted as “hostesses”, selecting the location, contacting the ladies that normally go, making sure everyone has a ride and setting up the reservations. We’re going to do the same thing this coming year. When selecting a location, remember that we had almost 30 people when the snowbirds were here. We want to make sure that the locations selected during the winter months can easily handle that size group without spreading us out at different tables.

Where do you enjoy going for lunch? Please think about it. Pick a month or two and let me know which months and the locations. I will coordinate so that we have each month covered and can provide a list of all ten locations in September. Let me know by the first of August.

If you have any questions, please contact me.

Karen Hamilton, 863-853-9678 or cell 863-399-0220

If anyone would like to do special music during the summer months (June thru September),

please let me know. We can always use some type of music during the church year when the choir is not singing. It can be a visiting friend or relative. It can be piano or instrumental, not just vocal. Marvin Dalton, Choir Director

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Altar Ministry—summer Doug Hodge 853-2989

Chancel Choir Marvin Dalton 450-2063

Congregational Care Marilyn Hodge 853-2989

Evangelism

Fellowship Bobby Harney 330-240-9139

Financial Sec’y Karen Noyes 875-8574

Kitchen Karen Hamilton 853-9678

Newsletter Karen Hamilton 853-9678

Office Karen Noyes 875-8574

Property Doug Hodge 853-2989

Social Karen Noyes 875-8574

Stewardship

Treasurer Karen Hamilton 853-9678

Worship & Music

Youth Education

Who to Contact

Synopsis of Council Minutes

Treasurer report is written under Financial Update elsewhere in newsletter and not included in these minutes. Complete copies of all Council Meeting Minutes are located in a binder on the mailbox in the office. April 21, 2020

• Council meeting held via Zoom

• Financial Review required for the transition checklist is complete and the auditor approved our financial reports. Connie Schmucker (Synod) has seen and approved this report.

• Doug Hodge is going to do a complete inventory and update our records for building and equipment to assure insurance coverage is sufficient.

• Pastor Jeff thinks we should continue the Facebook broadcast of services even after we can meet in person to reach those who cannot attend, as we reach many more people than our normal attendance.

• Pastor Jeff is reaching out to our congregation in need by phone as that is about the only thing that can be done at this time.

• Marilyn Hodge will be sending out our prayer list each week by email.

• Roof Fund is almost one year old and we are over $10,000. This is about $5,000 short of our needs if we are going to have the $60,000 we need in four years.

• We may need to ask for donations in the fall to cover 2020 expenses if there is a shortfall in regular giving so we can meet our expenses for the year without dipping into our investments.

• Pajamas for Kids Program collected 96 pajamas and some stuffed animals and girl’s clothes. GAL office is going to wait until we have ore freedom of ovement to collect the items.

• Coronavirus discussion — we will probably not resume Sunday services until the state allows gatherings of 60 or more.

• Administrative Handbook section of the transition process binder was reviewed by Sam Wason. He covered the responsibility of the Congregation Council and its officers, handling of church offerings, nominating committee responsibilities, reqirements for revisions to the constitution, loans and the ELCA foundation.

June 2020 6 - Cross Walk

Vital Statistics Summer Birthdays

Summer Anniversaries

Financial Update

06/04 SIMPSON, Janice

06/05 HODGE, Doug

06/06 DOVERSPIKE, Mel

06/13 WEAVER, Chuck

06/13 WISE, Elizabeth

06/14 GIBBONS, Maci

06/18 DOWNES, Tess

06/21 MUSSER, Ellen

06/24 PEREZ Jr, Eddie

06/25 SWEET, Larry

06/26 CODY, Clayton

06/26 TEDESCO, Lisa

06/26 TEDESCO, Theresa

06/27 SARAKINIS, Andy

06/28 BOLTON, Bea

06/30 STACKPOLE, Roy

07/08 LINEHAN, Ruth

07/09 YAGER, Dennis

07/17 TEDESCO, Audrey

07/19 NOYES, Karen

07/23 TEDESCO, Ava

07/26 STEVENS, Merle

07/26 CLARK, Bette Lou

07/28 BERRIAN, Helen

07/29 CABALLERO, Vic

07/29 NOYES, Dale

07/30 ZELAZNY, Vickey

08/01 BROWN, Dina

08/01 HADLEY, Elberta

08/05 CLARK, Howie

08/09 KNOTT, Bill

08/10 PEARSON, Olivia

08/11 HAINES, Karen

08/12 WOOLDRIDGE, Marcia

08/15 MUELLER, Yvonne

08/17 NELSON, Beverly

08/23 HEIL, Pat

08/27 ROY, Holger

08/29 JOHNSON, Judy

08/30 HAMILTON, Karen

08/30 RAILA, Doris

08/30 ROY, Liam

06/06 SIMPSON, John & Janice

07/15 CHAPMAN, Bruce & Pat

07/29 KNOTT, Bill & Fran

07/31 CLARK, Howie & Bette Lou

08/02 DOWNES, Bob & Tess

08/02 ROBINSON, Roger & Carol

08/07 REHKOPF, Dale & Margaret

08/07 ZELAZNY, Phil & Vickey

08/07 PACE, Leslie

Financials as of April 30, 2020:

Y-T-D Total Income $51,451

Y-T-D Total Expenses $44,418

Income is down because of our inability to hold services in the sanctuary. A big THANK YOU to those of you who have been getting your offering to us by various means. As you can see, we are still operating in the black by $7,032 but that will go very quickly if we are $1,000—$2,000 short each month. We have asked that you drop off your giving envelopes at the church. For those of you who find this difficult to do, you can mail your giving to the church, 460 Old Polk City Rd, Lakeland 33809. Also, if you use Bill Pay to pay you bills, you can “pay” Reformation the same way you would any other “bill”. Feel free to contact me if you have questions on the church’s financials.

Karen Hamilton, Treasurer 853-9678

As you all are aware, I am publishing the updated prayer list each week. Those of you who receive my weekly emails should be receiving a copy of the Weekly Bulletin and Prayer List. The Weekly Bulletin is created by the church office and the Prayer List created by me. This list can only be as accurate as those of you requesting prayers help me make it! The new concept is there will be no need, even when we meet together again for me to give updates at the end of the service as I did in the past. The updates need to get to me during the week. no later than Thursday morning and I will either publish a PRAISE REPORT or UPDATE. which includes removing someone from the list. Thank you all for helping to make this possible. Marilyn Hodge - Congregational Care Chair

7 - Cross Walk June 2020

The following is an excerpt from the Bishop and a Deacon of the ELCA published in the E-Spirit, Synod newsletter, on May 26.

Greetings and welcome to this Florida-Bahamas Synod Update for the last week of May 2020

Did you know that to care for ourselves as leaders during this time of crisis, we are recommended to…

• Connect with our best friends regularly • Keep good humor alive • Practice any cardio activity 3 times a week • Practice our favorite hobbies • Imagine and plan for the future, be willing to fail, and stay positive • Deepen our spiritual daily life by reading the scriptures, meditating, and praying • Being generous, kind, and showing love to others

Did you know that while we care for ourselves, we must also care for our pastors? We should…

• Encourage others to understand that there is no real need to rush the reopening of our churches • Understand that reopening won’t really improve our offerings • Protect our leaders’ health, because if they get sick, we will have a hard time finding substitutes

Did you know that many of our leaders, especially our pastors, are experiencing something called Emotional Labor? Emotional labor is the invisible and often undervalued work involved in keeping other people comfortable and happy. During difficult times, emotional labor can be very stressful. Our pastors especially should be using vacation time if possible. Remember: it is not selfish to take a break. In fact, taking care of yourself is the best thing you can do for your congregation.

Did you know that, just because we can reopen our congregations doesn’t mean that we should…

• There is no problem in waiting until Phase 3 as I have recommended • Being creative “online” has created so many new opportunities • It is always best to be respectful and kind to those that are reopening, as well as to those that

are not reopening yet

Did you know that 5 Judicatory Bishops met this past week to coordinate efforts on reopening our churches in Florida? Episcopalians, Roman Catholics, Presbyterians, Methodists and Lutherans all met having similar issues and with very diverse responses by parishes.

We wish peace and health to all. May God bless you!

The Rev. Pedro M. Suarez, Bishop Florida-Bahamas Synod, ELCA

Disaster Relief

There was $385 in our Disaster Relief fund and we combined that with the Lenten Offerings for a total of $671. These funds were donated

to Talbot House to help them with the purchase of food. We had planned to give the Lenten Offerings to help Grace Lutheran Church’s Backpack program for school children, but because of the school closings due to COVID-19, this program was inactive. Talbot House is not getting our normal Food Barrel donations, and their needs have only increased due to the financial hardships caused by the virus, so these funds can help their mission greatly at this time.

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sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday

1

6:00 Cub Scouts

2 7:30 Prop Work Day

3

12:-00 Devotions

Facebook Live

4

5

6

7 10:00 Worship

Facebook Live

8

6:00 Cub Scouts

11 7:30 Prop Work Day

10:00 Evangelism

10

12:-00 Devotions

Facebook Live

11

12

13

14 10:00 Worship

Facebook Live

15

6:00 Cub Scouts

16 7:30 Prop Work Day

6:30 Council

17

12:-00 Devotions

Facebook Live

18

19 20

21 Father’s Day

10:00 Worship

Facebook Live

22

6:00 Cub Scouts

23 7:30 Prop Work Day

24

12:-00 Devotions

Facebook Live

25

12:00 Lunch Bunch

26 27

28 10:00 Worship

Facebook Live

29 30 7:30 Prop Work Day

June 2020