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The Scroll
St. Luke Lutheran Church May 2019 Volume 15, Issue 5
The Ascension of Our Lord
From Pastor Danny
We will celebrate the ascension of Jesus on Thursday,
May 30. The Feast of the Ascension is always on a Thursday
because it is the 40th day following the resurrection.
However, we do celebrate ascension on the Sunday
following the 40th day, June 2 this year.
What does it mean that Jesus ascended into heaven and
is seated at the right hand of the Father, as we confess in our creed? At the
beginning, Jesus the Messiah came from heaven as Emmanuel, “God with us.”
After Jesus died on the cross his mission he came to do was complete. At the
cross just before he died, he cried out, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Jesus was
not just talking about his life but also the mission that he came to accomplish. (Continued on page 2)
Inside this issue
Opportunities to Help ........................ 3
Seeking Host Families ........................ 4
Community Garden ........................... 4
Adult Forum Schedule ....................... 5
Blood Drive Thanks ............................ 5
Tag Sale info ...................................... 6
Kids’ Page .......................................... 7
Celebrations ...................................... 8
Schedules to Serve............................. 9
Prayer List ........................................ 10
Calendar .......................................... 11
New London Meal Center
Schedule to Serve ............ Back Page
“We are a Spirit driven Christian community
of engaged disciples, called to serve,
love and forgive. ”
We are a
Reconciling in Christ
Congregation.
2
During the years of his ministry/mission,
Jesus taught his disciples to go out and
do the mission that he was sent to do.
He sent them two-by-two and gave
them the authority to heal the sick,
cleanse the lepers, cast out demons,
and raise the dead through the power of
God (Matthew 10:8).
His mission was to bring the message
of the kingdom of God to the world and
he accomplished this through his death
and resurrection. The love of God was
so great for the world that God allowed
his only son to die for the sins of the
world. Now with the power of
resurrection, Jesus was now ready to
return to the Father.
He told his disciples that he was
going to return to the Father in heaven.
He was going there to prepare a place
for them with the Father (John 14:2-29).
It was time for them to continue to tell
the people throughout the entire earth
about the kingdom of God and he was
sending them out to do just that.
Luke provides two different accounts
of the ascension. The first was in his
gospel where Jesus takes them to
Bethany, blesses them and while doing
so, he was carried up into heaven (Luke
24:50-51). The second account was in
the Acts of the Apostles where it is
recorded that he was with them for 40
days following the resurrection. On that
40th day he told them to wait in
Jerusalem for the power of the Holy
Spirit to come to them so that they
would have the power to witness about
the love of God through Jesus to the
entire world. While he was giving them
their commission, he was taken up on a
cloud until it went out of sight (Acts 1:1-
9). The purpose of his ascension was so
that they could receive the Holy Spirit
(John 14:16-20) as power to do God’s
mission on earth.
There are many accounts of Jesus at
the right hand of the Father following
the ascension recorded in the New
Testament. The honor of being at the
right hand of the Father is something
that is the prerogative of God and no
one else. Jesus told James and John’s
mother when she asked Jesus to let her
sons sit at his right and left hand in his
glory, that this honor could only be
given by the Father (Matthew 20:20-28).
Just before he died, Stephen saw Jesus
standing at the right hand of God (Acts
7:54-60). The apostles finally got it and
knew and believed that Jesus was sitting
at the right hand of the Father after he
ascended. Paul said that when Jesus was
raised from the dead he was seated at
the right hand of God in heavenly places
(Continued from page 1)
(Continued on page 8)
The Ascension of Our Lord (cont’d.)
3
Volunteer Now!
There are so many ways you can help in the life of St. Luke. Here are just a few of them: For Services (Training Provided!)
Greeter — Welcome all who enter on Sunday
Altar Guild — Set up the altar for communion and clean up after worship
Usher — Hand out The Weekly, assist in “traffic control” during communion, count and record attendance
Lay Reader — Read the scripture(s) for the week
Communion Deacon — Help distribute communion elements
Assisting Minister — sit with ministers, lead the prayers of the people, offertory prayer,
and communion prayer; singing optional
Acolyte — usually filled by youngsters; light candles, take offering plates from ushers, assist with communion
Tech Team — run projection and work the sound board
Counter — counts the offering after service once a month with a partner
Wednesday Dinner Church Lead Cook — plan the menu, shop for ingredients, and lead the cooking
Music Ministry Join the Senior Choir Join the Celebrate Team Play handbells
In the Community Help with the Community
Garden Cook or serve at the New
London Meal Center on the first Sunday of the month
Help with the Tag Sale
Unable to make a long-term commitment? Here are some other ways to help: Mow the lawn during the
summer Sign up to bring communion
bread on a Sunday (Would you rather have bread or wafers?!)
Offer your musical talents for an offertory piece one Sunday
Help keep the building and grounds in tiptop shape
Donate Manwich for serving at the New London Meal Center
Ministry Opportunities
Contact Kathleen in the Church Office for more information,
to sign up, or to be connected with a team leader.
860-464-7897 or [email protected]
4
Company is coming and we need beds! By Sue Anderson
The Youth Choir (grades 6-12) from University United Methodist Church in Chapel Hill, N.C. is coming to share a performance of Jesus Christ Superstar on Thursday evening June 20 at St. Luke Lutheran Church. They will spend the night with local families, travel on their own on Friday, but return to sleep with host families and depart for home on Saturday at 9 AM. Host families will need to transport guests after the concert, return them to church early Friday AM, pick them up Friday evening, and return them for departure on
Saturday. Students will be paired in groups of 2-5, you
can specify number and sex you can accommodate. Beds can be cots, air mattresses, fold-outs in addition to standard beds. You are asked to provide breakfast Friday and Saturday mornings. You can request adult, male or female, alone or with students.
Sign-ups will start in May. See Sue Anderson or Gina Williams for more details.
Work Parties for the Community
Garden are being held on
Thursdays (that are dry), until the
garden is planted sometime in
late May. These will begin at 9:30
AM. Rain dates will be on
Fridays. See Ray Heller for more
info [email protected]
Community Garden
5
Thanks to the generosity and
support of our faithful donors at our April 16th blood drive, 87 people will benefit from receiving a precious gift of life including: red cells, plasma and platelets. Twenty-nine useable units of blood were collected. You are very special donors who are insuring that there is a healthy blood supply available to save lives of those in need throughout the region. We were especially thankful to welcome three new caring St. Luke donors: Gary Addis II, Lisa McCabe, and Evan Kohl who stepped up to join in this life-saving effort to benefit the community.
Our dedicated St. Luke volunteers staffing the drive were wonderful, as usual. Elaine Remondi-Simpson arrived early for set up. Our faithful and capable registrars Alice Carter and Carolyn Kracke guided the donors smoothly through the process. Our welcoming and helpful canteen volunteers: Sue Anderson, Gail Chernansky, and Pauline Wanner were attentive to donors as they served delicious refreshments. We were grateful for volunteers: Megan Brown, Bob and Joanne Erickson, Cathy Hanson, Elaine Lettiere, Pam
Suplicki, Robert Simpson, Dick Wimmermark, and Pat Wood for providing a variety of flavorful sandwiches, pizza and delicious desserts. We often hear donors remark, “The St. Luke blood drives have the best food in town.” The donors are always pleased with the warm welcome and fine selection of refreshments that St. Luke provides for them. The Fellowship Hall was cleaned up efficiently at the close of the drive thanks to Sue Anderson, Carolyn Kracke, Bob and Elaine Remondi-Simpson.
Thank you all for coming together to support this worthy cause. We sincerely appreciate your time and efforts, especially during Holy Week. You are essential to the success of our drives and investing in the health of our community. What a blessing to the givers and receivers alike! May God’s abundant blessings be with each of you.
St. David’s hosts the next blood drive on the second week of June. Won’t you consider investing in the health of the community by making a life saving donation?
Thank you!
Blood Drive
Volunteers
and Donors By Elaine Remondi- Simpson
May 5 Pastor Danny:
The Spirit Creates Faith Pt 2; Freedom: Flesh verses Spirit/Living in the Spirit
May 12
Pastor Danny: The Spirit Creates Love:
Spiritual Gifts for the Common Good Pt 1
May 19
Pastor Danny: The Spirit Creates Love:
Spiritual Gifts for the Common Good Pt 2
May 26
Single Service Sunday Youth Sunday
NO SUNDAY SCHOOL Memorial Day Parade
June 2
Pastor Danny: The Spirit Creates Hope
June 9 –
June 16
ALL AGES LEARNING HOUR End of year party
Adult Forum Schedule
6
We’re still waiting for someone to donate a NEW CAR! Meanwhile, we’ll take whatever STUFF you can dig out of your closets, garages, basements, and attics that you think we might be able to sell at our tag sale. You can bring it to the church beginning on Sunday, May 5. You’ll get rid of stuff you don’t need, somebody else will love it, and if you itemize, you can claim it on your tax return next year! (It’s usually worth more than you think. Check out the Goodwill and Salvation Army online value guides). And please SIGN UP to help set up and run the sale! Signup sheets are on the easel near the kitchen.
At the end of the sale (promptly at 2 pm on May 11), we will start cleaning up the church. Please feel free to come and take away anything you’d like, either for yourself or to take to local charities (e.g., clothing bins, Goodwill, etc). All remaining merchandise will go into a dumpster in the parking lot.
What we need… Anything usually found at tag sales is welcome, but please note that it must be in good condition,
and that we cannot accept items that are difficult to sell or dispose of, such as hazardous materials, paint, CRT (old style) TV sets, kitchen cabinets (yeah, we’ve gotten those!), large appliances (refrigerators, washing machines, etc.), tires, automobile batteries, or sets of encyclopedias. Stuff to sell can be brought to the church beginning on Sunday, May 5, after the second service.
Furniture may be acceptable for the sale or the Furniture Bank, but please do not bring it to the sale without checking with us first! We have limited space in our storage lockers, and may have to reject items that are too old, too bulky, in poor condition, or of limited utility. If we can use it, it will be much easier to deal with after the sale.
We’ll need lots of help! It takes a whole week to set up and run the sale. It’s a huge undertaking, but also a fun and
rewarding way to reach out to the community. The more people who help out, the easier and more fun it becomes. Please consider joining us! We start setting up for the sale on May 5 right after church, and we’ll need lots of help!
In case you didn’t know: The Furniture Bank, which began in 1982 as an outreach of St. Luke, collects donated furniture and
gives it free of charge to people in financial need who are referred by social service agencies and churches. To date, we estimate that we have helped over 17,000 people. We have been running tag sales at St. Luke for 29 years (since 1990). Roughly 80% of the proceeds are used to meet operating expenses (mainly rental on storage lockers). The rest is used to supplement grant funds for beds, most of which are purchased new. Donations, including items for the tag sale, are tax-deductible. For further information, please call the furniture bank at 860 381-9224.
Furniture Bank Tag Sale May 10/11 By Mike Wuesthoff
7
Kids’ Page
8
5/2
Suzanne Etris
Kevin Fraenkel
Marilyn McNaughton 5/3
Kristian Balinski 5/4
Mark Pitluck 5/5
Penny Howell-Heller 5/10
Robert Chernansky
5/11
William Seibert
5/14
Peggy Beale
5/16
Ben Vajdos
Jack Stevens
Dot Cooper
5/23
Jeanne Steinnagel
5/26
Nancy Rupert
Charlie Anderson
5/27
Sharon Schlepp
5/29
Ted Frase
5/30
Tom Crawford
5/31
Jennifer Gilletti
5/7
Marty & Pat Wood
5/9
David & Liese Zitzkat
5/13
Brad & Jen Roe
5/19
Helmut & Jeanne Steinnagel
5/26
Alan & Sue Portofee
Jim & Leigh Sammons
Kelsey & Peter Keefe
5/??
Suzanne Etris
5/4
Don Savage
5/14
Mikayla Zitzkat
5/18
Linda Martin
5/23
Christopher Derjue
5/24
Robert Chernansky
Abigail Cote
5/25
Dick Wimmermark
5/27
Jillian Derjue
5/30
Kim Bosse
Elizabeth Smart
Celebrations
Did we miss your celebration?
Please call the church office,
860-464-7897, or e-mail
[email protected], so we
can be sure to honor your
special day!
Did you know…?
...there is a binder on
the wall outside the work
room (the room with the
copier in it) that holds a
year’s worth of the Council
reports from staff and St
Luke teams, as well as
minutes from Council
meetings? They are
available for congregation
members to peruse at
their leisure, with the hope
of keeping everybody well-
informed. Should you
decide to take a peek,
please do not remove the
book from the building
and be sure to put it back
when you are finished.
(Ephesians 1:20) and that he was our
High Priest interceding for us with the
Father (Romans 8:34, Hebrews 4:14,
8:1). Peter also records that “…through
the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has
gone into heaven and is at the right
hand of God…” (1 Peter 3:21b-23a).
Why do we believe this? Because we
believe the witness of those who ate,
walked and talked with Jesus following
his resurrection. Now that we believe,
we are called to continue the mission of
Jesus, to spread the Good News of the
kingdom of God; to heal the sick, raise
the dead, cast out demons, through the
power of God! Go and share the good
news!
(Continued from page 2)
The Ascension of Our Lord (cont’d.)
9
ST
. LU
KE—
SCH
EDU
LE T
O S
ERV
E –
Ma
y 2
01
9
Dat
e
Gre
eter
s U
sher
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ltar
Gu
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Lay
Rea
de
rs
Co
mm
un
ion
Dea
con
s A
coly
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Tech
Te
am
Ass
isti
ng
Min
iste
rs
5/5
8:1
5
Joan
Lam
ber
t
Den
nis
Sin
del
,
Mar
k P
itlu
ck, C
arl
Smit
h
Cat
hy
Han
son
K
atie
Lau
ner
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Felt
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ean
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sse
Li
llie
Ku
hn
11
:00
To
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ick
Wim
mer
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mar
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Dav
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ear
5/1
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Joan
ne
Eric
kso
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Car
l Sm
ith
, Mit
ch
Ro
bin
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, Tyl
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Zitz
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se M
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An
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Je
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Swo
pe
Bill
Kra
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D
ean
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11
:00
B
ob
& G
ail
Ch
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ansk
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Mar
ty &
Pat
Wo
od
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Ray
Hel
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l Ch
ern
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race
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llin
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aker
5/1
9
8:1
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Tru
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Flan
ery
Den
nis
Sin
del
,
Mar
k P
itlu
ck, C
arl
Smit
h
Daw
n A
nd
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Car
oly
n K
rack
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B
urt
on
Bar
nes
Li
llie
Ku
hn
11
:00
D
eb E
ld
Mar
ty &
Pat
Wo
od
,
Cam
Rey
no
lds
Pen
ny
Hel
ler
Trin
a R
eyn
old
s R
ay H
elle
r
Mik
e M
aso
n,
Ro
ni R
olli
nso
n
Bo
nn
ie F
ear
5/2
6
Me
mo
rial
Day
We
eke
nd
—Yo
uth
Se
rvic
e
9:3
0
Tom
Bau
dro
Eliz
abet
h S
mar
t,
Tyle
r Zi
tzka
t, M
ark
Pit
luck
Sue
An
der
son
B
on
nie
Fea
r
10
Pray for healing: Nancy Dooley
Roseanne Going
Pauline
Glenda
Bill Bowe
Carol Hurlbutt
Cecelia Whalen
Saditha
Barbara Schramm
Leigh Sammons
Norbert LaRochelle
Ken Plante
Edwin K.
Ethel Haugland
Eric Eitel
Jane Alfonzo
Jennifer & Pete Stred
Travis Turner
LeeAnn Mitchell
Clu
Dale Arnold
Gloria Breitenbach
Avery Silva
Joe Mazur
Ceil Gerber
Emily Behr
Holly
Ethel Davis
Chris Lombardo
Patricia Elliott
Kenneth
Grant Rogers
Christopher Bystrak
Lynn Minichino
Jean Pierce
Melanie Savage
Monica
Stephanie Lucas
Sara
Pray for those who
are grieving the Genna family
for Dr. Jaclyn Martin
Pray for homebound: Marnie Reubelt
Ruth Going
Corri Bradley
Pray for deployed military: Christopher Bushy
Abigail Simmons
DJ
Rick Fraenkel
David Moorehead
Mitchell Takenaka
Garrett Lueth
Chris Siebert
Pray for those with other concerns: the Turner family
Teddy and Aaron
Jeff
Chikumbuso Project
Prayer List If you would like to add a prayer request to the
Weekly, please complete the Prayer Request form on
the reverse side of the yellow Connections form.
Leave the form in the pew and the ushers will
collect them and turn them in to the church office.
You can also add a prayer request by calling the
office at 860-464-7897.
DEADLINE
The deadline for the June Scroll is Monday, May
20. Articles may be submitted as hard-copy or via
e-mail to [email protected].
Scroll Deadline
11
Church Calendar of Events May Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1
9:00 AM
Grins & Giggles
10:30 AM Bible Study 5:45 PM Dinner Church
2 9:00 AM
Grins & Giggles Fellowship DineOut
3 9:00 AM
Grins & Giggles
4 9:30 AM Confirmation Class
5 *Healing Ministry
2:45 PM New London Meal Center 6:00 PM Rockin’ Ringers
6 9:00 AM
Grins & Giggles
7:00 PM Pastor’s Bible Study
7 9:00 AM
Grins & Giggles
6:30 PM Worship Team
8 9:00 AM
Grins & Giggles
10:30 AM Bible Study 5:45PM Dinner Church
9 9:00 AM
Grins & Giggles
7:00 PM Facilities Mtg.
10 9:00 AM
Grins & Giggles
6:00 AM Tag Sale Early Bird Admission
Pastor Danny’s
Birthday
11 8:00 AM Tag Sale Forward Leadership Training (Off-site)
12 Mother’s Day 13 9:00 AM
Grins & Giggles
7:00 PM Pastor’s Bible Study
14 9:00 AM
Grins & Giggles
10:00 AM Tuesday Morning Small Group 5:30 PM Executive Council 6:30 PM Fellowship Team Mtg 7:00 PM Lifelong Learning
15 9:00 AM
Grins & Giggles
10:30 AM Bible Study 5:45 PM Dinner Church 7:00 PM CONGREGATIONAL COUNCIL
16 9:00 AM
Grins & Giggles
17 9:00 AM
Grins & Giggles
6:00 AM Tag Sale Early Bird Admission
18 8:00 AM Tag Sale
19 9:30 AM Forward Leadership Team 6:00 PM Rockin’ Ringers
20
9:00 AM
Grins & Giggles
7:00 PM Pastor’s Bible Study
SCROLL DEADLINE
21 9:00 AM
Grins & Giggles
10:00 AM Tuesday Morning Small Group
22 9:00 AM
Grins & Giggles
10:30 AM Bible Study 5:45 PM Dinner Church
23 9:00 AM
Grins & Giggles
24 9:00 AM Grins & Giggles
25 10:00 AM Overeaters Anon. 7:00 PM Alcoholics Anon
26 9:30 AM SINGLE Worship Service
12:00 PM
Memorial Day Parade
27
Memorial Day
28 9:00 AM
Grins & Giggles
10:00 AM Tuesday Morning Small Group 7:00 PM Senior Choir Evangelism Team
19 9:00 AM
Grins & Giggles
10:30 AM Bible Study 5:45 PM Dinner Church
30 9:00 AM
Grins & Giggles
31 9:00 AM
Grins & Giggles
Tag Sale Set Up
Kathleen—Vacation
Sunday Schedule (unless
otherwise indicated)
Worship:
8:15 & 11 AM
Learning Hour:
9:30 AM
Celebrate services:
11 AM, 2nd, 3rd, & 5th Sundays.
Music Rehearsals are as follows:
Sun., 12:30 PM Concert Handbells
Tues., 7:30 PM — Senior Choir
Wed., 12:00 PM — Belles & Beaux
4:30 PM — Ring Masters
7:00 PM — JuBELLation
Thurs., 7:00 PM — Celebrate Team
St. Luke Lutheran Church 1830 Route 12
Gales Ferry, CT 06335
Phone: 860-464-7897
Fax: 860-464-7742
Website: stlukegf.org
A member of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America
Living out the purposes
of God for us today.
St. Luke Lutheran Church
1830 Route 12
Gales Ferry, CT 06335
Ph. 860-464-7897
Fax: 860-464-7742
Emergency #: 860-381-0884
www.stluke.org
Office Hours:
Monday—Thursday
9 am to 2 pm
Friday
CLOSED
LEADERSHIP TEAM
Pastor Danny R. Hammons
Lead Pastor
Pastor Sarah Barnes
Associate Pastor
Gina Marie Williams
Director of Music
Suzanne Wingrove
Bookkeeper
Kathleen Bartkowski
Parish Administrator
Organist/Celebrate Accompanist
Bill Brentnall
Sexton
Officers of the Congregation
Marty Wood
President
Dyann Baker
Vice-President
Jen Gilletti
Treasurer
Please inform the Church Office of any address, telephone number, or email changes. Email changes to Kathleen, [email protected] or call 860-646-7897.
New London Meal
Center Schedule
to Serve
June 4
Cooks:
Heller
LaForge
Oplinger
Perkins
Servers:
Etris
Hansen
Owsley
Stone
Wimmermark
May 5
Cooks:
Lozier
LaForge
Sindel
Servers:
Chambers
Etris
Hansen
Hanson
Wimmermark
