16
May 2019 Newsletter Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! Dear Family of God at Grace, What a wonderful season and a blessed Easter we had at Grace! Holy Week went very well, we had 8 youth on Holy Saturday at the Vigil prepare for reception of the Lord's Supper for the first time on Easter. It was a wonderful time for these young people and their families. The week culminated with a joyous Resurrection Sunday where we had 500 in attendance at our two services. Thank you all for being a part of the celebration of our Lord's Resurrection remembrance! To all our seasonal family, God bless you all with safe travel home and a blessed summer until God brings you back to us! We miss you while you're gone. Thank you for a great season! We will work on keeping you informed during the summer. Watch your emails for weekly updates. Thank you to Pastor and Sandy Kudart! I am blessed, as are all of you to have Pastor Larry and Sandy serving at Grace! They are headed Back to Ohio in April 29th. Pastor Kudart will be

  · Web viewChrist is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! Dear Family of God at Grace, What a wonderful season and a blessed Easter we had at Grace! Holy Week went very well, we

  • Upload
    others

  • View
    8

  • Download
    0

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Page 1:   · Web viewChrist is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! Dear Family of God at Grace, What a wonderful season and a blessed Easter we had at Grace! Holy Week went very well, we

  

May 2019 Newsletter

Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia!Dear Family of God at Grace,

What a wonderful season and a blessed Easter we had at Grace! Holy Week went very well, we had 8 youth on Holy Saturday at the Vigil prepare for reception of the Lord's Supper for the first time on Easter. It was a wonderful time for these young people and their families. The week culminated with a joyous Resurrection Sunday where we had 500 in attendance at our two services. Thank you all for being a part of the celebration of our Lord's Resurrection remembrance!

To all our seasonal family, God bless you all with safe travel home and a blessed summer until God brings you back to us! We miss you while you're gone. Thank you for a great season! We will work on keeping you informed during the summer. Watch your emails for weekly updates.

Thank you to Pastor and Sandy Kudart! I am blessed, as are all of you to have Pastor Larry and Sandy serving at Grace! They are headed Back to Ohio in April 29th. Pastor Kudart will be back to fill in, twice this summer while I'm away.

The 2018 Annual Ministry Report will be out this month. We will be trying to email the report out. If you want one and don't have one by the 5th of May let us know in the office and we will get you one.    

As many of you know, we have a new view to the south side of our campus. You can now see the golf course very clearly. The shrubs and trees between us and the golf course were removed. This was not our

Page 2:   · Web viewChrist is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! Dear Family of God at Grace, What a wonderful season and a blessed Easter we had at Grace! Holy Week went very well, we

doing. Florida Power and Light (FPL) controls the easement between the golf course and our campus. Over my time here we have countless lightening strikes and power-outages due to trees in the powerlines. FPL cleared that easement all out. We are not sure currently what plans, if any, the golf course has in the works to provide coverage. We will be proactive this summer and either place a fence or a hedge. We are waiting until FPL is completely done.

My closing thought is to remind you that Easter doesn't end with resurrection Sunday. The season of Easter goes until Sunday June 2nd. We have the whole month of May to rejoice and celebrate the fact that Jesus lives. That the tomb is empty. That the one who was slain is now risen. This all means "Good News" for you and me! Because Jesus is risen we have the sure and certain hope of life after death. We have the sure and certain hope of leaving our tomb behind, empty, to live with Jesus! We have the sure and certain hope that death cannot hold us captive! And, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, that means that all our loved ones who have died in the faith, died and now live in that sure and certain hope! That's reason to face tomorrow, death, devil, the world, our sinful flesh and anything else that may try to beat us down or discourage us! Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! Have a blessed May and let the celebration of Easter continue!

In His Service,

Pastor Lingsch 

UPCOMING

Page 3:   · Web viewChrist is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! Dear Family of God at Grace, What a wonderful season and a blessed Easter we had at Grace! Holy Week went very well, we

EVENTSWOG LuncheonTuesday, May 7th12:00 pmBayside Seafood Restaurant

Confirmation Lunch and QuestioningSunday, May 12th12:15 pmFellowship Hall

Confirmation SundaySunday, May 19th

Graduation SundaySunday, May 26th

Voters' MeetingSunday, June 30th9:30 amFellowship Hall

Vacation Bible SchoolJuly 29th - August 2nd

Page 4:   · Web viewChrist is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! Dear Family of God at Grace, What a wonderful season and a blessed Easter we had at Grace! Holy Week went very well, we

WEEKLY EVENTS

Women's Bible StudyThursday's 10:00 amOffice Workroom Wednesday Afternoon/EveningPrograms 3:45 pm Cherubs Choir4:00 pm Kids Club4:15 pm Choristers5:15 pm Dinner6:00 pm Confirmation Class6:30 pm Evening Worship7:00 pm Grace Chorale

Handbell Choir6:00 pm Thursday

Page 5:   · Web viewChrist is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! Dear Family of God at Grace, What a wonderful season and a blessed Easter we had at Grace! Holy Week went very well, we

Youth NewsKami Jo Mogelvang

May 5th: Youth Night, 5-7pmMay 12th: Confirmation lunch in Fellowship Hall, 12:00 pmMay 19th: Confirmation at the 10:30am worship serviceMay 19th: Youth Night, 5-7pmMay 26th: Honoring our High School Graduates at both servicesMay 28th: Pastor and Kami Jo take the high school grads to dinner, time and location TBD

Page 6:   · Web viewChrist is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! Dear Family of God at Grace, What a wonderful season and a blessed Easter we had at Grace! Holy Week went very well, we
Page 7:   · Web viewChrist is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! Dear Family of God at Grace, What a wonderful season and a blessed Easter we had at Grace! Holy Week went very well, we

Do you need someone to talk to? To walk with you through a difficult time? Deaconess Linda Nobili will be available for Spiritual counseling again beginning Oct 15th. Please feel free to contact her anytime at (248) 892-7405 or by email at [email protected].

Did You Know We Have a Facebook Page?Please 'Like' us on Facebook!  Grace of Naples Lutheran Church and Preschool.  

 

ELDERS REPORT Paul Koch

   The Elders met on April 9 and finalized a proposed Grace Sabbatical Policy. This will be taken to the Planning Council and, if approved, to the Voters for ratification. The Elders also developed a Letter of Understanding for the services of Pastor Kudart from approximately October 2019 through April 2020, including special assistance in two periods in June and July, 2019, when Pastor Lingsch will be away from Grace. The Elders reviewed the First Quarter budget report and considered necessary updates to the budget and expenditure allocations. The Elders also agreed that two Sunday services will be continued throughout the summer and that communion support of one Elder will be initiated in May. One candidate has agreed to be nominated for one of the three open Elder positions, and the Elders continue to encourage members to consider serving in this important role and as Ushers. Such support is critical to the service experience of all members. After the May meeting, the Elders will be moving to a summer schedule and meet only as needed until September. We certainly wish all members a safe and enjoyable summer season wherever they may be.

Page 8:   · Web viewChrist is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! Dear Family of God at Grace, What a wonderful season and a blessed Easter we had at Grace! Holy Week went very well, we

2018 Annual ReportIf you would like a copy of the 2018 Grace Lutheran Annual Report, contact the office.  Copies will be placed into your church mailbox, or mailed to your northern address.  

 

Altar Guild could use assistance. The summertime would be a great time to be trained. This is a wonderful opportunity for either individuals or couples that would like to serve the Lord. It takes a minimal amount of time and effort. You can be scheduled to serve for both services or paired with someone that serves at the opposite service that you enjoy attending. Also, you would be paired with someone that is already serving to assist in learning. Hands on training is provided. Please contact SueAnn Zornes at 370-6396 or send her an email at [email protected]. We will be scheduling for the upcoming season so, please contact SueAnn as soon as possible. Thank you in advance for your

Page 9:   · Web viewChrist is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! Dear Family of God at Grace, What a wonderful season and a blessed Easter we had at Grace! Holy Week went very well, we

interest in serving the Lord in this very important way!

Page 10:   · Web viewChrist is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! Dear Family of God at Grace, What a wonderful season and a blessed Easter we had at Grace! Holy Week went very well, we
Page 11:   · Web viewChrist is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! Dear Family of God at Grace, What a wonderful season and a blessed Easter we had at Grace! Holy Week went very well, we

The Pelican Lutheran ChurchRev. Mark Eisold

May 2019

"The Pelican Update"

Dear Partners in Christ's Mission,

I praise the Lord Jesus for you and for your efforts to invite friends to GRACE for Easter!!   I am so thankful that so many of you took the invitations and fliers, which I prepared and shared them with others in Naples!!

While many churches were counting on anemic attendance this Easter, Grace was nearly as STRONG AS EVER!!   That's right, without the winter visitors, without the tourist season, Grace celebrated Easter Sunday - the Resurrection of our God & Savior - with nearly as many people as we have in the past years when the area population is doubled!!

You see, outreach and sharing the word of the Lord WORKS. The Lord Almighty gave us that promise in Isaiah 55:11 with the words,"so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;    it shall not return to me empty,but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,    and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it."

There is no reason why The Pelican should be the only "growing congregation".   We can share God's word through a simple invitation - or not. The outcome depends upon the Lord. This also reminds me of the "parable of the sower". The sower was JUST A SOWER. He was not the waterer, the weeder, nor the caretaker of the crop. He had such a plenitude of seed that he could freely hurl it in all directions, knowing that the Lord above would provide the crop and the harvest.

In other words, the seed (God's word) would not return empty.

So, even though nobody from Grace accepted my invitation to contact me and canvass neighborhoods, I am very proud of all of you who shared invitations with people, placed them on counters near cash registers, information booths, or any other legitimate way of sharing the message we had, that "JESUS CHRIST WON!!!   HIS Victory is YOUR Victory. Come and Celebrate with US!"

It is getting a bit hot to canvass neighborhoods now, and truly the best way to reach and involve our neighbors in the life of Christ is through a PERSONAL INVITATION from you - who they know.

Page 12:   · Web viewChrist is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! Dear Family of God at Grace, What a wonderful season and a blessed Easter we had at Grace! Holy Week went very well, we

Very soon, in conjunction with our Evangelism Chairman, Robert White, we will have another invitation for the summer months - to come and know the purpose and joy that we have in Jesus our Savior, at Grace Lutheran Church of Naples. Get ready, and share the news!!!      The PELICAN

Over April, we were blessed with two baptisms - one of baby Julies Caesar Aviles and one of an adult woman, Zoveida Barrios Montero. What a blessing to see the mission of Christ ADVANCE in such a powerful, visible way!!!

On Easter Sunday the Lord Jesus brought NINETY EIGHT (98) people to worship Him and celebrate His victory over death, the devil, and the grave!!! It is difficult to believe that the Lord started this church just two years and five months ago with 16 people!!!

As always, a lot of very good things are happening here in addition to weekly worship. The ESL classes are moving forward with the leadership of volunteers. We were blessed to receive the summer intern we spoke of at the December congregational meeting - a senior at Florida Atlantic University, who specializes in ESL education and techniques. Anthony will also investigate what is necessary for us to begin a Language Institute, which will help fund the mission in time.

We are blessed to announce the start of computer classes again starting on May 9 at 6:30 p.m.   This is a great way to help equip people who have skills without certifications, and need to do more than physical labor jobs.

Our Haitian Church, SILOE continues to grow under the leadership of Saint Luc Charelus. Saint Luc has a daughter who will be graduating from the University of Florida this weekend, and another who will soon be finishing medical school in the north. We praise our Lord Jesus Christ that this Haitian ministry is fully funded through grants from local LCMS congregations - AND that it is growing!   Eglise SILOE had 20 worshippers on Easter Sunday, after beginning in September with a pastor who works at Publix and Walmart 60 hours/week. The Lord Almighty IS WITH US!!!

We are equipping five men who will help begin new ministries at other LCMS congregations throughout our area. The first one will be Peace of Naples by June. I will help get things started and accompany our new missionary through his studies toward ordination and his work to lead Bible Studies, Family events, and worship --- in Spanish. By December we hope to have each missionary enrolled in their first Seminary class. Peace of Naples will help with funding for this individual and for The Pelican.   These are VERY exciting times and we need your prayers for the Lord's protection and provision as we overcome big obstacles toward advancing in the enemy's territory to save lost souls.  The devil will try to distract us, frustrate us, divide us, and diminish our joy, unity, and strength. Pray against this, and pray strongly in favor of Christ's salvation for all.

Page 13:   · Web viewChrist is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! Dear Family of God at Grace, What a wonderful season and a blessed Easter we had at Grace! Holy Week went very well, we

            On Holy Saturday, I gave a prayer for the Special Olympics Paddle Board Competition at Vanderbilt beach. Though the wind & waves caused the event to be cancelled, everyone was present and we glorified the Lord before everyone departed. The Saturday after Easter, we participated in a Children's Health Fair at the YMCA, promoting healthy eating of bananas. At our table, we also promoted GRACE, The Pelican, and Eglise SILOE on a single sheet, which included Scriptures encouraging care of the body. It was fun, educational, and we reached hundreds of folks with God's word!

We are receiving more funding from local circuit congregations than before, but more is needed. Please direct me to anyone you know who has a heart for the ministries we are doing and the means to support us, without detracting from their support at their home congregation.

Please also lift up Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua in your prayers. Venezuela is on the cusp of freedom from the destructive socialist regime of Hugo Chavez/Nicolas Maduro. The other nations are contending with old and new communism, which are equally destructive of the Christian church, disciples of Jesus, and people of all classes.

Finally, we praise our Lord Jesus for the donation of musical equipment by HOPE, Bonita Springs; and the donation of $1,000 by the Mission Team of PEACE, Naples, who also coordinated a donation of Children's Bible Story Books from LHF (The Lutheran Heritage Foundation); and the loving gift of $3,000 from our beloved "Women of Grace"!!

The Mission of Christ is an investment in the present and the future. It is not financial gain, nor personal fulfillment, nor an effort to show compliance or obedience with some order or mandate from above. Rather, the Mission of Christ is the fulfillment of the identity that we have been given in Holy Baptism as "new creations" in Christ Jesus. As the Church Triumphant (in glory after death) we will declare, "Worthy is the Lamb!"   Now, as the Church Militant (alive & active on the earth), we declare with our actions, prayers, outreach and commitment, "Worthy is the Mission of Christ!"  

God bless you as together we continue to live in the blessings of eternal life - even here & now - promoting Christ and His Kingdom at GRACE and through the work at The Pelican!! Your Brother in Christ,Pastor Mark Eisold 

Page 14:   · Web viewChrist is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! Dear Family of God at Grace, What a wonderful season and a blessed Easter we had at Grace! Holy Week went very well, we
Page 15:   · Web viewChrist is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! Dear Family of God at Grace, What a wonderful season and a blessed Easter we had at Grace! Holy Week went very well, we
Page 16:   · Web viewChrist is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! Dear Family of God at Grace, What a wonderful season and a blessed Easter we had at Grace! Holy Week went very well, we

A Blessed Easter Season From Grace Lutheran Church

Page 17:   · Web viewChrist is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! Dear Family of God at Grace, What a wonderful season and a blessed Easter we had at Grace! Holy Week went very well, we

Grace Lutheran Church, 860 Banyan Blvd, Naples, FL 34102