March 2017 Contents at a Glance

Transcription

1 OUR MISSION: Transformed by God s love for the world through Christ, we are sent to: Build Community ~ Do Justice ~ Make Peace The Messenger Pastor s Message Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty firmament! (Psalm 150:1) A Newsletter of Central Lutheran Church Each Sunday we gather together in the morning in order to praise God, to find comfort, to be challenged, to see our friends, to be strengthened by the Sacraments, and a million other reasons. More than any other event on our weekly calendar, our worship service as a community gathers us together. We breathe together as we sing. We close our eyes together in prayer. We join one another at the table. We smile as the children frolic and beat their drums. Our Sunday gathering is a critical part of being a gathered community. During this season of Lent we will be also be gathering together on Wednesday nights. During those evening services we will share soup and bread, music and prayer. We will also share conversation focused on what worship means to us. We will talk about what feeds us during our services and even what parts we may ignore! We will learn from one another what element of the service is precious to our neighbor, even as we come to a deeper understanding of our engagement with the liturgy. The most important part of these events is that you come. Without your voice our understanding of the Body is not complete. Please carve time out of your week this year and join us on Wednesday nights as we discuss worship. Join us on Sunday mornings as we celebrate together. Your voice matters as together we praise God in God s sanctuary. Carry on in Joy, Pr. Amanda March 2017 Contents at a Glance 2 6 Community Announcements & Events 7 Congregational Goals 8 Ministry Servants 9 Church Calendar (current as of February 27, 2017)

2 Lent & Holy Week 2017 Ash Wednesday: March 1, 2017 Ashes in the Noon, Evening Service at 7 PM We continue our new tradition of offering ashes in Holladay Park on March 1st during the lunch hour. Join us if you are able. Our evening service begins at 7 PM. Wednesdays in Lent: March 8, 15, 22, 29 & April 5 Lenten Soup & Conversation: 5:30 7 PM Holden Evening Prayer: 7 PM Join us each Wednesday evening as we gather to share a meal and conversation about our Sunday morning worship services. We will talk about what serves us well and perhaps dream a little about what we might like to see in our future. Your participation makes the conversation lively, so please mark your calendars and join us for this important time together. Holy Week April 9: Palm Sunday, 10:15 AM April 13: Maundy Thursday, 7 PM April 14: Good Friday, 7 PM April 15: Easter Egg Hunt & Intergenerational StoryTime, 3 PM April 16: Easter Sunday, 10:15 AM Easter Goodies Needed We are looking forward to our Annual Easter Egg Hunt and Easter Vigil again this Spring. One of the fun pieces of this event is the awesome prize table where kids come to exchange their eggs for prizes. Keep your eyes open for toys, games, activity books, and other goodies that go on super sales! These kinds of items make great prizes for our table. If you find something and want to donate it, bring it to the church and leave it for Pr. Amanda with a "Prize Table" label. We'll store it until the big day arrives! Happy toy hunting! 2

3 Learning Hour Please join our adult forum Learning Hour at 9 o clock Sunday morning to participate in these sessions. March 5 ~ Waters of Justice Amos 5:21-24 Leo Tautfest Because of their shallow worship and sinful living, Amos calls the waters of justice and righteousness to roll down on the Israelites. What place in our world needs the cleansing waters of justice and righteousness? March 12 ~ Streams of Mercy Isaiah 35:1-2, 5-7 Janell Bethke Christians forgive and are forgiven. What can we learn about forgiveness and streams of mercy? March 19 ~ No Forum Women s Retreat Weekend March 26 ~ Water of Compassion John 4:1-30, Jesus is the living water. The Samaritan woman and people today need this water. When we welcome the living water into our lives, we learn the importance of hospitality and compassion. Save These Dates: May 14 and May 21 for a Learning Hour discussion about the book Evicted by Matthew Desmond. This book was picked for the 2017 Everybody Reads program through Multnomah Libraries and copies are available for all. Gerd Horton will lead us in the discussion, so get your books and start reading now. Find out how the author decided that a primary cause of poverty is high rents and the increasing number of evictions. Read the book and consider how it applies to Portland's rental community. Sunday School News Sunday School and StoryTime with Miss Joellen on March 12 & 26 This month Joellen is with us for two weekends! Join us at 9:15 AM for fun upstairs on Sunday mornings. She will also be continuing her StoryTime during the worship services for our young readers. We look forward to seeing everyone! Visit for more information and future class dates. From the Music Room Community Choir March 19, 9:30 AM An everybody-come choir will meet to practice Down in the River to Pray on March 19. Join us in the choir room (downstairs) to learn this piece for the 10:15 service. 3

4 CLC Custodian Role The report from your Personnel Committee included in the 2016 Annual Report addressed the highlights of the year. We would like to offer this important information - - clarification of a key role, our custodian as an addendum to our Personnel report. In addition to keeping the building clean and supplies stocked, the requirements of Central s Custodian position also include tremendous flexibility and advanced planning on a weekly basis. To clean Central s enormous, fragile building, with its near constant use by many people, Central s budget allows us to pay our custodian for ten hours of work at minimum wage. (You can see this in our budget reflected by line item ) Ten hours to clean more than ten times the space and bathrooms of a normal sized house. (Did you know that we have publicly available 12 toilets and 3 urinals throughout our building! That s a lot of toilets to clean every week!) Our custodian does this sanitizing at the hour when many professional custodians work: after the building users have left for home. At Central, this often means waiting until after 10 pm when the last musician has exited. Our current custodian lives on site because he has also accepted the position as Central s Security Provider, which is a separately contracted position. However, unlike those servants in Downton Abbey, he is not on call 24/7. We only budget for ten hours of custodial work a week. The job is structured such that whomever is in this position could combine it with other off-site employment. Since we do not compensate for oncall services or have provision for that in our custodial contract we cannot ask for spur of the moment requests. If there is a need for custodial services outside of our regular responsibilities it is best to contact our only full time employee Pr. Amanda who is the supervisor. She will work with you to get your needs met and can determine if that means a re-allocation of the week s custodial hours. Some of our Building Users pay an extra Custodial fee on top of their Utility Share fee. (This is reflected in our new annual budget in line item ) These funds support additional cleaning, as well as set-up and take-down per negotiated contract. These fees cover cleaning costs of non-congregational activities. Occasionally, the timing of Building Use Custodial fees is such that our custodian is able to include the monthly or annual tasks Central wants to see done within the 10 hours of our paid time. More often, simply keeping up with the incredible traffic that flows through our church building is a huge challenge. So sometimes, when the windows are not quite clean enough, or the floors spotless, or the toilets pristine, it is because Central s facilities are bursting to the brim with use by the congregation and community. What a wonderful problem! 4

5 We all strive for excellence, and we are a place of grace. The free grace given to all of us. If you see something not quite as clean as you would personally like it and you have the ability and capacity to dust a shelf or wipe off that counter, thank you! Your help in those small tasks, as well as annual Sparkle Parties, helps us all enjoy this amazing facility that we call home. If you have questions, or desire further clarification, please feel free to contact any member of the Personnel Committee: Chris Bekemeier, Janis Williams, Janet Johnson, and Pastor Amanda. Thank you! Call for Stories You may have noticed in the pews, two cards, each telling a story about Central Lutheran. Do you have something you would like to contribute? For example, what led you to this worshiping community and why you stay. Please contact the office if you would like contribute your Heart-Story about Central. Women s Retreat! WHEN: Friday evening March 17th through Sunday morning March 19th. WHO S PRESENTING: Pastor Martha Maier, returning from last year, will be leading the retreat. WHAT S THE RETREAT TOPIC: The retreat title is "What Is Prayer About?" We ll discuss prayer as conversation, communion and as a way of life. WHY COME: The retreat is a time of spiritual learning, of much fun and laughter and is a great way to learn more about the women you worship with on Sunday. It is held at Menucha, which is in the Gorge and is a beautiful setting. WHEN DO WE REGISTER: February 26th, March 5th and March 12th HOW MUCH DOES IT COST: Coming for the whole weekend costs $140, for 1 night (either Friday or Saturday) and all day Saturday is $100 and for all day Saturday is $70. Scholarship funds are available. ANY QUESTIONS? Ask Linda L. Bergman, Carol Hult or Sarah Carolus Martha has asked each of us to bring a Bible, journal, pen and pencil. If you have never participated before, please consider joining us. If you ve been before, please come back. 5

6 In-Kind Contributions at Central Have you made a contribution to Central that is not cash? Examples may be vegetables for the transition soup, pizza for the youth, emergency purchase of light bulbs. These items are all expenses to the congregation, but unless you let us know, we cannot accurately record these expenses and the generous income (through the contribution) you have gifted. A new, simplified In-Kind Contribution form is now available. In an effort to accurately report all of our income and all of our expenses, we encourage you to use this method to report your contributions to the ministry of Central. When you contribute in this way, your contribution will also be recorded in your Year-End Giving Record. These forms are available in the rack outside the church office. Thanks for your help in assisting us to provide an accurate financial picture of Central Lutheran Church. Questions? Contact Karen Jolly, Gary Downing, or Bill Fox. Office Volunteers Needed The role of your Office Administrator has expanded to include coordinating the use of the rooms at CLC as well as building relationships with our regular building users. All of these tasks require some uninterrupted time to dream, plan, and attend meetings. This is actually quite challenging to do in the office! I would like to establish a roster of volunteers who can handle money and offer welcome on a regularly scheduled basis. My idea is to have a volunteer come in for three hours once every other week (morning or afternoon). Ideally, there will be four people who step up so that each person only has to volunteer once every two months. Please contact the office if you are interested and able to help. Executive Team & Council Page 4 President Vice-President Secretary Finance Council Members Pastor Bonnie Beadles-Bohling Chris Bekemeier Marta Tautfest Karen Jolly Chris Brown, Vicky Charlston, Jennifer Gerlach, Anette Horten, Peter Johnson, John Moilien, & Terry Stahl Amanda Zentz-Alo We do our best to serve you as a congregation. If you have any questions, concerns, or congratulations to share with us, please contact one of us directly. 6

7 Congregational Goals Goal: Develop Building Use Ministry Actionable Steps: Put building use as ministry into the contracts. Marketing the congregation through building users publications/programs. Create a branding statement for contract and programs Hospitality team development. Having members at all major events: Serving as a building presence to answer questions, build relationship, safety and security a concierge role. Signage/sandwich board display/use of wall space Intentional prayer and support for interim building use team. Supporting the review and articulation of the building use parameters Inform the congregation of town hall meeting objectives and action items. Goal: Engage Young Adults, Youth, and Children Actionable Steps: Develop a mentorship program. Meet kids where they are; be intentional; be present. Gather people who are interested in mentor program and connect them. Have members come to Agape to talk about their passions. C4C/Others - Reach out to youth for action; Intentional invitations to youth to participate. Value their voices. Have families with kids share sports/performance schedules so we can show up. Foster intergenerational connections. How do we hear from the youth and families who aren't here? Give younger kids things to look forward to and chances to connect to older youth. Baby showers Goal: Develop New Ways to Deepen our Biblical Knowledge and Understanding Actionable Steps: Exploration of hymns and the Scriptures that undergird them Include Biblical work in all our meetings, church dealings, Learning Hour Follow the lectionary throughout the year, have something we could bookmark, add to our website, put in the bulletin, for example, the Vanderbilt site, David Lose's weekly lectionary commentaries Find different ways to center ourselves-music, art, commentary Each committee has a thematic Bible passage Church adopt a theme for the year ala Holden Village Translate the Bible passage to other media--art, music, storytelling 7

8 Ministry Assistants DATE March 5 March 12 March 19 March 26 Asst. Minister Jo-Netta Fox Jo-Netta Fox Jo-Netta Fox Jo-Netta Fox Lector Caroline Gerlach Peter Johnson Leo Tautfest Janis Williams Communion Assistant (s) Gary Downing, Sarah Carolus, & Charlotte Miller Janet Johnson Lynne & Lynn Flanders & Marta Tautfest Bob Rice & Kathleen Nissila Anointers 2 nd Sunday Vicky Charlston & Bonnie Beadles-Bohling Tellers Len Ellis & Hazel Larpenteur Janis Williams & Debbie Johnson Carol Hult & Janet or Peter Johnson Caroline Jones & Jeff Bethke Ushers Janis Williams & David Oyen Faye Bennett & Jon or Jennifer Gerlach Joan Brousseau & Jon or Jennifer Gerlach Faye Bennett & Joan Brousseau Greeters Beadles-Bohling Family Joan Brousseau & Anette Horten Beadles-Bohling Family Thomas Family Coffee Fellowship Lauren Isaac Amber Hollister Janis Williams Carol Hult Altar Care ~ Chris Brown Transition Soup ~ March 2 nd Bread Linda J. Bergman Faye Bennett Hamburger Joan & Chris Brown Vegetables Joan Brousseau Shoppers Miller Family Soup Maker Vicky Charlston Soup Delivery Team Lynette Tiffany Bill Rachel Circle March 7 Host: Joan Brousseau Moderator: Rev. Patricia from Central Our delivery system, MailChimp, is a system that allows you to choose how many s you receive by opting in to different groups. Visit to subscribe. If you are having difficulty updating your preferences, let us know and we ll do our best to get you on board! 8

9 March 2017 Current as of February 27 Check the CLC website for updates. and click the calendar link on the right side. Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 ASH WEDNESDAY 8:30 AM - 2:30 PM Music Together Fitness - FE 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Ashes in the Park 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM Bell Choir Rehearsal - SN 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Ash Wednesday Service - SN 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM Satori Rehearsal - CH 2 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM Mutual Ministries-CN 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM 350 PDX - Room :30 AM - 12:30 PM 4 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM 9:15 AM - 10:15 AM Healthy Muhms Exercise - NEIP 5 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM Manga Messiah - AS 10:15 AM - 11:30 AM WORSHIP 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM Shine Chorus - Lib 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM Shine Chorus - Rehearsals - CH 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM PGMC Cascade - FE 6 8:30 AM - 2:30 PM Music Together Fitness - FE + 3:00 PM - 6:30 PM Jauregui Violin Studios - Library 7 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Rachel Circle (10:30 start)- CN 1:30 PM - 2:00 PM Piano Tuning - FE LIB 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM 350PDX - Workshop - FE 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM Portland Ukulele-CH 8 8:30 AM - 2:30 PM Music Together Fitness - FE 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM Bell Choir Rehearsal - SN 5:30 PM - 9:30 PM Satori Board Meeting & Rehearsal- CN, CH 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM WeROC - AS 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Holden Evening Prayer - LIB 9 5:30 PM - 9:00 PM EcoFaith Recovery Meeting & Potluck -- FE/KU 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM 350 PDX - Room :30 AM - 12:30 PM 11 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM 9:15 AM - 10:15 AM Healthy Muhms Exercise - NEIP 3:00 PM - 10:00 PM Confluence Chorus-SN, FE, AS (concert 7:30 PM) 12 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM Manga Messiah - AS 10:15 AM - 11:30 AM WORSHIP 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM Shine Chorus - Lib 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM Shine Chorus - Rehearsals - CH 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM PGMC Cascade - FE 13 8:30 AM - 2:30 PM Fitness - FE + 3:00 PM - 6:30 PM Jauregui Violin Studios - Library 14 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM Finance Committee Meeting-AS 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM Portland Ukulele-CH 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Rain of Glass Board Meeting-CN 15 8:30 AM - 2:30 PM Fitness - FE 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM Lenten Soup & Conversation - FE 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM Bell Choir Rehearsal - SN 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM Foundation Meeting - CN 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Holden Evening Prayer - LIB 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM Satori Rehearsal - CH 16 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM 350 PDX - Room WOMEN S RETREAT 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM Music Together WOMEN S RETREAT 8:15 AM - 4:00 PM 350PDX Anti-Oppression Training - FE 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM Music Together :15 AM - 10:15 AM Healthy Muhms Exercise - NEIP 10:30 AM - 1:30 PM Birthday Party - NEIP 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM Satori Spring Concert - SN, FE 19 WOMEN S RETREAT 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM Manga Messiah - AS 10:15 AM - 11:30 AM WORSHIP 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM Shine Chorus - Lib 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM Shine Chorus - Rehearsals - CH 26 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM Manga Messiah - AS 10:15 AM - 11:30 AM WORSHIP 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM Shine Chorus - Lib 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM Shine Chorus - Rehearsals - CH 20 8:30 AM - 2:30 PM Fitness - FE + 3:00 PM - 6:30 PM Jauregui Violin Studios - Library 27 Fitness - FE + 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM Prayer Partners - CN 21 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM 5:30 PM - 9:00 PM Rain of Glass Meeting-FE, KU 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM Portland Ukulele-CH 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Council Mtg-CN 28 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM Portland Ukulele-CH 22 8:30 AM - 2:30 PM Fitness - FE 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM Lenten Soup & Conversation - FE 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM Bell Choir Rehearsal - SN 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Holden Evening Prayer - LIB 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM Satori Rehearsal - CH 29 Fitness - FE 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM Lenten Soup & Conversation - FE 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM Bell Choir Rehearsal - SN 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Holden Evening Prayer - LIB 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM Satori Rehearsal - CH :00 PM - 8:00 PM 350 PDX - Room :00 PM - 8:00 PM 350 PDX - Room :30 AM - 12:30 PM :30 AM - 12:30 PM 9:15 AM - 10:15 AM Healthy Muhms Exercise - NEIP 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM AuthentiCITY Tour - Whole Building

10 Central Lutheran Church 1820 N. E. 21 st Ave. Portland, OR Change Service Requested The Messenger is the monthly newsletter of Central Lutheran Church. Sunday Worship at 10:15 A.M. Our worship is firmly rooted in the liturgical tradition. We seek to proclaim and celebrate God s love for the world through diverse and inclusive music and language. We take community seriously -- including children and connecting with the world around us. We are a place of welcome for all people. Central Lutheran Church is a Reconciling in Christ Congregation. Ministers: All Baptized Members Custodian: Klaus Ferguson Pastor: Amanda Zentz-Alo (pastor@centralportland.org) Secretary: Sarah Holcomb Director of Music: Janis Lord (worship@centralportland.org) Office Phone: Director of Handbells: Linda J. Bergman (lindyb2647@aol.com) office@centralportland.org Council President: Bonnie Beadles-Bohling 10