Christ the Redeemer Lutheran Church
1232 W. Maumee St. Adrian Mi 49221
517 265-8360
Worship: 10 am
Christian Education 9 am
www.crlcadrian.org
Pastor Denise Benjamin 407-376-0685 [email protected]
June 2015
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

June--our liturgical year moves from
Easter to Trinity Sunday and the season
Words for June: believe and
of Pentecost where we continue to grow
faith!
and learn in the presence of the Holy
Spirit. Did you know that Pentecost
Open your Bible and see where
comes from the Greek word 50—it is the 50th day
these words lead you!
after Easter? This year Pentecost started on May
24th but the celebration and service continues!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

From the Pastor’s Pen:
FROM OUR PRESIDENT
Memorial Day is past us, so
that means that unofficially,
summer has begun! Even
though it isn't official until
after June 21, people are
already starting to take
vacations or at least
planning them. The warmer weather has resulted
in new life springing up all over in our yards, in
our trees and in our hearts.
New life is present in our church too; the kitchen
project is getting closer to being done every day.
We have plans to use this kitchen beyond the
obvious; as a means to provide outreach to our
community, establish ourselves as a disaster
shelter, and promote healthier eating just to
name a few. An added bonus is the personal hope
of mine that we can stop using disposable cups for
coffee hour; it costs money, puts unnecessary
burden on our landfills and pollutes the
environment. Bring a coffee mug to church to use
and leave it here!
Yes, new life is present everywhere we look this
time of year. But don't forget that new life in us
begins with our faith in Jesus Christ. Don't take a
vacation from your faith! Come to church to hear
the Word, be fed at His table and be in community
with your fellow Christians. We'll be looking for
you!
See you in church
Pastor Denise
===========================================

Greetings fellow CRLC’ers!
This month I would like to share with you some of
the issues addressed at our May council meeting. I
think it is a good idea to keep you informed on
some of the smaller issues we address at our
meeting as well as the financial report monthly in
the NET and any happenings within the church.
It was brought to our attention at the meeting
that Mary Warfield caught
young boys throwing stones
at the Discipleship door
again. Luckily she was
working at church and
chased them away and they
ran to the apartments next
door. Roy Gonzalez has
offered to deal with that
problem. We have 5 fire
extinguishers in the building. They should be
serviced yearly but have not been for many years.
John Sannes will be dealing with getting them
serviced and pay for the expense of it. Other
topics that were discussed to great extent were
about where our property ends beyond the fence
in the back parking lot. Members considered
taking the fence down so it would be easier to
mow, and renting out the softball diamond for
practices from teams in the community if the
diamond is on our property? If any member has
any info on these items please get with a council
member. Another item was the garden, what to
do with it, till it? Pastor Denise was not at council
so we will check with her on that issue when she
returns. I would like to thank all council members
for a great productive May Meeting.
As always, please contact me or any Council
member with your ideas, support and concerns!
God’s blessings!
Nancy Hebb
Update on garden: Pastor Denise reports that the
gardens may get tilled this week (May 25th) thanks
to Roy Gonzalez’s brother. Once that is done, then
people can sign up for their spot! Check with her if
you are interested!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Upcoming Events:
Coffee hour to celebrate our June
birthdays and anniversaries is June
7th after church
Hostess will be Elaine Kaiser and members whose
last names begin with letters E-I are asked to
contribute cookies, muffins, or whatever sounds
good!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Rummage sale
The annual CRW
rummage sale with be
held in the Discipleship
Center on two days:
Friday June 12 from 9 am to 3 pm and
Saturday June 13th from 9 am to noon.
We need any and all donations of gently used,
in-good-condition items. Please begin
dropping them off at church in the Blue
Sunday School room starting June 1st!
Thanks!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Thank you to all who came to our 25th
aniversary and renewal of our vows on April
18, 2015 and for all of the cards.
Ilo and Roy Wilson
Hot Dog Sunday!
Co-Chair Nathan Day!
A special hot dog, welcome to
Summer event will be held on
June 14th right after church.
Hot dogs and the fixings will be
on the menu for all! In place of
a free will offering, any donations collected will
be used to help pay for Nathan VanAtta’s expenses
as he attends and helps with worship at the
National ELCA Youth Gathering in Detroit this July.
What an honor for Nathan! CRLC would like to
support all of his time, efforts and faithfuness!
He will also be going to the state youth
conference in Lansing in December at which he
will be a co-chair.
Funeral planning workshop – After church on
Sunday, June 14 and after the hot dog lunch, we
will be having a special, short funeral planning
workshop. There will be forms to fill out then (or
return to Pastor Denise later) that will indicate
your preferences of hymns, readings and prayers.
While this is a subject no one likes to think about,
it is especially difficult for those who are left to
make the decisions. So make the decisions for
them! The copies will be kept on file in the office
until they are needed...hopefully not for a long
time!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
“Be joyful always, pray
continually, give thanks in
all circumstances, for this
is God’s will for you in
Christ Jesus.” 1 Thess 5:18
As always, there is plenty to be thankful for in our
lives and around CRLC.
Even in the face of difficulties, tragedy and trials,
God encourages us, no commands us, to give
thanks in all things—this way we will experience
His presence and light.
 Thanks to everyone who
ordered flowers through
the CRW recent fund
raiser. We were able to
raise $267 plus some matching money from
Thrivent Financial all of which will go to
help pay for kitchen renovations! The
flowers were beautiful!
 Thanks to everyone who came to help with
the spring CRLC grounds clean up on May
2nd—many hands make the work light!
Women’s Bible Study – We will be taking a hiatus
from Bible Study during the summer months—but
will be back in the routine in September!
 Thanks to Roy Gonzalez and Bob Slusher for
keeping the grass cut during the grass
growing marathon season!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 To all of our members who continue to
respond to the un-ending needs of both our
congregation and the community, both
local and global. We are a small church
but can mark our bigness by the number of
times we reach out and serve others as
commanded by Jesus! Go and serve the
Lord. Amen!
Oh my goodness—the
kitchen is absolutely
marvelous. It is almost to
a working stage again for
church functions! Can we
all take one home like it?
The next big steps are to
continue to do fund raising
and work towards a stove
hood, ceiling and
appliances to make it
Health Department
compliable to start doing
community meals.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Gary Perkins wishes to thank everyone for their
prayers and cards while he was recovering from
eye surgery. It was much appreciated!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Kitchen Progress!
Help needed!
God is good to us—
continued thanks for
His blessing on
CRLC. And thanks
to Bob Slusher and
other members for
their hard work and
donations to thhis
giant endeavor! No
easy work birthing a
commercial kitchen.
It is time again for CRLC’ers to sign
up to help with the Adrian Home
Delivered Meals program. If you
have never done this before, it is a
very simple process requiring a couple of hours of
your time! Our dates this year go from Monday
July 20th through Friday August 14th. Please
contact Mary Lou Balasz to catch your spot in this
wonderful opportunity for service to our
community. You can reach her at 265-8213.
*********************************************************
WELCA-CRW (Caring, Resourceful Women)
CRW continues to meet on the 3rd Monday of the
month. We welcome all women of the
congregation & their friends to come and have fun
while we plan service activities, Bible study and
outings.
We are planning a special date
for the summer to get together
for a small fun program-- July
1st. Stay tuned for more
details!
Next meeting date is June 15th at 2 pm.
#########################################
Graduation congratulations
to Robbie Coy who is
graduating from Adrian High
School and will be attending
Adrian College in the fall.
Way to go Robbie!
Miss Piggy is back!
No, not Kermit’s special friend,
but our little ceramic Miss Piggy
over-seeing a special table
where you can bring in small
items for sale (no clothing).
Place your item on the table
with a sticker price. Miss Piggy
will be happy to take your
payment. This money is used to
help with special projects around the church.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL
Vacation Bible School will be held June 15-19 at
the First United Methodist Church from 9:30 to
noon. The theme is "Everest" and the special
mission outreach project will go towards providing
relief to those impacted by the earthquakes in
Nepal.
For more information, please check with Pastor
Denise!
Diaper donations:
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
According to a recent article from the ELCA, many
infants and toddlers
go to preschool or
daycare wearing
plastic bags for
diapers!! This
happens in Detroit and
other areas. The
article also states that
diapers can be such a
hot commodity that
pharmacies and stores sometimes keep them
behind glass because parents become desparate
and steal them.
A special request from Pastor Denise...If you have
a prayer request or pastoral need or know
someone who does, please write it down on a
prayer request or send me an email at
[email protected] . It is very difficult to
sort through everything people tell me before,
during or after worship on Sunday morning when
my main focus is providing everyone with a
meaningful worship experience. If I have forgotten
something, please forgive me. Please help me by
just writing it down for me. Thanks.
What is the cost for diapers? It can reach $100 a
month for one child—funds that many families just
do not have when one has to choose between food
and diapers. They are not covered by federal
assistance programs like WIC, food stamps or
medicaid.
Congregations are being encouraged to collect
packages of disposable diapers for their Youth
Gathering representatives (Nathan VanAtta from
CRLC) to take along with them to the Gathering in
Detroit in July. The greatest need is for sizes 3
and 4, but any and all sizes are appreciated!
Let’s see how big a diaper mountain we can
make before July!!
Thanks.

PRAYER REQUESTS AND
SPECIAL CONCERNS
Prayer chain:
If you want to add someone to the prayer chain,
please contact Karen Knisel 263-4424 or Nancy
Hebb 265-8684 as well as Pastor Denise at 407376-0685.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in
everything, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
Philippians 4:6-7
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
RENTAL SPACE
Do you or someone you know
need a hall to rent for a special
occasion? Look no farther than
CRLC’s Discipleship Center!! With
a seating capacity of 100 with
tables or 250 with chairs and
great parking, your rental worries
are over. Please contact the church office at
265-8360 for further information (or contact Kathy
Tripp at 263-0062). The rental forms are also
available on our CRLC website at
www.crlcadrian.org. Note that there are
separate rental agreement forms for members and
non-members.
**************************************************************
If you have anything you want in future NETS,
please let Kathy Tripp know by the middle of the
month. Contact her at 263-0062.
Also, please let Kathy know of any address or
phone number changes so we can be sure we have
correct information for you in the church office.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
2015 Council members:
Please feel free to contact any council member if
you have questions, ideas or concerns.
Nancy Hebb President
Roy Gonzalez Vice President
Mary Warfield Secretary
Karen Knisel
John Sannes
Bob Slusher
Ian Bell
Pastor Denise
Appointed treasurer: Lana Taylor
Appointed Financial Secretary: Vickie Schiller