GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH
June 2015
“Building Bridges”
Pastor Judith Morgado
Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God
and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love….and those who
abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. (1 John 4: 7- 8; 16b)
In his ministry, Jesus listened to those who were non-believers. He did not dismiss the Samaritan
Woman at the well, or Nicodemus who came under the cover of darkness, or the skeptical Pharisees and
Sadducees of Jerusalem who plotted his arrest. Jesus listened, and in that listening, he modeled for us the
virtues of patience and hospitality, and the desire to understand the other.
Like Jesus of First Century, we, too, live in a pluralistic culture. Jesus knew that actions speak louder
than words. He commanded us to love our neighbor, saying that “by this everyone will know that you are my
disciples, if you have love for one another."
A component of loving is to listen in order to understand. On Sunday the 7th of June, Khalid Saeed of
an interfaith group in Woodland will be here after Service to discuss his Islamic faith. Islam might be a new
topic for you, thus in preparation, I offer this quick overview as a ‘prep sheet’ for our discussion with Khalid.
Islam is a monotheistic faith with its origin in the Arab world. The Islamic religious book (the Qur'an)
is revered by believers as the final revelations from God gave verbatim to Mohammad via the Angel Gabriel.
(In Islam, Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus were prophets that preceded Mohammad.)
Islam has five acts call ‘pillars.’ They are as follows:
1.) Creed: (Arabic: shahada). There is no god but God. Muhammad is the messenger of God.
2.) Prayer: (Arabic: salat). If you have traveled abroad, perhaps you have heard a male voice singing the call
to prayer. Muslims are to pray ritualistically five times a day. Before prayer, one undergoes a cleansing
whereby the body is lightly washed in a ritualistic sequence - hands, mouth, nose, arms, face, hair, ears, and
feet. Prayer is mandatory. Because the passing of blood is considered unclean, women at various stages of the
month and after childbirth are excluded from communal prayer. They are instructed to pray in their hearts.
3.) Almsgiving (Arabic: zakat) is a tax based on income and the value of one’s possessions.
4.) Fasting (Arabic: Ramadan) is the one month of fasting during the 9th month of the Islamic calendar.
The timing of Ramadan is based on visual sightings of the crescent moon. Muslims fast from dawn until
sunset, and in addition to food and drink, this fast also includes no smoking or carnal relations.
5.) Pilgrimage (Arabic: Hajj) is the pilgrimage to Mecca that must be completed by every adult Muslim at
least once in a lifetime (excluding those with physical and/or fiscal restrictions).
The two largest Muslim denominations are the Sunni (75–90%) and the Shia (10–20%). Islam is the secondlargest religion by number of adherents.
Khalid Saeed has told me that no question is too difficult for conversation. Please come and bring your
desire for understanding, your search for meaning, and your Christian love for neighbor. In this way, everyone will know that we are Christ’s disciples, if we have love for one another.
Let us pray: Lord, bless our faithful, modest efforts to serve in Christ's mission to the world. May we
witness to your love wherever you will send us and whoever crosses our doorstep; for the sake of Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Judith
GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH - June 2015
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Church Events & News
Adult Summer VBS
A Look at Islam
Mosaic Art and the Tree of Life
Sunday, June 7th
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Date: July 20, 21, 22 (MondayWednesday)
Time: 1-4 p.m.
Fee: $75 (couples have registered
to make one mosaic)
Artistic Skill: not a requirement
Space is still available:
Contact
Pastor
Judith
at 10:15 a.m.
Khalid Saeed, a member of the Woodland Interfaith
Group, will be here to discuss his faith and any issues
surrounding Islam. All are welcome as we form
healthy relationships within our neo-diverse culture.
Run for Rwanda Enters its 4th Year
In Africa, girls often have a smaller chance of getting an
education. But in Rwanda women are changing the face of
the country and taking leadership positions in the Government and private sector. In fact, a recently passed Rwandan law states that 30% of the private and public workforce must be female. The Run for Rwanda raised money
for girls’ sponsorships at the Rwamagana Lutheran School
and was held at Spring Lake in Santa Rosa, CA on April 19.
The Run for Rwanda supports scholarships for girls at the
Rwamagana Lutheran School. In 4 years we’ve raised
$13,000 and are excited to see our first graduating class go
out into the workforce equipped with the tools to succeed.
For more information, please contact Ellie Petty at
[email protected].
Please sign-up on the Bulletin Board to attend the Summer VBS!
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Disarming Racism Workshop
Women’s Bible Study
Date: Saturday, July 25th
Time: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Presenter: Julie Hettig of Faith
Lutheran Church, Meadow Vista
Location: Bethlehem Lutheran
Church at 1279 High Street, Auburn
Donation: $20 to offset the cost of
lunch and supplies
To RSVP: Contact Bethlehem
Lutheran Church at 530.885.4515
Join us the second Monday of each month
throughout the year - 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m here at the church. We are currently enjoying the
small group bible study The God of All Comfort:
Lessons about Hope in Christ. It begins with
2 Cor 1:5, yet continues the study in other books
of the New Testament.
Carol Tetley,
Study Leader
GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH - June 2015
I sought the Lord,
and he answered me,
and delivered me
from all my fears.
(Psalm 34:4)
For Those in Grief: Virts family, Hollitz family, Cox/
Valder family, and the Crawford’s family.
For Those Seeking Healing: Berdie Petrick, Darol &
Shirley Valder, Virginia Jensen, Cary Selden, Donna Hayward, Sue Cody, Patricia Barker. Jaylene Gerdes, Richard
Gerdes, Ruth Lantosh, Joan Meininger, Tom & Lisa
Augustine, Virginia Tenborg, Richard Wamsat, Rita
Kranig’s sister-in-law (Carol), Larry Gerdes’s grandson
(Aiden), Tim Lillie’s mother (Vivian), Laura Bullard’s
mother, Gene Walker’s sister- in -law( Carolyn Walker),
Shirley Lincoln’s family (Sonya & Sheryl), Sherrie Fincher’s
mother, David Kirkland (Pastor Judith’s daughter’s boyfriend,) Patti Glover (Pastor Judith’s friend), Diana & Vern
Aman, Baby McKenna (Yvonne Selden’s great niece), Preston (Yvonne’s cousin’s great-grandson), Ron Barker
(Patricia’s brother-in-law), Lilia & Lito Garcia (Connie
Wamsat’s friends), Arlene Ward (Pat Barker’s friend),
Marie Zugnoni (Suzy Miller / Donna Hayward’s friend),
Jamie (Pastor Kevin Campbell’s daughter).
Page 3
Breathe, you’re going to be okay.
Breathe, and remember that you’ve been
in this place before. You’ve been this
uncomfortable and anxious and scared,
and you survived.
Breathe and know that
you can survive this too.
These feelings can’t break you.
They’re painful and debilitating.
But you can sit with them and eventually,
they will pass.
Maybe not immediately,
but some time soon
they’re going to fade and when they do,
you’ll look back at this moment and laugh
for having doubted your Resilience.
I know it feels unbearable right now, but
keep breathing, again and again.
This will pass. I promise it will pass.
Natia, “Natia, journal entry”, The Ranch
Spring 2014:9
June Birthdays
6/3
6/4
6/5
6/9
6/30
6/30
Rita Kranig
Tim Lillie
Lisa Augustine
Caleb Tyson
Dona Groves
Barbara Kurmas
For the Homebound and Those in Independent
Living and Assisted Care: Berdie Petrick, Carolyn
Oliver, Bill Coffey, Lillian Eggerss, Joan Meininger, and
Virginia Jensen.
Let us pray: God of compassion, your Son Jesus Christ,
the great physician, made the broken whole and healed
the sick. We lift to you the sick, be they listed here or in our
hearts. You know them all. Touch their wounds, relieve
their hurts, and restore them to wholeness of life, through
the same Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Call Suzy Miller at 916-434-0263, or the
church office at 916-645-9655, if you
have a special prayer request, would like
to remove a loved one’s name, or would
like to join our Prayer Chain.
June Anniversaries
6/1
Ron & Barbara Nelson
SEEDS of GRACE - June 2015
GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH
625 Second Street, Lincoln, CA 95648
Pastor: Rev. Judith Morgado
Office Information:
Address: 625 Second St., Lincoln, CA 95648
Phone: (916) 645-9655
Fax: (916) 434-2799
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.glclincoln.org
Worship at Grace:
9:00am—Worship
Church Council:
Kathleen Salli, President
Jaylene Gerdes, Vice-President
Carol Cooper, Secretary
Rhynie Hollitz, Treasurer
Bill Cooper
Rick Emerson
Brenda Schmahl
The Mission of Grace Lutheran Church:
» Builds a loving and caring community;
» Shares the good news of Jesus Christ;
» Makes a difference by serving our neighbors
and the world.