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Lutheran Church
A Stephen Ministry Congregation
Our vision is to become an expanding community of faith, growing in the Holy Spirit
and practicing before the world a Christ-centered life. Lord willing, we will do this with
Outreach that is inviting, interesting, and inclusive; with Serving the Seniors of our
large area; and with Worship that goes beyond Sunday morning.
A Monthly Newsletter
Pastor!!
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Director Of Music! !
Secretary!
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Rev. Andrew Schroeder
[email protected]
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Brad Rudisail
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Adria Riley
[email protected]
1089 Lake Oconee Parkway
Eatonton, Georgia 31024
Church Office 706-485-4600
Pastor’s Column
June 2015
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Sunday Service ! !
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1st, 3rd, & 5th !!
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2nd & 4th!
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10:30 a.m.
Holy Communion
Morning Prayer
Church School !
Choir Practice !
9:00 a.m.
in recess
Visit our web site: www.lolc.info
proclaim that the writings of the
sixteenth century reformers, such
as Luther, Melanchthon, and
others, contained in the Book of
Concord are a true exposition of
Scripture. We celebrate the life,
It Just Does Not Add Up!
death, and resurrection of Jesus
Christ our Saviour in our weekly
One of the great hymns of Easter
worship. We have just celebrated
Sunday, May 31, the church
and given thanks for the coming of
throughout the world celebrates
the Holy Spirit at the Festival of
the festival of the Holy Trinity. We Pentecost. The center of all these
Lutherans are a Creedal Church.
is the life, the ministry, and the
We confess the three great
ongoing presence of Jesus.
Ecumenical creeds: Nicene,
Apostolic, and Athanasian. We are So, what is the deal with this
a Confessional church; we
Trinity stuff anyway? It is not
The Holy Trinity?
Serve God, Serve Man
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about God the Father, who created
us and all things—not exactly. It is
not about God the Son, who
redeems the world by his holy and
precious blood—exactly. And it is
not about the Holy Spirit, The
Comforter, who calls us to faith
through the Gospel of Jesus—
exactly. Add to this mix all those
confusing formulae in the Nicene
Creed—let us not even go to the
Athanasian Creed!—and what we
have is a lot of head scratching
and confusion. Exactly.
So if the Trinity is all that
confusing, why bother at all?
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Well, the celebration of the Trinity is exactly about
confusion. It is about our inability to truly
understand God in all his wondrous complexity. It is
about our crying need for his intervention in our
lives and in our world. It is about our crying need
for his ongoing presence and support now and
throughout our lives. And it is about how God has
chosen to fill all our needs in a threefold way
revealed in Holy Scripture and constantly confirmed
to us week in and week out in Word and in
Sacrament.
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We may not “get” the Trinity. We may not ever
understand the Trinity—at least not before we see
God Face to face—but we need the Trinity and the
promises of God brought us by the Three in One.
And thanks be to God, that is what we get.
Pastor Andy
BIBLE CLASS
Corner
by Roger Martinson
At the risk of overstating the facts, this writing
acknowledges that members of the Bible class made
quite a favorable impression on our circuit visitor
during his recent visit to LOLC.
Our visitor shared selected readings from the Book
of Acts. Class members then present recognized the
passages and showed it.
Can class sessions be credited in any part for that
happenstance?
Bible class will avoid going into recess but will
continue meeting each Sunday during the summer
at 9 a.m.
Inquirer’s Class
Want to know more about the Lutheran church?
Parishioners who want a refresher as well as those
new to Lutheranism are all welcome.
New member classes with Pastor Andy continue
weekly on Sundays at 9:00 a.m.
Ya’ll come.
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Edited From http://www.lutheranlogomaniac.com/
2009/06/“the-divine-love-of-the-holy-trinity”-holy-trinitysunday/
Comment on
The Athanasian Creed
So to help us worship God rightly...we ...confess
that ancient Christian confession known as the
Athanasian Creed. One of the first sentences goes
like this:
Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is
necessary that he hold the catholic faith. Which
faith except everyone do keep whole and
undefiled, without doubt he shall perish
everlastingly. And the catholic faith is this:
That we worship one God in Trinity, and
Trinity in Unity, neither confounding the
persons, nor dividing the substance.
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Notice the word used there, dearly beloved. Not
the word catholic. Catholic just means general or
universal. No, the word I want to draw your
attention to is the word worship. We worship one
God in Trinity. Three in one, triune. But the word
is worship, not understand, not give orders to, not
make into a pretty greeting card saying, Our God,
the true God, is to be worshipped.
But what does that really mean, to worship God?
To worship God is to live under Him in His
kingdom. Worshipping God means receiving
what He has to give to you. Worshipping God
means being born again, or born from above, as
Jesus tells Nicodemus. Worshipping God changes
you, transforms you, makes you anew in His holy
image, wrought in the waters of your Baptism.
Todd A. Peperkorn, STM
Messiah Lutheran Church
Kenosha, Wisconsin
On Joy and Laughter in Heaven
Dance and games are frivolous and unimportant down here—for “down here” is not their natural place. Here they are
a moment’s rest from the life we were placed to live. But in this world everything is upside down….Joy is the serious
business of Heaven.
• C. S. Lewis, Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer (San Diego, CA, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
Publishers, 1963) 92-93.
He who sits in the heaven shall laugh. Psalm 2:4
Here the French Taunter in Monty Python and the Holy Grail might say to such theologians, “I laugh in
your general direction.”
(Okay the French Taunter appeared, oddly enough, to have a Lutheran background since he used a
verb (or a phrase reminiscent of John 3) that was very popular with Luther.
• Rev. Dr. F. Christopher Anderson, Jokes on THE TRINITY: Part of an Essay entitled “A Brief
Systematic Theology of Humor”
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Bible Study
Thursday Bible study continues weekly at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Having begun January 29, we read and
discuss the Gospel of Mark, using study guides provided by Pastor Andy from the series, God’s Word for
Today: MARK: The Serving Christ, a publication from Concordia Publishing House and Julene Gernant
Dumit.
Come join this wonderful continuing opportunity for fellowship and scholarship as we strengthen our
commitment to the faith.
From the back cover:
Many people who are great by the world’s standards or who are in
positions of authority lord their greatness over those they consider
below them. Often such people expect to be served. But not our
Lord Jesus. The Lord of heaven and earth took on the lowly form of
a man to serve humanity and to sacrifice His life to ransom people
St Mark the Evangelist
from sin, death, and Satan. Mark speaks to us today about
by Theophilia
✤this suffering Messiah;
✤the meaning of His sacrifice and resurrection for us;
✤His call to us to follow Him in a life of servanthood and sacrifice.
The ladies of LOLC are have a good time on Tuesday
at 10:00 a.m. as we gather for Bible study,
refreshments, and a good time. This study references
Bad Girls of the Bible by Liz Curtis Higgs.
Each week we study a different woman in God's Word.
This month we will be looking at these women:
June 16 - No Class
- Carol out of town
June 30 - Michal:
Bad for a Moment
June 2 - Sapphira:
Bad for a Moment
June 9 - Rahab: Bad for
a Season, but Not Forever
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June 23 - Jezebel:
Bad to the Bone
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Memories
Marilyn and Dick Schneider’s
grandchildren.
Thanks to all the congregation who made this
wonderful evening possible.
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Scenes from
Spring Choir Concert
May 2, 2015
Choir is now in recess for the summer.
Please join with us again in latter August.
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Church Council
Old Business
• Personnel Procedures and Job Description are
still under review, including office staff, choir
The Church Council met May 17, 2015. After the call
director, and church musicians.
to order, opening prayer, and minutes of the last
• Dick Schneider requested Council members read
month, the group considered the following items of
the documents again, provide input, and
business:
complete the revision by the end of 2015.
Pastor’s Report
• Pastor Andy reported that two couples and two
individuals will join LOLC at next Sunday’s
service: Tom and Connie Saner, Tom and Sandy
Mathson, Karen Brown, and Suzanne Sponsler.
New Business
• Roger Martinson emailed the Council in the
preceding week photos of recent tornado damage
to Zion Lutheran Church in Delmont, South
Dakota, requesting consideration of sending
them a check to assist in repairs. After discussion
Church Property Report, Charlie Crouch
regarding Zion Lutheran Church having
• Charlie expanded on his written report.
insurance and support from their local synod, the
• The heat pump for the Sacristy failed; the
Council decided to take no action at this time.
replacement was a 5-ton Puron heat pump with
Respectfully Submitted,
long line application kit for $5950.
Robin Larson
• Charlie replaced the broken soap dispenser in the
Ladies room.
• We discussed the confusion over which supplies
Property buys verses other committees, such as
Christian Service, concerning the kitchen. The
Present: Carol Schroeder, Susan Larson, and Carol
Policy and Procedures document should
Riesmeyer
determine this distinction.
Board of Christian Outreach
Christian Service Report, Cindy Helms
• Cindy is updating the signup sheet for after the
service Coffee and Conversation.
• She will call people to fill in open dates for the
summer months.
Christian Education Report, Roger Martinson
• Roger has been reviewing LOLC records.
• In the past, churches he attended kept
membership records when members joined and
when they left or died; however, he has not
found such records for LOLC.
• Roger along with Alan Oberdeck, Pastor Andy,
and Carol Schroeder visited Concordia College in
Selma, Alabama, April 28-29. We discussed the
possibility of establishing a relationship with the
college, such as their choir or band performing at
LOLC.
Serve God, Serve Man
Easter Ministry Talks
• Thanks to Susan for her talks regarding LOLC
ministries during the Easter season.
Visitor Bags
• We have passed out a number of bags throughout
the past month.
Spring Concert
• The offering total was $800 for Greene & Putnam
Christian Outreach. Pastor Andy will present the
checks, and we will take photos.
• Publicity strategies for future concerts was also a
topic for discussion.
Flood Buckets for Disaster Relief
• We now have 39 buckets collected.
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Transportation of the buckets to the district office Concordia College, Selma, Alabama
• Carol Schroeder gave a report on her recent trip
in Orlando will take place when the Schroeders
and Ringers travel there for the LCMS district
to Selma, Alabama, with Pastor Andy, Al
conference June 12-14. We offer thanks in
Oberdeck, and Roger Martinson to visit
advance to them for the delivery.
Concordia College. It is one of ten LCMS
• We will take photos at the time of loading for
affiliated colleges and serves a poverty-stricken
travel.
area in need of educational assistance.
• In addition, many thanks to all members who
• The school trains mostly education and business
donated buckets & cleaning supplies.
students with an emphasis on leadership
training. They are in need of business internship
Cards
possibilities and housing assistance.
• Susan will write a newsletter article to members • Their choir would be willing to travel here to
to solicit help for sending out get well and
perform for a fund-raising concert at LOLC
sympathy cards from the congregation.
sometime in October or November.
• Having LOLC members mentor individual
Vacation Bible School
Concordia students was also a topic of
• Kristen Kersey expressed an interest in
discussion.
•
leadership of a summer VBS. Carol S suggested
With a long term history of Lutheran support for
we offer to assist a church in Eatonton to do a
this school, we may be encountering an
joint VBS. Susan will inquire at Putnam CO if
important step for our congregation to become
such a need exists. We discussed the value of
involved.
community interdenominational VBS and how
shared efforts would benefit.
BOCO work meeting will be on Thursday, June 11,
to develop a new LOLC brochure.
Submitted by Carol Riesmeyer
Mites
The Ladies of the Church organize mites
collections on a continuous basis. The third
Sunday of each month is the official Mites Sunday
after which the monies gathered go to the
Lutheran Women's Missionary League to support
various ministries around the world.
Updated news: the May mites collected $90.
Detailed information is available at
www.lwml.org and on Facebook. The third
Sunday of the month is designated Mite Sunday,
but donations are always welcome.
We express heartfelt thanks for your charitable
generosity.
Susan Larson The Widow’s mite of Mark 12: 41-44 is
the inspiration for the LWML mite boxes.
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Jerry Pailer giving some pointers and
demonstrating flower arranging.
Ladies of the Church
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What is a Deaconess?
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The modern use of deaconesses emerged in the
German Lutheran Church in the 1830’s and by
North American Lutherans embraced the practice
during the late nineteenth and early twentieth
centuries. At first deaconesses also trained as
nurses, and they could not continue to be a
deaconess if they married. That all changed in the
mid 1900’s. In 1980, LCMS established its own
deaconess training program at Concordia
University, River Forest, Illinois. Now there are
three training programs: one at River Forest and
two at the seminaries in St. Louis and Ft. Wayne.
In addition to completing coursework and
practical fieldwork, all deaconess students enroll
in a paid internship for one year of domestic
service or two years of international service.
Deaconesses assist the pastor in whatever capacity
needed except preaching and serving communion.
Deaconesses serve in a variety of positions
according to their own talents and abilities, some
of which follow below:
Human Care
Develop or coordinate programs to
• Make spiritual care visits to people who are
home bound or hospitalized
• Assist single-parent families
• Reach out to the incarcerated and their
families through prison ministry
• Provide support for those with special
needs
• Provide short-term spiritual counseling and
assessment for referrals
Administration
Serve, assist, coordinate, or supervise
• Church or community programs
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A Recognized Service Organization (RSO)
or a department within an RSO
A Lutheran school or other Lutheran
organization
A secular institution which can provide
spiritual care, e.g., hospitals, nursing
homes, with the developmentally disabled,
etc.
Aging and Continuing Care
• Make regular visits to provide spiritual care
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and companionship
Support individuals and families who
suffer the effects of lingering or chronic
illness
Support individuals and families during
grief or loss
Offer spiritual and wellness education
Music
• Select music for visitation, services, or office
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use
Direct vocal choirs and ensembles
Direct instrumental choirs and ensembles
Play organ or piano for worship services
Education
Teach or assist
• Women’s Bible studies
• Adults with aging issues, including the
spiritual, physical, mental, or social aspects
• Other educators, including Sunday school
and VBS teachers
• With human-care education for
congregations or communities
Institutional Representation and Staff Support
• Foster relationships between institutions
and congregations to develop partnerships
• Participate in spiritual care giving programs
• Offer spiritual care for staff members
• Develop applicable spiritual care
curriculum, including Bible studies or
devotions for target audiences
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Women’s Programs
Serve, assist, coordinate, or supervise projects,
programs, centers, or resources for
• Women’s wellness issues, including
infertility and pregnancy
• Women’s spiritual fellowship, including
ladies aid, small groups and singles groups
• Altar guild training and supervision
• Women suffering neglect, domestic
violence, grief, shame or guilt
Youth Programs
• Be a leader, mentor, and motivator of youth
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•
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o Christian living and understanding
o Human-care issues
Organize and lead retreats and service
projects
Develop and facilitate Bible studies and
wholesome activities
In whatever capacity she serves, the LCMS
deaconess brings her theological training to bear,
endeavoring to spread Christ's love and mercy to
both body and soul.
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Deaconess Carol Schroeder trained at Concordia
University, River Forest, Illinois. She did field
work at Chicago area churches, teaching Sunday
school and assisting with youth groups. Her
internship was at Zion Lutheran in Decatur,
Indiana, where her primary work was working
with youth, women’s groups, and shut-in visits.
She graduated with a major in Theology, a minor
in Sociology, a concentration in youth work and a
certificate in Deaconess ministry. Her consecration
as a Deaconess was in February of 1992 at
Epiphany Lutheran in Lake Worth, Florida. After
this, she moved to Holtville, California, to serve as
deaconess at St. Paul Lutheran. Her father had a
stroke in 1993, and she moved back to Florida to
take care of him. In 2004, she graduated from
Nursing School and became a registered nurse. In
2006, Epiphany Lutheran called her as a
Deaconess and sent her to Concordia College in
North Dakota to study for a certificate in Parish
Nursing. Carol worked at Epiphany as
Deaconess, Parish Nurse until 2013.
Altar Care Group
Donna Crouch and Donna Hansen continue to cochair the Altar Care Group for 2015. We appreciate
all of you who have participated in altar care this
past year—our many THANKS to you all. We
hope that you will continue to serve and that more
members will also be willing and able to sign up,.
altar liquid paraffin candles, which includes the
filling of the candles, changing wicks, and any
other issue that may arise. You will no longer have
any duties with these candles.
Copies of the LOLC Altar Care Guide are available
for ALL who wish to serve.
We are always available to answer any questions
or to help in any other way.
Donna Crouch 706-485-5592
Donna Hansen 706-467-3374
To help make altar care somewhat easier, we as cochairs will take over the COMPLETE care of the
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The Altar Care sign-up sheet is on the round table.
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Habitat for Humanity ReStore
Two of our LOLC members, Janis & Mara Lipacis, are faithful
volunteers for Putnam County Habitat for Humanity, a vital
organization that does much to benefit our community. According to Janis, the Habitat Furniture ReStore affiliate is
in dire need of more volunteers.
Please consider that the amount of time you donate is flexible and at your convenience plus you can meet
new people. In addition, the variety of things you can volunteer for is tremendous. The organization
especially needs
• Thursday afternoon cashiers;
• Mentors who give support and friendship to families selected to be homeowners and keep a record of
their sweat equity hours;
• Friday and Saturday volunteers at the store;
• Construction team members;
• Help with pickup of donations that includes driving the truck; and
• A secretary to the board.
Just stop at the ReStore at 1027 Lake Oconee Parkway and look around. Everyone in the store is a
volunteer and always happy to share information.
Help us to spread the word to anyone else—friend or family—who might be a willing volunteer.
For even more first-hand information, talk to Janis after church or contact him at 706-484-0543.
Coffee and Conversation
after Church
Check your calendars and sign up for a turn preparing coffee
and light refreshments for Coffee Hour after service each Sunday.
A sign up sheet is on the round table at the back of the church.
FLOOD RELIEF BUCKETS
Along with many other LCMS congregations and
districts, LOLC is participating in an outreach
ministry that is assembling flood relief buckets as
part of a disaster preparedness program. The
idea is to fill empty 5-gallon buckets with
cleaning items from a suggested list. We are
asking members to either purchase or donate
money for buckets and items from the list. The
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total cost is approximately $25-$30
per bucket.
This project helps to provide cleaning supplies
needed by those in affected flood or hurricane
areas. A sample flood bucket and copies of the
needed cleaning items list are available in the
narthex. Please take the list and help in any way
you can with this project. Thank you!
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Come join the men’s breakfast
for another great time of fellowship on
Saturday, June 20, at 9:00 a.m.
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Men’s Breakfast
Stephen Ministry
Small Seeds, Mighty Trees
Paul wrote, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it
grow” (I Corinthians 3:6).
Is it time to add more water to the seeds of faith planted in you?
Stephen Ministers train to water seeds of faith while leaving the outcome
in God’s capable hands.
The Stoning of St. Stephen,
fresco ca. 1435
Prato Duomo (1395-1475)
For more information about this one-to-one caring lay ministry, please
contact
Virginia Daley (706-485-3564) or Leroy Horst (706-453-1602).
For the HEROES program, contact any who took the HEROES training:
Julie Applehoff, Rosemary Bonnough, Virginia Daley, and Bob Stallings
Virginia Daley, Stephen Leader
Healing Service
James 5:14 affirms, “Is any among you sick? Let him call for
the elders of the church, and let them pray over him,
anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;”
The third Sunday of each month we hold a very short healing
service after the regular service with Stephen Ministers
assisting.
~ Pastor Andy
Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed: save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise. Jeremiah 17:14 Serve God, Serve Man
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Congratulations
On May 2, 2015, Kristen Kersey received her
Certification In Youth Ministry for successful
completion of Youth Ministry Certification School
at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at
Gettysburg directed by Rev. Dr. Michael CooperWhite, President of the Lutheran Seminary, and
Chelle Huth, YMCS Course Director. Kristen would like to thank those members of
Lake Oconee Lutheran Church who made her
accomplishment possible.
Kristen is the granddaughter of Clay and
Rosemary Bonnough.
Kristen’s favorite Bible passage is from
Jeremiah 29:11-14:
11 For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord,
plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future
and a hope.
12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to
me, and I will hear you.
13 You will seek me and find me; when you seek me
with all your heart,
14 I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will
restore your fortunes and gather you from all the
nations and all the places where I have driven you, says
the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from
which I sent you into exile.
Kristen, front row, sixth from left, with her graduating class.
Lutheran Laughter
Q. Why are there three persons in one God?
A. God knows. But any card game is better than
solitaire for eternity.
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Matthew 28:19
Q. Why is the doctrine of the Trinity important?
A. Those who abandon it begin prayer with the words,
“To Whom it may concern.”
"
Luke 11:2, Acts 7:59, Acts 5:3
From http://home.comcast.net/~fcba/site/?/page/Jokes_on_THE_TRINITY%3A_Part_of_an_Essay_entitled_%26quot
%3BA_Brief_Systematic_Theology_of_Humor%26quot%3B/
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Recycling Projects
Remember the LOLC paper recycling program to include extra copies of the weekly bulletins
and other white paper products. All collected paper goes to the recycling center.
We are also collecting aluminum cans for Amber Bailey, the person
who does such an outstanding job keeping our church clean.
Calendar
June 7, 2015
Trinity I
June 11, 2015
St. Barnabas
Public Relations
Janie Seglund, Editor in Chief
706-467-9256
[email protected]
Submissions due by the
"
15th of each month
June 14, 2015
Trinity II
Botticelli Trinity
June 21, 2015
Trinity III
Healing Service
Mites Sunday
June 22, 2015
St. Peter
June 23, 2015
St. Paul
June 28, 2015
Trinity IV
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