1. education
2. school

Oakhurst Lutheran
May A.D. 2015
RELAY FOR
LIFEMay
16
Our goal for this
year is $23,274.
Why that number?
Western Gospel
Sundays 4:00PM
Oakhurst Lutheran
Rd 426 & Black Rd
Led by Tim Johnson on
the fiddle, mandolin
Cliff Neufeld- piano
Eddie Guzman- drums
harmonica
Arnie Johnson- Guitar
Rudy Helm-bass
Oakhurst
Lutheran
39255 Black Road
Oakhurst, CA
93644
David A. SebastianPastor
Tel: 559-683-HOPE
Fax: 559-642-4040
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.
oakhurstlutheran
church.org
So it is doable.
If we were able to
raise $23,274 we
would, reach the
quarter of a million dollar mark as a
team in the Eastern
Madera County Relay for Life in the 16
years we have participated. We have exceeded that amount
twice in our history.
The theme this year is "Give Cancer the Boot."
Materials are on the Relay Table in the Parish
Hall. Pat Johnson has made a quilt of t-shirts
from all the previous Relays and it is being raffled. Also Master Carver- Larry Smith- has carved
a wooden boot that is being raffled off to raise
funds for the team. The website is up, where
you can sign up or make donations. If you have
any questions speak to Tara Ryan or Jean Smith.
MOTHERS' DAY and
NEW MEMBERS- MAY 10
On May 10 we will be receiving new members into the
Front Page
congregation during the worship service.
It is well to be receiving new members on
Mothers' Day (read Pastor's Page on Mother
Church). A reception to honor newly received members and the women of the congregation will follow the worship service.
Happy Birthday
and God’s
continued
Blessings in the
year to come
to MAY’S
Birthday people!
MAY 24– PENTECOST- CONFIRMATION
Sunday, May 24, is Pentecost. The color for
Pentecost is red, symbolizing the fire of the Holy Spirit
and the blood of the martyrs.
This means wear RED, or you
will clash with the rest of us.
May 1
2
3
4
5
7
9
10
11
12
13
Pentecost is also Confirmation Day for Oakhurst Lutheran. We will be confirming
Randi Johnson and Tyler Matyshock during the 10AM service.
MAY 24– Memorial Day Observance 9:00AM
With our Veterans' Monument in place we will hold a Memorial
Day Observance at 9:00AM at
the Veterans' Memorial on Sunday, May 24. Invite a Veteran
to join us as we honor their
fallen comrades on the Memorial Day weekend.
MAY 31– GRADUATES RECEpTION
11:00AM
We will be honoring our 2015
graduates on Sunday, May 31.
The reception will honor 8th
grade, high school, college
and graduate school graduates: 8th grade- Randi Johnson, Dylan De La Cruz, Tyler
Matyshock, 12th grade- Oliver Curley, Ryan Emerick, Natalya
Levashoff, Zach Mattox, PhDs- Claire Cantwell and Jennifer Norman.
2
JUNE 7– 35TH ANNIVERSARY OBSERVANCE 10:00AM
Oakhurst Lutheran will be 35 years old this year. On
Rebecca Smock
Ellie Nelson
Grayson Bulmer
Timothy Franklin
Doug Spaulding
Clyde Johnson
Peggy Davis
Patrick Russell
Lucas Russell
Dennis Adams
Katie Montgomery
Greg Orwoll
Sarah (Spangle) Lackey
Troy Hendrickson
15
17
20
22
25
26
28
31
June 2
3
5
6
Chris Schwarm
Charles Nelsen
Craig Treber
Luke Longatti
Richard Moorehead
Michael Vaughn
Teagan Niewohner
Susan Moore
Evie Keller
Becky Cano
Matt Treber
Hunter Thompson
Sierra Bulmer
June 7th, during the worship service, we will recognize the
charter members of the church that are still with the congregation.
Current members that are in area, that were Charter Members
June 1- Sept 13, 1980
Janet (Blosat) Kieffer
Barbara Cornet
Ruth Cyriacks
Marilyn( Ekstrum) & Doug Fate
Clyde & Pat Johnson
Robert Johnson
Gunnar Johnson
Anita (Johnson) Lusk
Frank Johnson
Charles & Mary Nelsen
Michael Niewohner
Elva (Todd) Todd
3
JUNE 14– FLAG DAY CELEBRAtion 6:45PM
Flag Day falls on a Sunday this year. We will have a Patriotic Western Gospel Service at the usual 4:00PM, but we will be outside on
the basketball court. It will be followed by a Tri-Tip dinner and
then the Flag Day Program with flag burning ceremony starting at
6:45PM.
COLUMBARIUM COMMITTEE- next meeting- July 6
Dennis Higgins- '18- Chairman
Don King '17- Treasurer
Lynn Vaughn '16- Recorder/Sec
Edna Norman '19
Rogene Abney '15
Mary Nelsen- Council Liaison
The marble entrance sign for the Memorial Garden has been received. Its base and stand will, hopefully, be poured by Memorial
Day.
OAKHURST LUTHERAN WOMEN- May 5
Pres- Tara Ryan
V. Pres- Becky Matlock
2nd V. Pres- Lynn Russell
Treas- Gael Irizarry
Sec- Pat Ruecker
• Monthly Meetings- The women’s group meets the 1st Tuesday
of the month at 10:00AM, except for the months of July and
August.
LUTHERAN MEN’s CLUB- Saturday, May 16
Pres- Steve Norman
Treas- Mike Vaughn Scrip- Don King
V. Pres- Hale Farley
Sec- Ray Conner
Property- Don Kieffer
• Monthly Meeting- May 16 will be at the church at 8:00AM.
The Oakhurst Crew One will be cooking. Doug Spaulding will
bring devotions.
• WORK DAY- May 2 We have lots of work to do on the Upper
Parking lot in preparation for new black top, and to prepare for
an entrance sign to the Memorial Garden.
4
WORSHIP COMMITTEE - June 22
The Worship Committee will meet on Monday, June 22,
at 7:30PM, discussing music, Altar Guild preparations and decorations, etc. As with all committee meetings at Oakhurst Lutheran,
anyone is welcome to attend.
GIFTED FOR GIVING-
At its last meeting, the Committee took a look at the summaries of
the reports from the Time-Talent sheets and the returned pledge
totals for 2015. The reports of those willing to serve on committees will be forwarded to the various committees. Also a substantial increase in the amount pledged for this year was noted.
The following is Frank English's Gifted for Giving thought:
A TRAGEDY OR A BLESSING
As we live each day of our Christian lives, various occurrences
take place and we immediately categorize them as tragedies
or blessings. At the time these events occur, we frequently
lament, “Oh, why me” or “What will I do now.” The patience
to wait for the Lord to reveal the next page of the drama is
clearly absent. This situation is illustrated in a short story
told by Richard.
Years ago, in Scotland, the Clark family had a dream. Clark
and his wife worked and saved, making plans for their nine
children and themselves to travel to the United States. It had
taken years, but they had finally saved enough money and
gotten passports and reservations for the whole family on a
new liner to the United States.
The entire family was filled with anticipation and excitement
about their new life. However, seven days before their departure, the youngest son was bitten by a stray dog. The doctor
sewed up the boy but hung a yellow sheet on the Clark’s front
door. Because of the possibility of rabies they were being
quarantined for fourteen days.
The family’s dreams were dashed. They would not be able to
make the trip to America as planned. The father, filled with
disappointment and anger, strolled to the dock to watch the
ship depart---without the Clark family. The father shed tears
of disappointment and cursed both his son and God for their
misfortune.
Five days later, the tragic news spread throughout
Scotland---the mighty Titanic had sunk. The unsink-
5
able ship had sunk, taking hundreds of lives with it. The Clark
family was to have been on that ship, but because the son
had been bitten by a dog, they were left behind in Scotland.
When Mr. Clark heard the news, he hugged his son and
thanked him for saving the family. He thanked God for saving
their lives and turning what he had felt was a tragedy into a
blessing.
The Lord may not always move with the speed of light, but,
he is in control and he loves us.
OUTREACH COMMITTEE- next meeting-May 4
“Evangelism is not a professional job for a few trained men, but
is instead the unrelenting responsibility of every person who belongs to the company of Jesus.”
- Elton Trueblood
We continue to look at how we can find ways of getting people
to walk though our doors and then
return. The most important factor
urst
Oakh an
in bringing people into the church
r
Luthe
is personal invitation and not just
by the pastor.
Thanks to Jeff Grandy, we have
business cards that give basic information about the church. And
thanks to Deo Wolff, we have
business cards for advertising the Western Gospel service. Grab
some of each and then wait for the opportunity to use them.
Also when any group from the church is doing or working at a function not at the church, we have a great We Are Oakhurst Lutheran
sign in the cabinet in the narthex.
The Committee could use a couple of members. We would really appreciate ideas on how to do more effective Outreach. If
you have one, come to our next meeting.
Great opportunities to help others seldom come,
but small ones surround us daily. -- Sally Koch
THANK YOU KIEFFERS
We want to thank Jan and Don Kieffer for the purchase of a new
weedeater for the church and tuning of the old one.
Thank You- Don and Jan!
6
MISSION COMMITTEE - June 8
The current MIssion project is lambs for Samaritan's Purse. That
project began on Sunday, March 8 and will end on May 31. Lambs
are $80 each and our goal is to collect enough for 10 lambs to go
to thirdworld countries.
Upcoming projects are Bibles and personal hygiene bags for the
Rescue Mission in Madera and Mt. Crisis Services in Mariposa. Another project will be collecting school supplies for the children
of the Hmong congregation at Grace Lutheran in Fresno. We will
take advantage of THRIVENT's Action Team Grants of promotional
materials and $250 debit cards to help with supplies and materials
for both of these projects. If you have any questions, please see
Elvera Prentiss or Gael Irizarry.
JUST A REMINDER- Parking
We could add more handicapped parking spaces but then those
spaces may end up going unused.
The better answer would be for those who can walk some distance to park away from the front door- like across the front of the
church or in the lower parking lot
The front door at the top of the stairs and the door downstairs going into the classrooms are always unlocked on Sunday mornings.
MISSION and BENEVOLENCE 2015 Support
A new year has begun and so have our benevolences. Here are the
benevolences for the year:
Grace Lutheran Hmong Ministry $2,000
Youth Gathering $3,397
General Support
OLM Support (OLM)
THRIVENT Support
OLW Support (OLW)
($2347)
($500)
($250)
($200)
YHS Future Farmers of America $2,000
HELPING HANDS (Baby bottles) $1,000
Lutheran Congregations in Ministry for Christ
$600
TOTAL Support
$8,997
BUDGET STARTING TO SLIP
Our budget calls for income of $3833 every week.
After 17 weeks, our income was $60,046, to meet budget
7
When:
Saturday- June 14
Time:
Where:
4:00PM on
Oakhurst LUTHERAN CHURCH
What:
FLAG DAY CELEBRATION
Patriotic Western Gospel- 4:00PM
Tri Tip Sandwich Dinner- 5:45PM
Flag Day Observance- 6:45PM
OAKHURST LUTHERAN
WOMEN’S TEA
MAY 30, 2015
The theme this year is “Come Grow
With Us In God’s Garden.”
Our speaker, Virginia Pilegard, is an experienced Christian speaker and author, offering a unique way of telling God’s Story.
Mrs. Pilegard’s contemporary mystery/
romances Loving Sunny and Dances
with Butterflies are
published by Goat Mountain Books
under the pen name Rebecca Abby.
we should have had $65,161. That means we are behind budget by
$5,115.
Projecting income based on the giving patterns of the last 3- 5-10
years, we might expect income of $183,788- $186,341- $187,100 for
this year. The last 3 year's projection is probably the most accurate
since it reflects the most recent giving patterns. With a budget of
$199,317 income of only $183,788 would not be good!
church De-decorating- May 22-23
The sanctuary and church were decorated beautifully for the Easter
season. But now the decorations need to come down and be packed
away. We are keeping the butterflies up 'til after preschool graduation May 21st. So the butterflies need to come down on Friday and
Saturday so the sanctuary can be readied for Pentecost, May 24. If
you can help speak to Elvera Prentiss.
8
“God could not be everywhere and therefore he
made mothers.” — Jewish proverb
Raised on cattle ranches in central
California, Mrs. Pilegard learned to
ride at two years of age when her
father tied
her on her
pony Nubbins’s saddle
and took her with him to work cows. From
the early 50’s her family made their home on
the side of Pin Cushion Peak in a two room
miner’s cabin with oil
lamps, a wood stove
and a two-holer privy
up the hill.
If you want to host a
table (which means
tea setting for six), call
or see Gael Irizarry. Seating is limited and
tickets are available for a $20 donation.
If you have further questions or to purchase
tickets, call Chris Schwarm, (559) 642-3143
or Barbara Lung, (559) 642-3714.
9