The
Herald
November 2014
The Newsletter of Elim Lutheran Church
A Message from the Council President
Elim is on a new trajectory. Like Captain Kirk and
the Star Ship Enterprise we are venturing into the
unknown in search for a new Pastor as quickly, efficiently and seamlessly as possible. The highest priority will be given to candidates comfortable with a
traditional liturgy, who have some prior experience, a
pleasing personality and who have demonstrated a
mutual respect and cooperation with others without
any hidden agenda. Ultimately, a Congregational
vote will determine who will be our Pastor after a
briefing, discussion and recommendation by the Call
Committee.
Elim Lutheran Church
ELCA
5911 E. Hillcrest Dr
Port Orchard, WA
Mailing Address::
P.O. Box 456
Manchester, WA
98353
360-871-0602
Email:
elimlutheran
@yahoo.com
Website:
www.elimlutheranpo.
net
Pastor
The Rev. Steven Ray
Council President
Peter Kreidler
Editor
Katie Thomassen
The Synod’s paradigm for “new hires” is exhaustive, usually taking one to two years. It includes a
“Transition Team” and a “Call Committee”. Their
functions while different are complimentary. The
Transition Team’s focus is determining the congregation’s needs and wants through surveys, interviews and small group meetings. Once done the
Call Committee reads and reviews the recommendations of the Transition Team. The Call Committee
then sets the parameters of what the congregation
wants which enables the Synod to forward candiContinued on next page
Together in
Christ
Doing God’s
Work,
Using God’s Gifts,
Sharing God’s
Love.
Continued from previous page
candidates that are compatible with the congregation’s desire. Candidates on
their own can assess their compatibility with Elim through the “Ministry Site Profile” filled out by the church.
Will Elim follow this format? No. It’s too slow, which results in both frustration and lost membership. This is supported by Randy Spitzer, the Call Chairman (I would say Chairwoman if he were a she, but Call Chair is too awkward)
at Angus Dei in Gig Harbor. Following the prescribed format took them two
years resulting in reduced income and membership. Pastor Kim Latteral, at the
Synod, among other things, provides local congregations with advice and pastoral candidates. He has been informed of Elim’s desire to streamline the process
and go without a Transition Team. The rationale being that a lengthy process
would negatively impact membership, and the belief, as a small congregation,
that Elim members know what they want without surveys, interviews and small
group meetings.
Our process has already begun with today’s election of the Call Committee
and a visitation schedule of ministers interested in a fulltime Elim position. The
first potential candidate will preach on November 16th, with others in January
and February. The Call Committee will be seeking input from congregational
members in order to determine what exactly Elim wants in the way of programs,
policies and Pastor.
Like Captain Kirk we’re not looking for some android but instead a Pastor
who will best reflect Elim’s vision and mission in the world today. With faith,
prayer and God we will reach our goal.
Respectfully,
Peter Kreidler
Ephesians 4:11-13 and Bell Sheep
(to the tune of “Amazing Grace”)
Amazing gifts the Lord did give
To build His body tall.
Some gifts He gave one, two, or three;
And some He’s given all.
Apostles, prophets, undergird
Evangelists they reach
Out to the lost to bring them in
With pure impassioned speech.
Pastors, they wisely guide the flocks
And teach the soul and heart;
And God gives others teaching gifts
To help God’s truths impart.
Through all this land and overseas
Of pastors I have met
Our Steven Ray is one I know
That I shall ne’er forget.
He and his dear wife, Beth showed me
How bell sheep lead the flock
For when you hear the bell you know
That’s where the Shepherd walks.
Most of God’s gifts I’ve seen in Steve
These only God can give;
But bell sheep, those who are - must be
Because of how they live.
Remember Pastor Ray and Beth,
That you may also be
Bell sheep that others hear the sound
And know the Lord’s with thee.
~Sarah Linda Stanley, October 2014
Ladies, come to a show of fashion, creativity, and
heart, and hear the voices of young women from your
November 15 at 6:30pm
Adventure of Faith Church
4705 Jackson Ave SE, Port Orchard
Dessert and coffee provided.
All proceeds benefit The Coffee Oasis.
Thanksgiving Eve Community Worship Service
Wednesday November 26th, 7:00 PM
Please come to this wonderful joint service including Spirit of Life Lutheran, Elim Lutheran Church, St. Bede Episcopal Church, and First Lutheran
Community Church. We will enjoy singing, a special message, a special
children’s message, dessert together and an auction. All the proceeds will
benefit South Kitsap Helpline, Lifecare Foodbank and Children of the Nations.
This year Elim is hosting the service. Please plan to donate cookies or a
bar dessert for the evening and bring them with you. A Thrivent Financial
for Lutherans service team will be working and Thrivent will be generously
sharing supplemental funding for the event. We will also be accepting donations of non-perishable food for South Kitsap Helpline and Lifecare
Foodbank.
Help us celebrate and thank God for our gifts and blessings with our extended church
families from the community.
FIRST SUNDAY OF
ADVENT
Adult Forum 9 am
Worship 10 am
30
AA 6:00pm
1December
AA 6:00pm
24
23
STEWARDSHIP
SUNDAY
Adult Forum 9 am
Worship 10 am
ALPHA 1pm
Final Weigh in for
Food drive
AA 6:00pm
17
2nd Call Family Kit
Adult Forum 9 am
Worship 10 am
ALPHA 1pm
16
Martin Luther’s
Birthday
Adult Forum 9 am
Worship 10 am
ALPHA 1pm
AA 6:00pm
10
9
AA 6:00pm
3
2
ALL SAINTS’ DAY
Adult Forum 9 am
Worship 10 am
ALPHA 1pm
Mon
Sun
Waterman Circle
Bible Study 11 am
2
4
Waterman Circle
Bible Study 11 am
3
Church office
closed
Thanksgiving
Day
27
Waterman Circle
Business mtg 11 am
20
Waterman Circle
Bible Study 11 am
Men’s Gathering @
Coffee Oasis
Text Study 10 am
Handbells 4:30 pm
Thanksgiving
Eve Service
7pm
Text Study 10am
Elim Reading
Group 7am
26
Men’s Gathering @
Coffee Oasis
Text Study 10 am
Handbells 4:30 pm
Choir Practice 6:30
25
19
Family Kitchen
Port of Waterman
7pm
Elim Reading
Group 7am
Handbells 4:30 pm
Music Mtg 5:30
Choir Practice 6:30
12Text Study 10am 13
6
5
Thu
Men’s Gathering @
Coffee Oasis
Text Study 10 am
Handbells 4:30 pm
Choir Practice 6:30
Wed
18
Veteran’s Day
11
4
Tue
NOVEMBER 2014
5
Church office
closed
28
21
14
7
Fri
Men’s Breakfast
8:30am
6
29
22
WWGP 1 pm
15
8
8:30am
1Men’s Breakfast
Sat
Why Do We Bless, or Dedicate, Quilts?
(excerpt from LWR Blog 10/28/14)
It’s a timely discussion. In the fall and the
spring, folks across the country hold ingatherings to collect Quilts and Kits and send
them to LWR’s warehouses. For the last several weeks the page has been love-bombed by
many, many pictures of Quilts and Kits laid out
on pews, around altars and on communion
rails. It’s fun to see all the beautiful patterns
and fabrics, colorful bags and towels, all lovingly assembled by so many dedicated hands.
In the midst of the photos came a thoughtful question about why we do
this. Why do we take the time to fold and present the Quilts? To stack Kits
in pyramids? To add minutes to our services to talk about these gifts of
fabric and thread, these gathered and bundled everyday items?
We remember that God is with us
Some call it a blessing. Some a dedication. Some call it something completely different! But at the core, the goal is the same: to give thanks to
God, and to lift up our neighbors near and far — whose hands have and
will touch the gifts of LWR Quilts and Kits — in prayer.
In the end, our prayers don’t act like Scotchguard®, providing a magical
barrier that keeps the Quilts and Kits safe. God doesn’t just show up at the
moment the litany is read or prayer spoken. We are in relationship with a
God with whom we live and breathe, who is with us in each moment of
every day.
God is there as we remember to check for coupons for batting, in our creativity as we lay out fabric squares cut from donated cloth, as we shop the
sales for school supplies and hunt online for the best towels at the best
price. God is in our conversation as we work together, side by side, called
to be part of something that is bigger than we are.
And God is at the warehouse. On the container ship. In the port. With the
family in a refugee camp, or the child living in an orphanage, or the parents struggling to feed their children.
We take time to give thanks
What does it do, in the end, to set aside time to bless, dedicate, pray over
these Quilts and Kits?
It gives us an opportunity to express our thanks to God: thanks for generous donations of fabric and supplies, thanks for the people willing to give
time and talent to put those things together into something useful, thanks
for the truckers and ship crews who transport the finished Quilts and Kits
across the country and around the world, thanks for partners on the other
side of the ocean who take care to ensure that people get what they need,
thanks for the hands that hold and cherish and use these gifts all over the
world.
Celebrating God’s Gifts
This time of prayer is also a beautiful expression of the community of faith, acknowledging gifts and opening our hearts together to love our neighbors in the
next pew and on the next continent, to remember them in their struggles and
widen our family circle.
In this time, we can be intentional about celebrating with one another and with
God, giver of all good gifts. Who better to celebrate these gifts of life and hope
and healing? Gifts God calls us to give for the sake of the world, this world, a
world God so loved and loves and will always love.
Whatever you call this holy ritual, it calls us to something bigger than ourselves,
reminding us that we are part of God’s kingdom, bursting forth like so many
bright Quilts into the world.
Melanie Gibbons is Lutheran World Relief's Quilt & Kit Ministry Coordinator.
Elim’s LWR Shipment
included the following:
25 Quilts
57 School Kits
25 Health Kits
18 Baby Care Kits
December 4 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Location: Benaroya Hall, Seattle, Washington
December 6, 8:00 PM
Location: Lagerquist Concert Hall, PLU, Tacoma
December 7, 3:00 PM
Location: Lagerquist Concert Hall, PLU, Tacoma
Please Take Time Throughout the Week to Pray
"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind,
be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints" (Ephesians 6:18).
Please continue to pray for these loved ones: Karen Plummer, Lawrence Newland, The
Peterson family, Bonnie Dempewolf, Laurene Carlson, Lydia Simonson, Rodger Ham, Lisa
Acheson, Karlee Acheson, Margaret Camstra, Kalyn Benton and Family, Dorothy Smith ,Jessie
Brown, Christie Ridings, Dave Smyth, Tami Roddick, Robin Schultz, Rodger Hamm, Barb
Merriman, Michelle Swanson, Jim and Kay Christianson, Barb Hahn, Wayne Macomber, Julia
Stephenson, Fran Blackstock, Peggy Bagby, Al & Evelyn Moore, Sandy Bratcher, Bert &
Maureen Jarrett, Jose Greco, Teri Nelson, Laverne Murley, Bill Kavanaugh, Linda Jacobs, Anna &
Kirsten Strand, Cheri Riehl, Sandy Rust, Margaret Kvinsland, Fred Walls, Joe Finden, Emma
Cookus, Renate Slach, Jerry Edwards, Wilbur Hill, Sharon Ripley, Don Smullin, Dick Fuller, Terri
Stevens, Ruth Rognile, Ryan Pardo, Claudia Robinson, George Neal, Erika Tucker, Brent Bagby,
Glory Berglund, Stacy, Teresa Becker, Betty Rubino, Heather Newman, Patrick, Jeffrey, Diana
Buckner, Camille Kucinski, Kairyn Paine, Wilma Eads, Bev T., Michael & Velma
Thompson, Barbara, Lois Hall, Susan & Mike Zeller, Marsha Meech, Kathy
Nelson, Cindy and Sandy Edwards.
“Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ”
Philippians 4:6
History of Tithes and Offerings
August 2014
September 2014
$3,613
October 2014
8/3
$5,406
9/7
8/10
$3,846
9/14 $6,654
Information not available
at time of posting
Please call the office for
8/17 $18,171
9/21 $1,655
Updated information.
8/27
$4,626
9/28 $4.553
8/31
$1,540
$33,589
$16,475
Simply Giving Tithes $200
Simply Giving Tithes $200
Helpline News
Although the need for pantry and household items is always great in communities such as ours, the lack is never more intensely felt than at the holiday
season.
This year, Elim has been asked to provide canned fruit for the tables of those
who may not receive if Helpline cannot provide.
There will be a basket provided in the Narthex for such donations but for
those who may need a little extra incentive…
The return of the Football Food Drive!!
Please place your Thanksgiving Basket donations in the team box of your
choice. We will be keeping track and giving updates throughout the month.
The team with the heaviest box will be awarded bragging rights, but the
Hungry of our community will be the true winners.
Please remember a few extra of these items when shopping for your family
this month:
Money Donations
Cream of Mushroom Soup
Instant Potatoes
Biscuits/Rolls
Stuffing Mix
Gravy
Canned Vegetables
Hot Cocoa
Canned Fruit
Marshmallows
Cranberry Sauce
Cool Whip
Chicken Broth
Pumpkin Pie
God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, you looked upon all that
you created and declared it good. Grant that I, this day, might regard your creation with the same esteem and appreciation, seeing you at work in every daily operation. Help me to give thanks as I recognize your loving work in all abundant
blessings. Most of all, let me see not only your creation, but also its redemption,
through Jesus Christ. Amen. -- Martin Luther
Elim Lutheran Church, ELCA
PO BOX 456
Manchester WA 98353
God’s Peace and Abiding Love to:
“Then they came to Elim...and they camped there by the water.” Exodus 15:27
Office Hours and Other Contact Information
Elim’s office is open from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm, Monday through
Friday. Deadline for Sunday announcements is noon on Wednesdays.
Monday mornings the staff will be in a meeting from 9:30 am - 10:30 am.
Feel free to leave a message and we will return your call as soon as
possible.
Pastor Steve is always happy to talk with you, but because ministry
is sometimes done outside the office it is best to call ahead. To reach Pastor
Steve call the office; after hours or in an emergency contact him directly.
Pastor Steve’s work days are Sunday through Thursday. Friday is the
pastor’s day off.