New LED Church Sign Operational!
If you haven't already, be sure to check out the new LED parking lot church sign. It looks great! Messages that appear on the sign are created in the church office. We're starting with the worship schedule, time and temperature. I took a pic during the construction -- the old sign has been removed and the new LED panel is in the process of being installed -- you can view the photo HERE.
Restroom Renovation Progress
Progress is happening -- new plumbing and sewer lines are getting installed in the downstairs units, and we expect the work on the upstairs sanctuary units to begin soon. The goal is to be done by Thanksgiving, so it will be ready to "go" for Toledo Symphony in December.
God's Work Our Hands Day of Service
Pastor Paul has put together some service projects for LIFT Congregation members on Sunday, September 10, beginning with lunch at St. Mark at 11:30 am. This is in observance of our ELCA's God's Work Our Hands Sunday. To learn more about the opportunities for service (some outside, some inside), and for an online signup sheet, go HERE.
Farewell, Pastor Dennis!
For twenty-five years, Pastor Dennis Wansitler has served Emmanuel Lutheran Church. His final worship service before retirement is August 27. Notes of appreciation can be sent to: Pastor Dennis Wansitler c/o Emmanuel Lutheran Church 3557 W. SR 20 Lindsey, OH 43442.
Pastor Paul at Camino de Vida
Pastor Paul has been filling in for Pastor Mary Carmen while she is in Mexico visiting family and getting a visa renewed. Although you can't hear him, you can see him preaching in Spanish HERE. Camino de Vida is adjusting their schedule so Pr. Paul can do that service when he's done at St. Mark.
Stewardship Team Continues Plans for Fall Appeal
The Stewardship Team joined two Zoom meetings this week hosted by GSB Fundraising, the firm that Grace has contracted with to provide direction for our participation in the GSB program Stewardship for All Seasons (SAS). On Monday our Zoom meeting involved all the congregations enrolled in SAS, and delved into the specifics of how the SAS program works, including details we need to know to create brochures, bulletin inserts, and letters to engage the congregation in participating in the appeal. Our Thursday Zoom was only for members of our 6-congregation cohort and was a chance for us to report on our summer homework and the schedule for our appeal.
I just want to be clear that the stewardship appeal will be quite different than it was in 2021 and 2022. SAS has some very specific ways of doing things that have proven to get results. A few paragraphs from our SAS Handbook help to explain:
A successful annual appeal helps create a culture of accomplishment and generosity. People will sense that theirs is a congregation that gets things done. Leaders will gain experience and learn skills that will serve them and the church well in future endeavors.
Funds will be raised to make ministry happen. People will learn the joy of giving and the joy of asking for gifts. By projecting and documenting exciting ministry plans for the coming year, people will have a picture of where their church is going and will be encouraged to increase their giving. As progress in carrying out the ministry plan is communicated, people will gain confidence knowing that together they are carrying out the mission of their church.
This is how SAS defines an Appeal:
An appeal is an intentional, organized and scheduled effort
- to Inform people of the ministry plans for the coming year and the need for increased giving to fund those plans;
- to Motivate people to gratefully respond to God's grace by sharing and investing in ministry;
- to Ask people -- in a compelling, specific and gracious fashion - to consider increasing their giving toward a specific goal that will fund ministry initiatives.
- to Thank people for their faithfulness and generosity to God's Kingdom through this congregation.
An Appeal provides the opportunity and the means by which people can respond to the invitation to participate more fully in supporting the work of the congregation. It is an educational process that conveys information persuasively and thoroughly.
In my August 4 post, I included the planned schedule for our Appeal at Grace. We will kick it off on October 15, and Appeal Sunday (the day we receive Statements of Intent) will be November 12. I encourage you to review that post, which you can view HERE. You can read an inspiring success story of a congregation that enrolled in SAS HERE.
Rev. Jennifer Hermann Installation
Rev. Jennifer Hermann will be installed as the pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Sandusky (sometimes referred to as Trinity Venice) on Tuesday, September 12, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. This is good news! Trinity has been in the call process for 3.5 years! You can find mor information about this event HERE.
Politics is a Way of Helping People
That's the title of a book I referenced in my September Grace and Truth pastor message. A politician who believed, lived and practiced that was Albert Quie, who usually was referred to by his nickname "Al." Quie served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1958 to 1979 from Minnesota, and as Governor of Minnesota from 1979 to 1983. Regarded as a moderate Republican, Quie was considered by Ronald Reagan for his choice of a running mate for the office of Vice President of the United States during the 1980 presidential election. He was also on Gerald Ford's list for possible vice presidents following the resignation of Richard Nixon in 1974. Quie identified one of his most important votes in congress as his "yes" vote for the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Al Quied died on August 18, a month shy of his 100th birthday. You can view a local news report on the life and death of Quie HERE.
I had a personal connection to Al Quie through his son Joel. He and I attended Luther Seminary at the same time, and I got to know him better during my second call, his first, when we served in the same neighborhood in the South Hills of Pittsburgh. His church was three miles from mine, and we'd meet weekly to study the text for the coming Sunday's preaching. But that was only for about a year, as he departed for graduate study at Notre Dame. In 1996 he took the call to Prairie Lutheran Church in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, and retired in 2021 after 25 years of service. It reminded me of Grace's long pastorates and the many accomplishments of the congregation under those pastors. You can read more about Pastor Joel's accomplishments at Prairie Lutheran HERE.
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