It’s Time to Decorate 2

It’s Time for Lunch 3

God’s People Pray 3

Thank You 3

Altar Flowers 3

Thoughts From Pastor Kerr 4

West Coast Walk for Life 5

From the Principal’s Desk 6

National Lutheran Schools Week

7

From Howard Scully 7

Christmas at WPL Church & School

8

January Birthdays & Anniversaries

10

January Calendar 11

Inside this issue:

JANUARY 2020 PAGE 1

PortaL ght the monthly Newsletter of West Portal Lutheran Church and School

From Pastor Binz

“We were therefore buried with Him

through baptism into death in order that,

just as Christ was raised from the dead

through the glory of the Father, we too

may live a new life.” Romans 6:4

The New Year is upon us and we ask

ourselves, “Where has the time

gone?” When I was a child, my par-

ents instilled in me the value of sav-

ing. Now at 7 years old I didn’t have

a “job” other than do the dishes,

clean up after the dog, mow the

lawns, and most importantly, “DO

YOUR HOMEWORK!” And my par-

ents would give us a small allowance

each week to teach us about saving

and giving. One of my very first

purchases all by myself from my

savings was a Timex watch. I was

proud of that purchase and kept

that watch for many years. I don’t

think their commercials were totally

accurate because it eventually did

stop “ticking.”

Time is a gift from God. We don’t

know the amount given to us; for

some it is very long; for others not

so much. But regardless of the

amount, God promises to give to us

(Continued on page 2)

A New Year, A New Life

The deadline for the January Por-

taLight is Wednesday, January 22.

PortaLights will be ready for mailing

on Wednesday, January 29.

Sunday School Reminder

Sunday School will resume

on January 5, 2020.

PORTALIGHT PAGE 2 JANUARY 2020

Regular Worship Schedule

Saturday, 5:00PM;

Sunday, 10:00AM

Sunday School & Adult Bible Class

Sunday, 9:00AM

We warmly welcome you

to worship the Lord God with us.

200 Sloat Boulevard, San Francisco CA 94132

(415) 661-0242

www.westportallutheran.org

Rev. Curtis Binz, Senior Pastor

Rev. J. Wayne Kerr, Associate Pastor

Jan Lundquist, Church Secretary, PortaLight Editor

Mickey Angerman, Principal

is the monthly Newsletter of West Portal Lutheran Church and School ght PortaL

West Portal Lutheran Church is a member congregation of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

new life. As St. Paul records in his letter to the Ro-

mans, “just as Christ was raised from the dead

through the glory of the Father, we too may live a

new life.” A few verses forward we are reminded

that our “old self” was crucified with Him so that

the body of sin might be done away with. This

promise of God should give us assurance of the

new life we have by the very grace of God.

Luther wrote that we should daily remember our

baptism, for the washing and renewing being

united with Christ which results in new, Spirit-

created attitudes, desires, and actions. “Therefore,

if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old

has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2

Corinthians 5:17

(Continued from page 1) Living with this promise should also impact us

in a way to give us tremendous hope for the

future, to give us courage to face whatever tri-

als and challenges the New Year may bring.

Because of Jesus’ work at Calvary we have no

reason to fear, but rather hope in the future

knowing God’s promise never to forsake us

and His promise that salvation awaits all who

believe.

May your New Year be filled with faith, hope,

and love and may the newness we have in

Christ Jesus always give you His peace that

lasts forever into eternity.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Binz

At this year’s Christmas Faire, the Bridge Con-

nection sponsored a white elephant table. The

proceeds from this table will be given to mis-

sion work. We thank the members of our con-

gregation who generously donated many beau-

tiful items for us to sell. Your support is very

much appreciated.

The Bridge Connection

God’s people pray...

For our shut-ins and elderly: Elfriede Bonfert;

Lois Carlson; Nadine Gustafson.

For those with health problems or recovering

from surgery: Bob Bok; Art & Dorothy

Bridgeman; Charlene Bruggemann-Wong; Ben

Char; William Chen; Perry Close, Faye Close’s

husband; Joe & Lorraine Holmes; Ted & Cheri

Jones; Eliza Latimore; Pastor Derrick Millner;

members of Lee Morrow’s family; Laurie

Prescott; Lee Rampage; Art Spleiss; Ruth Stresow;

Beverly Taylor; Lisa Westermann.

PORTALIGHT PAGE 3 JANUARY 2020

Join us for lunch:

Date: Sunday, January 12

Time: 12:00 pm

Place: Mozzarella de Bufala

69 West Portal Avenue

An RSVP is necessary, either by calling Nancy

Tso, 415-335-5396 or the church office, 415-661-

0242 by Wednesday, January 8. Everyone is re-

sponsible for his/her check. You are welcome to

bring a friend.

It’s time for lunch with the “Lunch Bunch”

Altar Flowers

Flower Charts for the year 2020 are now

posted in the Narthex. This is a very spe-

cial way to commemorate events or to re-

member loved ones. Flowers may be taken

home or are delivered to our sick and shut-

in members. Please call Jan Lundquist or

Angie Holt in the church office, 415-661-

0242, if you have any questions. The cost

of a floral arrangement is $45.00. We en-

courage you to sign the new Flower Chart.

PAGE 4 PORTAL JANUARY 2020 PAGE 4 PORTALIGHT

The word Epiphany comes from the Greek word

meaning “to manifest” or “to show,” so on this date

the church commemorates the visit of the Magi

and the “epiphany.” But what epiphany you may

ask? Oh...God’s manifestation in the person of

Christ Jesus to the Gentiles… that’s you and me!

Well pastor, that’s a nice little bit of church his-

tory, but why do I really need to think much if

at all about Epiphany? I thought you would never

ask!

The traditional Old Testament Lesson for Epiph-

any is from Isaiah, chapter 60, Arise, shine; for

your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has

risen upon you. For darkness shall cover the earth, and

thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise up-

on you, and His glory will appear over you.

Over two thousand years ago, God did something

unexpected, in unexpected ways. Our Salvation

came, not at the head of a mighty army or with

thunder and lightning bolts, but as a small de-

fenseless child born in an obscure manger. Every

year the celebration of the Holy Epiphany re-

minds us that the light of God’s WORD is not

left in that manger long ago but lives as bright

as ever in our hearts. The light of Christ is with-

in us because the glory of the LORD has risen upon

you!

Yes, Epiphany reminds us of the coming of the

Magi to find the Christ child, but it also com-

mands us to seek after the Christ to Lift up your

eyes and look around; they all gather together, they

come to you…” Isaiah 60:4

(Continued on page 5)

Lift up your eyes and look around

Isaiah 60:4

Almost immediately following the celebrations of

the New Year 2020 comes an even more im-

portant day which sadly is often overlooked or

taken for granted: Epiphany. We hear and read

the word Epiphany every January, but what does

it really mean? And probably for most the real

question is, “What does it mean to me?” Well,

first, the Feast of the most Holy Epiphany is com-

memorated every January 6th, twelve days after

Christmas.

Thoughts from Pastor Kerr: Lift Up Your Eyes

PAGE 5 PORTALIGHT JANUARY 2020

Every day Christ comes into our lives, and every

day we are commanded to look around and see

others who are coming to the Christ. This is the

Great Commission! We are called and sent to be

witnesses, to seek after the lost, to share God’s

love and His saving WORD with everyone, not

just those next to us in the pew on Sunday morn-

ing. It doesn’t have to be complicated; sometimes

we share God’s love through nothing more than a

handshake, a smile, a hug or an invitation to a

stranger to join you in “your” pew for worship.

As members of the priesthood of all believers, the

Epiphany reminds us that everyone is our neigh-

bor, yes, even those we are uncomfortable with.

The famous German Lutheran Pastor Dietrich

Bonhoeffer reminds us of this so well…..

(Continued from page 4) “He comes in the form of the beggar, of the dissolute

human child in ragged clothes, asking for help. He

confronts you in every person that you meet. As long

as there are people, Christ will walk the earth as your

neighbor…”

Powerful words from a man who walked with

Christ all of his life while following the admoni-

tion of Isaiah to “Lift up your eyes and look around.”

As we remember the Epiphany in this year of our

LORD 2020, I invite you to remember the words

of Pastor Bonhoeffer and the LORD’s command

through Isaiah to do likewise and look around to

those brought into our lives seeking the Christ.

A Joyous New Year and a Blessed Holy Epipha-

ny Season!

Pastor Wayne

West Coast Walk for Life 2020

The 2020 West Coast Walk For Life is happen-

ing here in San Francisco again Saturday, Janu-

ary 25. This is one of the 20+ annual life walks in

major American cities among people of faith

and conscience; it is not a protest but a life-

affirming event with families attending. Pre-

Walk Fellowship and Worship will take place at

WPLC. Join Lutherans as they represent the

Synod's sanctity of life on the West Coast. More

details to come.

PAGE 6 PORTALIGHT JANUARY 2020

West Portal Lutheran School:West Portal Lutheran School:

News from the Principal’s DeskNews from the Principal’s Desk

On behalf of the WPL School

Faculty and Staff:

God bless you. Thank you for your love, deeds of kindness,

and prayers.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

PAGE 7 PORTALIGHT JANUARY 2020

From Howard Scully, Church & School Accountant Please pick up your 2020 offering envelopes.

They are arranged in alphabetical order on the

table in the Narthex. Please start using your

2020 envelopes on January 1st, and toss out

your old 2019 envelope cartons and any unused

envelopes. Most likely your 2020 envelopes have

a new number. If you did not receive a carton,

please contact Howard Scully, 415-661-0242.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: To ensure the

deductibility of your church contributions, do

not file your 2019 income tax return until you

have received a written acknowledgment of your

contributions from the church. You may lose a

deduction for some contributions if you file your

tax return before receiving a written acknowl-

edgment of your contributions from the church.

Annual contribution statements will be sent to

you by the end of January. If you have not re-

ceived your statement by early February, or if

you need to receive it earlier, please contact the

church accountant, Howard Scully.

National Lutheran Schools Week provides the net-

work of 1,950 LCMS preschools, elementary schools

and high schools with the public opportunity to

proclaim and celebrate God’s work in Lutheran

schools.

In this, Lutheran schools thank God for the oppor-

tunity to provide excellent academic preparation for

the children they serve and for the opportunity to

share Jesus’ amazing love with students and their

families.

National Lutheran Schools Week gives schools the

ability to proclaim these great blessings within the

communities they serve. Lutheran schools are amaz-

ing incubators for faithful witness of God’s love

through Christ by teachers and students alike.

“Joy:Fully Lutheran” is the theme for the 2020 Na-

tional Lutheran Schools Week celebration. The asso-

ciated scripture verse is 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

which says:

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all

circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus

for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophe-

cies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain

from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace him-

self sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit

and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our

Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will

surely do it.”

(from the Lutheran Schools Week 2020 website)

WPL School plans to celebrate National

Lutheran Schools Week January 26-February 1, 2020

January 20, 2020

Church Office and School are closed.

PAGE 8 PORTALIGHT JANUARY 2020

Christmas at West Portal Lutheran Church & School

PTL Christmas Faire

Food, fun and fellowship were enjoyed

by all. There were plenty of craft items

and baked goods for purchase, games

with prizes (such as the goldfish shown

above), and a silent auction offering the

most items the PTL has ever offered at

their Christmas Faire silent auction.

During the last hour of the Faire, there was a

huge downpour. The outside drains became

overwhelmed by the volume of the rain, and

almost half the gym flooded. Parents and staff

jumped into action by pushing the water out

of the gym and managing the drainage to

minimize continued flooding.

PAGE 9 PORTALIGHT JANUARY 2020

Once again, the Holy Family made its

annual trek (with assistance from some

of the men in our congregation) to the

front lawn at West Portal Lutheran

Church.

Students sang Christmas Car-

ols in the Sanctuary. Pictured

here is the 5th Grade.

And . . . just how many Lutherans does

it take to put up the Holy Family dis-

play? (Hint: Two supervisors and one

worker!!)

PAGE 10 PORTALIGHT JANUARY 2020

1 Cheryl Jones

1 Linda Silveria

1 Elaine Uy

2 Avery Nulph

2 Jordan Crisologo

4 Alexander Hsiao

5 Pat Pellervo

6 Edward Wong

6 Stefanie Nixdorf

6 Henny Laksana

7 Kinnan Wong

8 Roland Jung

9 Hiroaki Murata

9 Quentin Lo

9 Jacob Ngai

10 Chris Chao

11 Beverly Relph

11 Sylvia Mrabe

11 Khalil Mrabe

11 Kristen Fung

12 Stephan Kolsanoff

12 Luca Stofferahn

12 Jacqueline Kwok

13 Kevin Szeto

13 Nicholas O’Beirne

13 Cameron Park

15 Rachel Hung

16 Sharon Tabar

16 Courtney Park

17 Nathaniel Fong

18 Michele Boyer

18 Sheila Tabar

19 Lauren Wong

20 Michi Boyer

20 Sean Patrick

20 Trinity Batiste

21 Aaron Fung

21 Danielle Hirano

24 David Lew

25 Sara Bridygham

25 Alice Yue

27 May Luu

27 Chadwick Sheh

29 Gordon Yee

29 Otto Fung

30 Pichaya Khamvatee

31 Donald Woo

31 Laurie Gonsalves

31 Archie Wong

22 Morteza & Sharon Tabar

25 Hiroaki Murata &

Megumi Amano

29 Rich & Terry Hesselroth

31 Rev. Curtis & Stacey Binz

Friendly Reminder

Church Staff and members of the Church Council know that I send out “friendly reminders” when I

need to nag them about reports and/or PortaLight articles that I need from them. This is NOT that

kind of friendly reminder! It is, however, a reminder that if you are trying to cut down on paper usage

in your home, the PortaLight is available via email and on our church website.

To receive the PortaLight via email, just send me an email request at jan.lundquist@wplsf.com.

To access the PortaLight on our website: www.westportallutheran.org

You will notice that the pictures come up in color on the website and on PortaLights sent by email, so

you may want to check out the website. We have a good photocopier here in the office, but it does not

print in color and, frankly, photos are almost always more fun to view in color. Please be sure, howev-

er, that we are NOT going to discontinue printing the PortaLight on paper. The PortaLight will be

available on paper as well as electronically. And if you would prefer to receive it both ways, we’ll be

happy to accommodate that also. - Jan Lundquist, Editor

Su

nd

ay

Mo

nd

ay

Tu

esd

ay

Wed

nes

day

T

hu

rsd

ay

Fri

day

S

atu

rday

Jan

uar

y 20

20

at

Wes

t P

ort

al L

uth

eran

Ch

urc

h &

Sch

oo

l

KE

Y A

O

Acc

ount

ing

Offi

ce

HH

H

aake

Hal

l C

L

Chu

rch

Libr

ary

SS

S

unda

y S

choo

l F

H

Fel

low

ship

Hal

l C

R

Con

fere

nce

Roo

m

SM

R

Ste

chho

lz M

usic

Roo

m

1 C

hu

rch

Off

ice

is c

lose

d

2 3

4 5:00

P

Wo

rsh

ip-L

ord

’s

S

up

per

5

9:00

A

SS

/Bib

le C

lass

es

9:00

A

San

ctu

ary

Ch

oir

/MR

10

:00A

W

ors

hip

-Lo

rd’s

Su

pp

er

11:3

0A

Chu

rch

Cou

ncil/

CL

6 WP

L S

choo

l res

umes

6:

30P

G

irl S

cout

Lea

ders

/FH

7 7:00

P

Alta

r G

uild

/Cl

7:00

P

Boy

Sco

ut L

eade

rs/F

H

8 9 10

:00A

A

uxili

ary/

FH

6:

00P

B

ridge

Con

nect

ion/

FH

10

8:45

A

Ope

n H

ouse

for

Pro

-sp

ectiv

e S

tude

nts-

Sun

set

6:30

P

Cub

Sco

ut P

ack/

FH

11

9A-4

P

Girl

Sco

ut L

eade

rs/F

H

5:00

P

Wo

rsh

ip-L

ord

’s

S

up

per

12

9:00

A

SS

/Bib

le C

lass

es

9:00

A

San

ctu

ary

Ch

oir

/MR

10

:00A

W

ors

hip

-Lo

rd’s

Su

pp

er

Noo

n “L

unch

Bun

ch”

at M

ozza

-re

lla d

i Buf

ala

2:00

P

Girl

Sco

ut L

eade

rs/F

H

13

14

7:00

P

Boy

Sco

ut L

eade

rs/F

H

15

16

17

18

5:00

P

Wo

rsh

ip-L

ord

’s

S

up

per

19

9:00

A

SS

/Bib

le C

lass

es

9:00

A

San

ctu

ary

Ch

oir

/MR

10

:00A

W

ors

hip

-Lo

rd’s

Su

pp

er

11:3

0A

Eld

ers’

Mee

ting/

FH

20

Mar

tin

Lu

ther

Kin

g H

olid

ay

Ch

urc

h O

ffic

e &

Sch

oo

l are

cl

ose

d.

21

22

NE

WS

LE

TT

ER

DE

AD

LIN

E

23

24

25

10:0

0A

Wal

k fo

r Li

fe/F

H

5:00

P

Wo

rsh

ip-L

ord

’s

S

up

per

26

9:00

A

SS

/Bib

le C

lass

es

9:00

A

San

ctu

ary

Ch

oir

/MR

10

:00A

W

ors

hip

-Lo

rd’s

Su

pp

er

2:00

P

Girl

Sco

ut L

eade

rs/F

H

27

7:00

P

Cub

Sco

uts/

FH

28

29

NE

WS

LE

TT

ER

MA

ILE

D

30

31

Wee

kly

on

Su

nd

ay

Wee

kly

on

Mo

nd

ay

Wee

kly

on

Tu

esd

ay

Wee

kly

on

Wed

nes

day

W

eekl

y o

n T

hu

rsd

ay

Wee

kly

on

Fri

day

W

eekl

y o

n S

atu

rday

Su

nd

ay S

cho

ol &

B

ible

Cla

sses

9:

00A

S

anct

uary

Cho

ir 9:

00A

D

ivin

e S

ervi

ce

10:0

0A

Adu

lt V

olle

ybal

l 6:

00P

Wom

en’s

Exe

rcis

e/F

H

9:00

A

Joy

Chi

mes

/Sun

set

3:15

P

Mus

ic L

esso

ns/C

S,M

R

3:15

P

Girl

Sco

uts/

FH

3:

15P

Gen

esis

Rin

gers

/FH

3:

20P

M

usic

Les

sons

/ M

R,C

R,C

S

3:20

P

Cha

pel,

Slo

at

8:30

A

Wom

en's

Exe

rcis

e/F

H

9:00

A

Mid

wee

k B

ible

Cla

ss/C

L 10

:00A

H

andb

ell C

hoirs

/FH

1:

00-4

:00P

G

irl S

cout

s/F

H

3:15

P

Mus

ic L

esso

ns/

MR

,CR

,CS

3:

20P

Cha

pel,

K-3

, Sun

set

8:45

A

Alle

luia

Rin

gers

/FH

3:

20P

M

usic

Les

sons

/CR

,MR

3:

20P

Y

outh

Con

firm

atio

n/C

L 3:

30P

Wom

en’s

Exe

rcis

e/F

H

9:00

A

Sch

ool O

rche

stra

/FH

2:

20P

M

usic

Les

sons

/FH

,CR

2:

20P

Wo

rsh

ip S

ervi

ce

5:00

P

Natio

na

l L

uth

er

an

Sc

ho

ols

Week

, Ja

nu

ar

y 2

6-F

eb

ru

ar

y 1

WEST PORTAL LUTHERAN CHURCH

200 Sloat Boulevard, San Francisco CA 94132 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

January 2020 ght PortaL

N ow after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the

king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is

He who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw His star when it rose and

have come to worship Him."

And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them un-

til it came to rest over the place where the child was. When

they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

And going into the house they saw the child with Mary

His mother, and they fell down and worshiped Him.

Then, opening their treasures, they offered Him gifts,

gold and frankincense and myrrh. Matthew 2:1-2, 9b-11