I N S I D E

T H I S I S S U E :

Pastor Jane 2-3

Injustice Discussion 4

Embracing Diversity 5

Outreach 6

Summer Recipe 6

Council’s Corner 7

July 2020 Issue 6

Faith Lutheran Church

Faith News Mission

Statement

Called by the grace of

Jesus Christ through

baptism and

empowered by the

Holy Spirit, we the

family

of Faith Evangelical

Lutheran Church

share together a

commitment to

nurture personal

growth and to spread

God’s message

through

worship & witness,

service, study

and stewardship,

fellowship and fun.

WORSHIP SCHEDULE Sundays 10:00am on Zoom

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81174510305?pwd=N3kxRFZHaS8wYTR6b0RtYUc3M09EQT09

Summer Gathering in the Park

You are invited…

to join other folks from Faith, to an informal get-together

on Wednesday evening, July 22nd

from 6:30-7:30 pm

to just hang out in our park and

re-connect with one another.

Bring your lawn chair.

Bring a snack and/or beverage, if you wish.

No food or beverages will be provided or shared.

We will be sure to physically distance ourselves.

For everyone's health and safety,

wear a face covering.

Be creative!

There will be a prize for the coolest face mask!

Hope to see you!

Page 2

There is a lot of anger going around these days...

Anger that protestors, demonstrators and looters are tearing cities a part.

Anger at the police and other leaders who try to stop the movement for justice.

Anger at police brutality and the murder of black and brown bodies at the hands of police.

Anger at those who are angry with the police. Anger that statuary of racist historical figures are being

deemed offensive and removed. Anger that it took this long to remove the idols of white-

washed history. Anger at "Black" Lives Matter. Anger at "All" Lives Matter. Anger that face masks are now required to be worn while inside public spaces,

infringing people's right to not wear one. Anger that it has taken this long to make face-mask wearing mandatory in order

to slow down the spread of COVID-19, and that non-face mask-wearers are putting others at risk.

Anger that U.S leadership did not act soon enough to prevent the pandemic. Anger that businesses and churches were shut down, decimating our economy. Anger that businesses and churches re-opened too soon, putting people in dan-

ger and quickening the spread of the virus.

I could literally fill pages with all the things we are angry about these days.

When it comes to being angry, I think there is one main difference between anger that pleases God and anger that does not.

Is your anger ultimately about building others up or tearing them down?

We often ignore the fact that on multiple occasions Jesus got really angry too. Like flipping-over-tables-and-driving-out animals-with-a-whip, angry! The scene of Jesus cleansing the temple (John 2:13-16, Mark 11:15-19) is the usual go-to example. But there are others.

Like the time in Mark 3:1-6 when Jesus wants to heal a man with a hand deformity. A deformity that probably kept this guy from holding down a steady job since most jobs involved farming fields and/or some other kind of manual labor. This was a big deal.

Crowds are watching Jesus to see if he will heal this man on the Sabbath, a major “no-no.” “And Jesus said to them, ‘Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?’ But they were silent. And Jesus looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart” (v. 4-5).

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After Jesus heals the man, the Pharisees “went out and immediately held coun-sel…how to destroy Jesus” (Mark 3:6). Jesus on the other hand, went out and did what? He used his anger to propel him, like holy energy, as he built up the kingdom of God where all could be embraced as beloved children of God.

Whenever the Bible talks about God’s anger, which it does often, it speaks about God's passion to set things right. That’s what the Bible means by “justice.”

I hear from so many people right now that they feel angry. It's okay to be angry. But how can we be angry---in a Christ-like way? Two suggestions.

First, begin by taking your anger to God in prayer. Jesus spent long hours in prayer (Luke 6:12). Go to God with your cares, your concerns, and your anger. Talk with God about it honestly and openly and invite the Holy Spirit to give you a heart to know that God is God, and we are not. (Jer. 24:7).

Second, open your bible and let what you find there guide your response to your anger. Is your rage about how you are being inconvenienced or having to live in a rapidly changing world that is not to your liking? Is your outrage helping and supporting people and building others up? “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression... (Isaiah 1:17). “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8).

Third, do something good. When Jesus got angry, he looked for ways to do good--and did them. He healed. He listened. He forgave. He taught about justice for the oppressed. He helped people understand. In other words, Jesus used anger as positive fuel. St. Paul writes in Galatians 6:9 “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

These practices have helped me. I hope they help you too. No matter what, you stand today in the grace of Christ. And I hope that you will let his love guide you through these difficult days.

May the peace of God which surpasses all understanding be with you all, ~Pastor Jane

Page 4

You are Invited to Watch the Film,

Just Mercy (in your home)

and then join Pastor Jane and friends from Faith in conversation via Zoom about your reactions to this powerful movie on

Wednesday, July 29th from 6:30 -7:30 pm.

Just Mercy, a 2019 film about civil rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson, is available to stream the movie on multiple platforms, including YouTube, Google Play and Amazon. You may find it for free or for a small fee. Warner Bros. announced the free rental amid widespread protests sparked by a Minneapolis police officer’s killing of 46-year-old George Floyd. "Our film Just Mercy, based on the life work of civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson, is one resource we can humbly offer to those who are interested in learning more about the systemic racism that plagues our society. … To actively be part of the change our country is so desperately seeking, we encourage you to learn more about our past and the countless injustices that have led us to where we are today.”

Based on Stevenson’s book of the same name, the movie tells the story of one of Stevenson’s (Michael B. Jordan) first cases as a young lawyer. In 1989, he traveled to Monroeville, Alabama, in hopes of overturning the wrongful conviction of Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx), an innocent black man who spent six years on death row for the murder of an 18-year-old white woman. An almost entirely white jury convicted McMillian on the basis of flimsy evidence raised by a white sheriff and district attorney.

Please watch this film in your home, at a time that is convenient for you, and then bring your reactions, questions, thoughts to the conversation on July 29th. As a na-tion, and as a church, we must begin by learning.

Pastor Jane Baker is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Just Mercy , Film Discussion

Time: Jul 29, 2020 06:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81594495451?pwd=UFE3YnBhb3Baam1nWWhkMmpMT29lUT09

Page 5

Page 6

~Embracing Diversity ~

Dear Members of Faith, June, 2020 Several weeks ago, the Embracing Diversity team presented you with a statement that was developed to be the message of welcome to all people in our community. Thank you to all who participated in the feedback. The statement read as follows:

We are a church that shares a living, daring confidence in God's grace. Liberated by our faith, we embrace everyone as a whole person,

with questions, doubts, complexities and all. We are moved by God's grace to welcome all who have ever felt marginalized, no matter your gender identity,

sexual orientation, age, race, ethnicity, marital status, or faith background. We welcome you as we worship, learn, and share Christ's love together.

71 ballots were returned and 66 people endorsed these words for our Welcome Statement with an unqualified “YES.”

A couple of questions were asked including “Why is it so long?” and “Do we have to list what we mean by all?” As part of the Reconciling in Christ process, the Embracing Diversity team attended workshops and carefully considered materials made available through the experiences of churches which have completed the process in the past. Calling out who we mean by “ALL” is part of the acknowledgement of groups of people who have often been marginalized and not welcomed by the church. Our statement is actually quite short compared to most we read and it is our intent to also develop a shorter statement to be used in appropriate locations.

If you have questions or concerns about Faith Lutheran becoming a Reconciling in Christ Congregation, you are invited to bring them to an Open Forum discussion on this topic via Zoom on Thursday, July 9th from 6:30--7:30 pm. Members of the Embracing Diversity Team will be available for conversation. If you need help to connect on Zoom, please call the Church office at (541) 672-2231. Watch your email for Zoom link.

The Embracing Diversity Team has recommended to the Church Council to hold a congregational meeting to become a Reconciling in Christ Congregation. The Council has authorized a mail-in ballot vote due to the pandemic circumstances. Ballots will be mailed out to voting members of Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church on July 6th. Online voting will also be available. Ballots must be returned by July 20th.

Please consider that being a Reconciling in Christ church does not end with this vote. As current events suggest, we have much to learn to deeply understand and daily walk the life of being a truly inclusive and welcoming congregation to all of God’s people.

Watch your mail (after July 6, 2020) for your ballot to vote. We look forward to your prompt response.

In Christ's love,

The Embracing Diversity Team: Debby Russell & Paula Fetzer, Chairpersons. Gwen Soderberg Chase, Jane Hill, Walt Combs, Ed Cole, Charles Lee, Carol Quiring, Rebecca Allen, Barry Baker, Pastor Jane Baker

Breakfast Pizza

Prep Time: 20 mins Servings: 8 servings Cook Time: 10 mins Calories: 301 kcal Total Time: 30 mins

This Breakfast Pizza is easy to make with red, white and blue berries, a creamy topping on a delicious gluten free crust.

Ingredients 2 cups old fashioned oats , (use coconut flakes for low

carb / keto / paleo) 3/4 cup oat flour , (use almond flour for low carb / keto /

paleo) 3 Tablespoons coconut oil , room temperature (melted

butter can be substituted if desired) 1/2 - 2/3 cup honey , depending on how sweet you prefer

(use low carb sweetener such as Lakanto monk fruit syrup or liquid sweetener of your choice for low carb / keto)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon salt Yogurt Filling: 1 - 1-1/3 cups thick plain Greek OR Skyr yogurt , (use dairy

free such as Kite Hill or whipped coconut cream for low carb / keto / paleo)

1-2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey , (use low carb sweetener such as Lakanto monk fruit syrup or liquid sweetener of your choice for low carb / keto)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Fruit Topping (sweeter ripe fruit works best): 6 blackberries 1/3 cup raspberries 3/4 cup sliced strawberries 1/2 cup blueberries

Instructions Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 10-inch cake pan with baking spray or line with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, combine oats, oat flour, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt together. Add the honey and coconut oil and mix until dough is combined and sticks together. Use your hands or a fork as needed. Spread the mixture into prepared pan and press down firmly with a spatula or the bottom of a glass cup. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely (place in the refrigerator or freezer to cool faster).

Page 6

Helping Hands (a Faith Outreach group) is offering help with utility bills for anyone who is

having difficulty paying their utility bills due to COVID-19. If you know someone who needs

help please contact Tracy Parker at 541-671-8488.

Page 7

The council focused primarily on considering our parish's plans to hold some activities in light of the current pandemic. The council was unanimous in deciding that meeting for corporate worship in the sanctuary would not be happening soon. The current worship services provided via zoom on Sunday mornings will continue at least through July. The Council approved the mail-in ballot voting for becoming a Reconciling In Christ Congregation, as we strive to make known that all are welcome at Faith Lutheran. Also discussed was the vandalism that occurred recently on our church campus. The installation of cameras around the campus will be investigated as to effectiveness and affordability. The current utility usage at the church is also going to be investigated as the electric bill seems high for a church which is pretty much closed. The council discussed the feasibility of a possible outside gathering this summer for those interested in fellowship following social distancing and other guidelines to protect those who would like to participate. Participants will bring their own seating and beverages and mainly give people a chance to connect in person. The Outreach Committee reported that they are planning God’s Work, Our Hands’ Sunday in September which would have opportunities for people to participate in safe projects. The Outreach Committee, through Helping Hands, is partnering with the Fish Pantry to help with paying utility bills for people directly affected by COVID-19. ~Walt Combs

Income Expense Income Vs.

Expenses

$114,419.99

$ 88,563.84

$ 25,856.15

FELC Income Vs. Expenses Year-to-Date through May 2020

Year-End

Totals

2018 2019 2020

Households 897 1002 360

Persons 3285 3471 1049

The FISH of Roseburg

May 2020

Office Info:

The church office is currently closed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic.

Barb Gingras & Pastor Jane Baker are each working

from their respective homes.

Messages can be left on the church phone and they

will receive it.

WE’RE ON THE WEB:

WWW.FAITHROSEBURG.ORG

Faith Lutheran Evangelical Church

820 W. Kenwood (97471)

PO Box 2349 (97470)

Roseburg, OR

Phone: 541-672-2231

Email: barbgingras@faithroseburg.org

Return Service Requested

Page 8

July

2020

Ministerial Staff

The Rev. Jane Baker, Pastor revjanebaker@faithroseburg.org

Ed Cole, Council President lecole2@att.net

Barb Gingras, Adm. Assistant & Newsletter Editor barbgingras@faithroseburg.org

Kirstin Wright, Assistant Treasurer kidzkirs@outlook.com

Musicians

Diane Hoffine, Pianist

Gwen Soderberg-Chase, Pianist

Rey Wanamaker, Pianist

Crossroads Contemporary Music Group

Crossroads Director—Rebecca Allen

CHURCH COUNCIL Members

Ed Cole, President 541-391-4256

lecole2@att.net Wendy Jessen, Vice-President

541-673-8250 nwjessen@msn.com

Paula Fetzer, Secretary 509-207-0607

paulafetzer@yahoo.com Debby Russell, Treasurer

541-580-5753 whatever97471@gmail.com

Walt Combs 559-553-5586

walter.combs@rocketmail.com Jane Hill

541-672-5037 juanitascoffee@gmail.com

Mark Parker 541-375-0020

markparker101@gmail.com Beth Quiring 541-391-4495

e.hooser@juno.com