the evangelstorage.cloversites.com/ststephenlutheranchurch/... · 2019-10-01 · the narrative...
TRANSCRIPT
The Evangel St . S tep hen Lut h eran Ch ur c h
Inside this issue:
Finance Matters; Alex
Aivars; Birthdays &
Anniversaries
2
Sunday Adult Class;
Thank You; Faith Book
Group; Helping Women
Period
3
Congregation Finances 4
Memorial Page 5
Daily Lectionary Read-
ings
6
Lay Minister Schedule 7
Potluck with a Pur-
pose
8
Volume , Issue September 2019
From the Pastor...
Justified by grace, we are a
Community of Servants who
follow Jesus’ example by living
lives of service to others.
Dear Members and Friends of St. Stephen Lutheran Church:
I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you,
because of your sharing in the gospel… (Philippians 1:3)
It is hard to believe that I have been here with you at St. Stephen as your stated supply pastor for almost two
years. The time has gone by very quickly. I am very grateful for this time with you. I have enjoyed this con-
gregation and working and serving with you. St. Stephen Lutheran Church is a joyful, generous, and hospitable
church with a strong ministry in this community. It was a joy to meet your new pastor, Alex Aivars, and be
here the Sunday he preached and met the congregation. I believe he will be an excellent pastor here at St.
Stephen.
My last Sunday at St. Stephen will be September 15, and we will have a prayer of Farewell and Godspeed at the
end of the service. My wife Delia will be here with me on September 8 for worship and the potluck luncheon.
Pastor Alex Aivars begins his ministry with you on September 17. Thank you for your support and kindness
this past year, and for your hard work and dedication to the mission and ministry of St. Stephen Lutheran. A
special thanks to the St. Stephen staff, Rebecca Bossenbroek and Renee Dixon. They have been a joy to work
with. May God continue to lead, guide and empower you in your ministry and life together. God’s love and
peace be with you all.
Yours in Christ,
Erick Johnson
Stated Supply Pastor
Greetings St. Stephen!
I am looking forward to beginning my ministry with you all! My first day in the office will be Tuesday, Septem-
ber 17, and my first Sunday with you all will be Sunday, September 22.
“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you
a future with hope.”
~ Jeremiah 29:11
I’m looking forward to seeing the plans God has in store for us as we begin ministry together!
Peace,
Alex
Be a rainbow in someone
else’s cloud.
—Maya Angelou
A Message from Alex Aivars
The Evangel Page 2
3 Naida Schelter
Kali Montgomery
5 Jordan Dixon
7 Jackie Williams-Armstrong
11 Chris Miller
12 Mike Borta
14 Madison Toomey
17 Quentin Carpenter
Elijah Yusten
18 Kevin Butts
19 John Cox
21 Brian Holmes
25 Carlos Vallin
29 Nancy Storm
Northwest Lansing Lutheran Food Bank
Thank you for generously supporting our second offerings in July designated for the Clothe a Child for School. Your gifts in July totaled $409.
Lutheran Disaster Response
During the month of September, our second offerings support Lutheran Disaster Response. Lutheran Disaster Response brings God’s hope, healing
and renewal to people whose lives have been disrupted by disasters in the United States and around the world. When the dust settles and the head-
lines change, we stay to provide ongoing assistance to those in need.
Finance Matters
8 Jack & Nancy Beyerhelm
9 Ryan & Samantha Soulard
19 Kevin & DeAnn Butts
Alex Aivars will be ordained by Bishop Satterlee in a service on Friday, September 6 at 6:00pm
at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kalamazoo, Alex’s home church. You are invited and en-
couraged to attend. Alex’s start date here at St. Stephen is Tuesday, September 17. On Sunday, Sep-
tember 29, 3pm, Pastor Rosanne Anderson, Assistant to the Bishop, will preside over the installa-
tion of Alex here at St. Stephen. We are excited for Alex’s arrival and hope you will join us for his
installation on the 29th.
It's time to sign up for Greater Lansing CROP Hunger Walk which is on Sunday, October 13 at 1pm. The walk is a pleasant 5K through the Colonial
Village Neighborhood but rocking chairs will be set up at Grace United Methodist Church for those who prefer to rock it out! Sign up for St. Stephen’s
team at crophungerwalk.org and start to get pledges online for walking or rocking to combat hunger. Sarah Holland is this year's CROP Walk cap-
tain. Email her at [email protected] or call 517-290-5862 if you have any questions about signing up or getting pledges. There will be
more information coming up on this event as the time draws near. In the meantime, join our team online and get your friends to join too! You don't
have to be a member of St. Stephen to walk on our team!
Greater Lansing CROP Hunger Walk
Page 3 Volume , Issue
The Faith Book Group will be meeting at church on Saturday, September 14 at 1:30pm to make simple bags for Helping Women Period. The bags are
used to hand out sanitary supplies to women in need. All are welcome to join us. Contact Margaret Sheffer
(231-215-8988) with any questions.
Helping Women Period
The Faith Book Group will meet Tuesday, September 24 at 6pm at Paulette Piirainen’s house (1231 N. Hayford, Lansing, 48912) and will begin with a
potluck dinner. We will discuss Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. We welcome new participants! If you have any questions or would like to
join us, please let Paulette (517-256-9740) or Margaret Sheffer (231-215-8988) know.
Faith Book Group
Sunday Adult Class starts up again on September 8
All are invited to come and join us in the church library. We’ll be studying the book Eternity is Now in Session, by John Ortberg. The video/
discussion class will be led by Lynn Kriser and Pastor Erick (and soon by Pastor Alex.) Eternity Is Now in Session: A Radical Rediscovery of What Jesus Really Taught about Salvation, Eternity, and Getting to the Good Place, by John Ortberg.
Most of us think of eternity as something that begins after we die. However, Jesus doesn’t talk about eternity that way. In fact, Jesus defines
“eternal life” only once, with great precision, and in a way that has been largely lost in our day. This book looks at his riveting definition and the
questions that flow from it:
What if we stopped thinking about eternal life as something we can only experience after we die?
What if we stopped thinking of Christians as people who profess beliefs about God and instead focused on becoming disciples who know God?
What if salvation isn’t mostly about getting you into heaven but about getting heaven into you?
It’s time to engage in a radical rediscovery of the Christian concept of salvation.
Sunday Adult Class
Nancy and I would like to express our sincerest gratitude to our St. Stephens family for the many years of heart-
felt love which we have embraced while being privileged to share our musical gifts and ministry with you. Nancy
also felt blessed to work with the children in their Christmas programs as well as in musical selections per-
formed singing or with chimes. We thank you for the wonderful gifts of wind chimes and bell water fountain.
They will be a fond remembrance as we embark on this new chapter of our lives with mixed emotions.
Yours in Christ, Keith and Nancy Storm
Thank You St. Stephen Family!
The Evangel Page 4
Page 5 Volume , Issue
Three of our beautiful, beloved, longtime members went to be
with our Lord in a very short span of time. They leave large
holes in our hearts and our congregation. All three ladies have
heavenly birthdays this month. We continue to support and
pray for their families at this difficult time.
Joyce Rohrer
June Hansen
Linda Stiffler
The Narrative Lectionary readings will also be listed in each Sunday’s announcements, posted on the St. Stephen website (www.StStepheonOnline.org), and found in the online version of The Evangel.
Page 6 Volume , Issue
Sunday, September 1, Luke 14:1, 7-14, Invite the poor to your banquet Monday, September 2, Psalm 119:65-72, God blesses the humble Tuesday, September 3, Titus 1:1-9, Humble and hospitable leaders Wednesday, September 4, Isaiah 57:14-21, God blesses the humble Thursday, September 5, Psalm 1, Delight in the law Friday, September 6, Colossians 4:7-17, A faithful and beloved brother Saturday, September 7, Deuteronomy 29:2-20, A renewed covenant Sunday, September 8, Luke 14:25-33, Give up your possessions Monday, September 9, Psalm 101, Choosing God’s law Tuesday, September 10, 1 Timothy 4:6-16, Being a servant of Christ Wednesday, September 11, Luke 18:18-30, The rich ruler Thursday, September 12, Psalm 51:1-10, Have mercy upon me, O God Friday, September 13, Genesis 7:6-10; 8:1-5, God remembers faithful Noah Saturday, September 14, 2 Peter 2:1-10a, God judges and rescues Sunday, September 15, Luke 15:1-10, Lost sheep and lost coin Monday, September 16, Psalm 73, God is my portion Tuesday, September 17, Jonah 3:1-10, God relents from punishing Nineveh Wednesday, September 18, Job 40:6-14; 42:1-6, Job repents Thursday, September 19, Psalm 113, Our God lifts up the poor Friday, September 20, Romans 8:31-39, It is God who justifies Saturday, September 21, Ezekiel 22:17-31, Israel becomes dross to God Sunday, September 22, Luke 16:1-13, Serving God or wealth Monday, September 23, Psalm 12, Help for the poor Tuesday, September 24, 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, A servant of the gospel Wednesday, September 25, Proverbs 21:10-16, Ears closed to the cry of the poor Thursday, September 26, Psalm 146, Justice to the oppressed Friday, September 27, Proverbs 28:3-10, The rich versus the poor Saturday, September 28, Proverbs 28:11-28, Helpers of the poor lack nothing
NARRATIVE LECTIONARY READINGS for September
LAY MINISTER SCHEDULE FOR SEPTEMBER
Council Meeting
Sunday, September 15
11:30 am
Staff Members
Erick Johnson, Pastor [email protected]
Renee Dixon, Office Manager [email protected]
Rebecca Bossenbroek, Director of Worship [email protected]
Council Members
Jackie Williams-Armstrong, President [email protected]
Margaret Sheffer, Recording Secretary [email protected]
Rebecca Bossenbroek, Treasurer [email protected]
Brian Yusten, Facility Development Team Leader [email protected]
Amber McPherson, Financial Development [email protected]
Gary Hansen, WELCOME Ministry Development [email protected]
Julie Dartt, NOURISH Ministry Development [email protected]
Claudia Cameron, SERVE Ministry Development [email protected]
**Position Open** Leadership Development Team Leader
St. Stephen Lutheran Church 2900 North Waverly Road, Lansing, MI 48906
Phone: 517-321-2244 Fax: 517-321-2632
Email: [email protected] | Website: StStephenOnline.org Worship: Sundays at 10:00 am
Sunday School Class: Sundays at 9:00 am (Sept – May)
Bible Study: Sundays 9:00 -9:50 am
Church Office Hours: Monday – Friday, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
The Evangel Page 7
Sept 1 Sept 8 Sept 15 Sept 22 Sept 29
ALTAR FLOWERS Norma Jenks Robert & Naida Cindy Lewis Cindy Lewis Family of Linda
Schelter Stiffler
ASSISTING MINISTERS Diane Singletary Brian Yusten Paulette Piirainen Margaret Sheffer Sarah Holland
(Paulette Piirainen)
USHERS Robert & Naida
Schelter
ALTAR CARE Char Seifert & Claudia Cameron
(Claudia Cameron )
OFFERING COUNTERS Bob Cameron Angie Bennett Bob Cameron Bob Cameron Jackie Williams-Armstrong
Claudia Cameron Gladys Collison Ruth Gaudard Claudia Cameron Amber Rathbun
Ruth Gaudard Gloria Kandle Ruth Gaudard Erin Wenger
2900 N. Waverly Rd.
Lansing, MI 48906
St . S tep hen Lut her an Chur ch
Phone: 517-321-2244
Fax: 517-321-2632
Email: [email protected]
Website: StStephenOnline.org
OR CURRENT OCCUPANT
Potluck with A Purpose
Join us following worship on September 8 for a potluck hon-oring Pastor Erick for his nearly two years as our pastor. We appreciate all he has done for our congregation. Also plan to
join us on September 15 for a Farewell & Godspeed on his last presiding Sunday.