October 2009

TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH—PITSBURGST. MATTHEW’S LUTHERAN CHURCH—ITHACA

Tlc / smlc News

The annual CROP Walk for Hunger will be held on Sunday afternoon, October 11, beginning at 2 p.m. at the Greenville Park. (Registration begins at 1:30, Shelter #3) Twenty-five percent of all monies raised will be returning to help feed hun-gry people “in our own back yards” here in Darke County.

We are currently recruiting walkers and sponsors. Pam Yeomans at St. Matthew’s will be coordinating our walkers, and sponsor envelopes are available from her now! We are still looking for a coordinator at Trinity.

If you have signed up to have your picture taken for a pictorial directory at St. Matthew’s on October 8, or at Trinity on October 6, please remove your appointment time from your calendar! The directory has been cancelled due to lack of interest!

ATTENTION, TREA$URER$!It is time again when your written reports are needed for the upcoming an-nual congregational meeting. These reports should include figures from Octo-ber 1, 2008, through September 30, 2009. In advance, thanks for your co-

operation and diligence! Please submit your reports to the Parish Office by October 11.

We'd love to know if you are in the hospital, for visits and/or prayers. As a reminder, be-cause of HIPPA laws the pastor and church office will not receive a call from the hospital.Please call the pastor or ask a loved one to call, if you are hospitalized or seriously ill.

Thank You “We, as a family would like to express our sincere thanks to all of you who reached out to help us, your concerns, support, and most of all your prayers.A very sincere and special thanks to Pastor Joene for arriving at the hospital when she knew we really needed her. You are very blessed to have her. You are a very loving congregation. We will always be grateful to all of you.God Bless You!” —Clarence (Jr.) North Family

P A G E 2 T L C / S M L C N E W S

Parish News

BIBLE PRESENTATION – October 11In order to prepare the kids for the bible gifting this year; we have planned a Pizza Party at 6 p.m. on Saturday, October 10 at Trinity. All children receiving a bible, and their parents, are invited. We’ll have an introduction to the bible and do a craft, as well.

At baptism parents and sponsors commit to bring their infant or child to worship and to teach them so that their faith might mature. As, at baptism, the infant or child becomes part of the congregation family, the church also takes on the responsibility to encourage regular worship and to instruct in Christian faith. In response to this commitment, SMLC and TLC will present each 3rd grader with a Holy Bible. The presentation service will be on October 11 during worship.

Parents, sponsors, grandparents: if you have a 3rd grader and would like them to receive a Bible, please notify Pastor Joene or Shannon.

Congregation members: the cost of each Student Bible is $21; please let Shannon know if you would like to make a donation to offset the expenses.

FIRST COMMUNION CLASSES Beginning this fall, all youth in 5th grade are invited to participate in First Commun-ion preparation classes to be held Sunday afternoons at Trinity, beginning October 4, at 4 pm. First Communion is scheduled for Reformation Sunday, October 25. Parents, please let Pastor Joene know if your 5th grader would like to take Holy Communion and you agree that they are ready for instruction. If any questions please call Pastor Joene.

Date Reader10/4 Gary Obringer

10/11 Rob Arling

10/18 Aubree Myers

10/25 Linda Baker

Bread Baker: 10/4 Olis McKibben 10/25 Betty Merzke

Date Reader Acolyte10/4 John Guttadore Lizzie Hart

10/11 Sherry Marten Katie Harman

10/18 Rhonda Kress Lizzie Hart

10/25 Bob Brown Kristine Herr

Greeters: Delbert & Mary Lou Hofacker

Bread Baker: (10/4 & 10/25) Mary Lou Hofacker

Help out the Arcanum Band!!You can help the Arcanum Band with a simple and “free” fundraiser!! If you shop at Sutton’s, all you have to do is save your receipt, and bring it to church!! It’s that easy…..There are collection boxes located on the back table, just drop off your receipt and Sutton’s will donate a portion of the receipt totals to the band.

P A G E 3O C T O B E R 2 0 0 9

Youth News (C.L.A.Y) Upcoming EventsOctober 28 6 pm preparing and serving a community meal at

Emanuel in Phillipsburg

November 7 leaders to hear Rich Melheim at St. Johns, Grove City

November 14 10:30-3 Faith and Fun at St. John’s Vandalia for 4th-6th grade

December 12 3-5 pm Caroling at Brookhaven in Brookville, brief leader meeting afterwards

HELP IS NEEDED to organize the fall LYO fundraiser BBQ dinner and to organize a Wicks Pie sale in November, also a LYO fundraiser. Please see Pastor Joene if you feel called to help our youth in this capacity.

Parish News

Becoming a Transforming ChurchThere was a time, not too long ago for some, that church was the center of the community.

People came to the church for potlucks, for fellowship nights, for dartball. Even if families didn’t be-long, they’d send their kids every summer for VBS, knowing the kids would learn good manners, have fun and maybe learn something about God. Families showed up Sunday mornings week after week, even if sometimes the dad slept thru the sermon.

Those days are long gone and won’t be back, no matter how much we may wish for it. Other things compete for the church as the center of the community; organized sports and seven day a week shopping to name just two. Senior citizens gather at McDonalds for cards , conversation and coffee. Some families are no longer trust the church with just dropping off their kids; some of the ‘lessons’ kids have received at the hands of church leaders and teachers aren’t the ones Jesus had in mind. Life is so busy, many families prefer to sleep in on Sunday, or use the morning to do chores as it is their only free time.

The church is no longer the church of 50 or even 20 years ago and will not be again. However, this is not all bad news- because now the church can focus on being the source for building lives of faith. The church can become a community based on following the teachings of Jesus. The church can become a place that transforms people.

Transforming churches to transform hearts for Christ is not easy. Most change, even for the good, is not welcomed, especially in a world and at a time with so much, maybe too much change. Transforming church to transform hearts is not for the weakhearted, as it is hard work. But, trans-forming church can be rewarding, as people come to a new understanding of being Christian and how to live it out daily.

The synod is offering a process to help congregations become transforming churches. This process requires a commitment of at least 9 months- , up to a year - of a group of 7-8 who will meet regularly, read scripture, pray , listen to God and learn together. I’d like to begin this process in 2010 but realistically can only with one congregation because of the time commitment. There is an intro-ductory meeting November 7th, from 10 to noon in Vandalia. People interested in attending to find out more, please let Pastor Joene know. I am excited to work with those interested in becoming a transforming church.

Check out the “Feed My Sheep” Newsletter posted on smlc-ithaca.com!!

Just go to the Feed My Sheep tab on the home page.

P A G E 4 T L C / S M L C N E W S

In October, the Women of the Church will continue the new 2009-2010 bible study, “To God’s Beloved: Paul’s Letter to the Romans.” October’s theme is “The Obedience of Faith” which is taken from Romans 4:16a.

Trinity’s Women will meet on Wednesday, October 7 at 6:30 p.m. in the basement. Our study leader is Katherine Obringer and hostesses for the evening are Katherine Obringer and Judy Ulrich. We will be conducting our “business” meeting first, and then we will move on to our bible study. We are in need of the following officers for 2010: President, Vice Presi-dent, Secretary, Treasurer, Stewardship, Graceworks, and Sunshine Committee. Please give this your prayerful consideration and contact Rita Erdmann if you are interested.

St. Matthew’s will be going to the Meet Your Neighbor event at GUMC (see below) on October 6, and have a short business meeting afterwards at Earlene’s.

Important dates this month include: 10/11 Crop Walk in Greenville 10/26 Prayer Quilt Meeting at Trinity

At St. Matthew’s, October is the month when we collect donations for Church World Service’s “Tools of Hope & Blankets” appeal. Just $5 will buy a blanket for someone in need of it for shelter, warmth, and a sign that someone cares. These donations may be given to Earlene Morris.

DONATION THANKS!!Thanks to all those who have donated to our Lutheran World Relief Projects this year. Our final totals are: at St. Matthew’s—57 health kits, 417 bars of soap, 100 school kits, 12 quilts at Trinity —82 health kits, 36 bars of soap, 62 school kits, 2 quilts That’s a total of—139 health kits, 453 bars of soap, 162 school kits and 14 quilts.The service of blessing for all the Lutheran World Relief projects will be held on Sunday, Oct 5th during the church service. These LWR items will be delivered for transport during the week of Oct 5th by Paul and Rita Erdmann.

MEET YOUR NEIGHBORThe Gordon United Methodist Women have invited us to their annual “Meet Your Neighbor” night on October 6, at 6 p.m. The speaker will be Carol Baird, originally from the New Madison area…..now, a world wide traveler and author.

A lite supper will be served. Please RSVP to Peggy at 884-7470 by October 2.

P A G E 5O C T O B E R 2 0 0 9

At St. Matthew’s DECEMBER GREETERS

NEEDEDWe are in need of

a December greeter at St. Matthew’s.

The “job” includes passing out bulletins prior to church each

Sunday that month, and sending bulletins out to our

shut-ins. Please contact Shannon,

if you are interested.

At Trinity

SUNDAY SCHOOL CORNERIn October, for grades K-6, we will be continuing our study of the 10 Commandments. There will be NO Sunday School on October 4 for this grade level! Our lesson on 10/11 will be about God giving Moses the 10 Commandments, and on 10/18, we will learn about the 1st Commandment. October 25 will be a craft day.

Grades 7-12 are invited to study with Pete Herr. Through Faith Lens, they will have a chance to talk about the issues in their lives and in the world today and how the Sunday texts intersect and can help guide in those issues.

All adults are invited to stay upstairs and join in the Augsburg adult quarterly bible study with Anita Schneider and Jane Brown as teachers.

VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDEDto serve on our Nomination Committee. This committee meets once per year in October to call members and gather names for our ballot of council seats for the annual meeting in No-vember. Please contact Earlene Morris at 884-5962 or Shannon at 884-7006 if you are in-terested in serving the church in this capacity.

ELW HYMNAL DEDICATIONSDedication envelopes are still available if you would like to dedicate a new ELW hymnal in memory or honor of a loved one. Envelopes are located behind the communion cards in the pews. Each hymnal dedication is $20. Just place your payment inside the envelope, fill out the front and place it in the offering.

BUILDING FUND

The congregation has voted to install new cables in the elevator which is state mandated.The cost for this update is approximately $2,200. The roof is also going to be replaced, and that project will probably be started by the time this newsletter reaches you. The new roof will cost $42,000+. At present, we have approximately $42,780 in the building fund treas-ury which is not enough to cover both projects. Please consider giving a few extra dollars to the building fund so that we can take care of both of these matters and have a few extra dollars left in our account. We have done an exceptional job the last few months with our giving to the building fund and just need a few more dollars. If you have any questions about the projects, please contact one of our trustees, Gerry Merzke, Gary Obringer or Terry Warner, or our president, Lee Stanley. If you have any questions concerning our funds, please contact the treasurer, Linda Baker. Thanks for your support.

P A G E 6 T L C / S M L C N E W S

A few weeks ago I began a sermon talking about the Facebook option of posting your religion and how for some people that is a real chal-lenge. Some of us have had a challenging and checkered history of various denominations, in and out of being an active church member, and are even in disagreement with some church doctrine, so a simple one or two word answer just wouldn’t do. I asked the congregation “What would you post and why?”

Some of us are Lutheran (ELCA) more by accident of family than any-thing else. We worship where our parents and our grandparents wor-shipped. In this day and age of individualism and lack of loyalty to

denominations, staying in the church of our family is increasingly rare. Some of us are Lutheran by compromise; we were raised in another Christian denomination but after marriage or another event looked for a different church home. Why are you Lutheran? What is it about the expression of Christian faith through a Lu-theran lens that continues to claim you, year after year? This month, as I teach Holy Communion classes to youth preparing for First Communion and as we celebrate Refor-mation Sunday on October 25th, I will also be encouraging the congregations to re-claim our Lutheranism by preaching a three week series on the Lutheran Faith.

Though we may consider German stubbornness or a love of coffee and carry-ins as particularly Lutheran, the sermon series will look at other important aspects. Three principles that the Lutheran church has held onto for centuries are: We are saved by the grace of God alone -- not by anything we do; Our salvation is through faith alone -- we only need to trust God made known in Christ who promises us forgiveness, life and salvation; andThe Bible is the norm for faith and life -- the true standard by which teachings and doctrines are to be judged.

Plan on worshipping at St. Matthews or Trinity in October and reclaim your Luther-anism!

Also, on October 18th, we will also be celebrating Bread for the World Sunday. For 35 years Bread for the World has been working to end hunger and poverty in God’s world, through advocacy – a collective Christian voice urging our nation’s decision makers to take action. The ELCA brand “God’s work. Our hands” means more than charity. While it is very important to help others by giving our time, talents and material goods, we are also called by God to speak out on behalf of justice, for those who have no voice.

Peace,

Pastor Joene

From the Pastor

P A G E 7O C T O B E R 2 0 0 9

October Birthdays and Anniversaries

Acknowledging that this list is certainly incomplete, please remember to pray for all people according to their needs, commending all for whom we pray into the hands of our gracious Lord and trusting in His mercy.

Prayers for the families of:

Terry PriceGlen Showalter

Ralph BurkholderMartha Shell

Kenneth GarberRichard HowellAileen SebringLowell Brehm

TCRoxanne ReedDennis MartinRussell Fox

Michael EmrickPaul CampbellWarren Wert

Joyce GilmoreKatherine Obringer

Eric WarnerCaroline Rismiller

Patty StumpKaren Reser

Richard HowellElizabeth Erdmann

Nevin RhoadesNancy Chambers

Mary Lou HofackerLindsey RickerAubree MyersLinda SanderPhyllis Patrick

Barb & Marvin ByersChuck Weidner

Please remember in your thoughts and prayers those who’s needs we were made aware of last month:

Tom JacksonBelinda WatkinsBecky Watkins

Mike RingoDoris Allen

Moms whose children are moving awayRachel Stephens

Brenda (Hofacker) Little Vicki Winters

Connie WatsonRon FasickJim Annon

Betty SuttonAlice Stutz

Denny MartinElaine Minutolo

AnneJill McKinneyShirley CollinsJody Hesler

Tom AdolyetteDuane SeaseDiane Saltz

Ryan McKennaCarolyn Woodrum

Clarance HokeEverett HartDave KraussMary BiggsJustin HallTed Bruner

Virginia PhillipsMindy Brandon

Brenda VanattaGabby Griffith

Rachel Castello Dunn /unborn baby Carolyn Kinninger

Prayers of Thanksgiving for:Samuel Thomas Adkins

Devon EleyAilene DeLandPhil Eberwein

LeviLucie Hurst

Pam YeomansSuzanne Metzger

Katie (Glover) CottrellShawn

Jody Stockton BurnsNicki Best

1— Deborah Thompson Morgan McKinney Darryl & Sanny Schneider Gene & Sandy Thompson2— Connor Jasinski Miranda Harleman3 — Becky Warner Jasmyn Edmonson4 — Annette North Claudette Diceanu5 — Earlene Morris Ron Small6 — Shayla Stephan7 — Karen Hoblit Sheila Campbell8 — Steve & Beth Simons9 — Mary Flint10— Holly Cotner Kate Schneider Mary Lamb Tori Wright11 — Autumn Myers12 — Parker Hesler Ron Fasick Sarah Erdmann

13 — Sharon Grice Larry & Susan Harter14 — Matt Lammi16 — Jennifer Spalding17 — Mike & Amanda Morris 18 — Jason Clauss Paul & Rita Erdmann19 — Richard Bartocci Brenda Canan Dick & Linda Kinninger20 — Julia McCullough Shannon McCullough Leon Fisher Melissa Sagan Randy Brown Joe & Alisa Bevins Kent & Sherri Shelley21 — Bill Clauss Dick Kinninger Ralph Stutz22 — Christopher Chapman Bill & Betsy ClaussJack & Pat Rademachir

23 — Beau Nickol Keith & Jill Witters24 — Edy Morris Hilbert Piel Tom Tauscher25 — Jalynn Derksen Gary & Katherine Obringer26 — Jared Edmonson Katherine Obringer David & Christine Brumbaugh John & Kim Guttadore Kevin & Vicki Ressler27 — Allison Warner Jane Brown Mallory Long28 — Alexis Merzke Dylan Sagan29 — Kenny & Connie Adams Jack & Cheryl ( Piel) Kuhn30 — David Stephan Glenda Dawson31 — Rose Lucas

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October 2009Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3

4

Holy Communion4 pm— 1st Communion Class at TR

5

7:30—SM Council

611:30—1 Pastor at Periscope

8 pm—TR Council

76:30 p.m.—TR WELCA7 p.m.—Confirmation at TR

8 9 106 pm—Bible Gifting Pizza Party at TR

11Bible Gifting during worshipCrop Walk/Greenville1:30 Register / 2 -?? Walk4 pm - 1st Communion Class at TR

12 1311:30—1 Pastor at Periscope

6 pm—Dayton Confer-ence Meeting / Dayton

147 p.m.—Confirmation at TR

15 16 17

18Bread for the World Sunday

4 pm - 1st Communion Class at TR

19 209-1—Trinity hosts Still water ClusterNovember Newsletter entries due

21

7 p.m.—Confirmation at TR

22 23 24

25

Reformation & 1st Communion Sunday

26

7 pm—Prayer Quilt meeting at TR

279:30 am—News- letter Assembly

11:30—1 Pastor at Periscope

286 pm—Confirmation/CLAY serve meal at Emmanuel, Ph-burg

29 30 31

Pastor in Mexico—World Hunger Gathering

P A G E 9O C T O B E R 2 0 0 9

The Eleventh Biennial Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) was held Aug. 17-23, 2009, at the Minneapolis Convention Center. About 2,300 people participated, including 1,045 voting members. The theme was “God's work. Our hands."

Full Communion with the United Methodist Church AdoptedBy a vote of 958-51, the assembly adopted a full communion agreement with the United Methodist Church (UMC). This is the ELCA’s sixth full-communion relationship and the first for the UMC. The assembly also established a joint commission to oversee the relationship by a vote of 922-15. In 2008 the UMC General Conference adopted the same proposal. Full communion means that the two churches identify in one another a common Christian faith; agree to mutual recognition of Baptism and the sharing of Holy Communion; worship together and recognize each other's ordained ministers for service in either church; express a common commitment to evangelism, witness and service; en-gage in common decision-making on critical matters; and agree to a mutual lifting of criticisms that may exist between the churches.

Carlos Peña Re-elected Vice PresidentVice President Carlos Peña of Galveston, Texas, was elected on the fourth ballot to a second six-year term as vice president with 580 votes, 60.8 percent of the votes cast. Peña was elected over Ryan M. Schwarz, McLean, Va., who received 264 votes, and Norma J. Hirsch, Des Moines, Iowa, who received 110 votes. There were 97 nominees on the first ballot.

HIV and AIDS Funding Proposal AdoptedThe assembly voted 884-41 to approve a proposal to raise $10 million over three years to support this church's HIV and AIDS strategy. A $1 million goal encouraged by the 2007 Churchwide Assembly will be included in the $10 million. The ELCA Church Council approved the strategy in March.

Development of Lutheran Malaria Initiative ApprovedBy a vote of 989-11, the assembly approved continued development of an initiative to fight malaria, particularly in Africa. The Lutheran Malaria Initiative (LMI) is a shared effort with Lutheran World Re-lief (LWR), The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) and the United Nations Foundation. The as-sembly authorized continued receipt of gifts designated for the LMI, and asked that a report and rec-ommendations for a possible churchwide LMI campaign be brought to the 2011 assembly.

Social Statement, "Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust," AdoptedThe assembly adopted by a vote of 676-338 -- precisely two-thirds of those voting -- “Human Sexual-ity: Gift and Trust,” the ELCA’s 10th social statement, with editorial amendments. It also adopted 15 implementing resolutions by a vote of 695-285. The social statement is a theological and teaching document that builds on the key Lutheran principles of justification by grace and Christian freedom to serve the neighbor. It emphasizes that central to our vocation, in relation to human sexuality, is the building and protection of trust in relationships. It therefore affirms that we are called to be trustwor-thy in our human sexuality and to build social institutions and practices in which trust and trustworthy relationships can thrive. The social statement addresses, among other topics, marriage, same-gender relationships, families, protecting children, friendships, commitment, social responsibility and moral discernment. Regarding same-gender committed relationships, the social statement recognizes that members of this church are not in agreement and identifies the different perspectives that are pre-sent among us.

were referred to the Church Council or churchwide units for response.

A Brief Summary of Actions • Eleventh Churchwide Assembly • Aug. 17-23, 2009 • Minneapolis, Minn.

P A G E 1 0 T L C / S M L C N E W S

Ministry Policies Resolutions AdoptedVoting members adopted resolutions proposed by the Church Council based on those contained in a “Report and Recommendation on Ministry Policies.” The assembly determined on August 17 that ma-jority votes were required on each resolution for adoption. The actions direct that changes be made to churchwide policy documents to make it possible for people in publicly accountable, lifelong, monoga-mous, same-gender relationships to serve as rostered leaders in the ELCA. The assembly adopted the resolutions in the following order:

Resolution 3: Adopted by a vote of 771-230 as amended: “Resolved, that in the implementation of any resolutions on ministry policies, the ELCA commit itself to bear one another's burdens, love the neighbor, and respect the bound consciences of all."

Resolution 1: Adopted by a vote of 619-402: “Resolved, that the ELCA commit itself to finding ways to allow congregations that choose to do so to recognize, support and hold publicly accountable life-long, monogamous, same-gender relationships.”

Resolution 2: Adopted by a vote of 559-451: “Resolved, that the ELCA commit itself to finding a way for people in such publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships to serve as rostered leaders of this church.”

Resolution 4: Adopted by a vote of 667-307 as amended: This resolution called upon members to re-spect the bound consciences of those with whom they disagree; declared the intent to allow structured flexibility in decision-making about candidacy and the call process; eliminated the prohibition of ros-tered service by members in publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous same-gender relationships; recognized and committed to respect the conviction of members who believe that the ELCA should not call or roster people in committed same-gender relationships; called for development of accountability guidelines; directed that appropriate amendments to ministry policy documents be drafted and ap-proved by the Church Council; and urged that this church continue to trust congregations, bishops, synods and others responsible for determining who should be called into public ministry.

More information about the social statement and the ministry policies resolutions is at http://www.elca.org/faithfuljourney/faq on the Web.

Budget Proposals for 2010, 2011 AdoptedBy a vote of 863-71 voting members adopted churchwide budget proposals for 2010 and 2011. For 2010, voting members approved a current fund income proposal of $76.69 million for the churchwide organization and an ELCA World Hunger Appeal income proposal of $18.7 million. For 2011, they ap-proved a current income proposal of $76.78 million and a World Hunger income goal of $19 million.

Social Statement on Justice for Women to be DevelopedBy a vote of 754-176 the assembly approved development of a social statement on the topic, to be considered by the 2015 Churchwide Assembly.

Assembly Adopts Memorials + Immigration: Adopted 873-82. The assembly called for comprehensive reform of U.S. immigration policies and processes, called for suspension of immigration raids until reform is enacted, and asked for a message on immigration this year.

A Brief Summary of Actions • Eleventh Churchwide Assembly • Aug. 17-23, 2009 • Minneapolis, Minn.

P A G E 1 1O C T O B E R 2 0 0 9

+ Lutheran Disaster Response: Adopted 929-20. The assembly acknowledged this collaborative ministry of the ELCA and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and acknowledged that a strategic planning process for LDR is underway. It encouraged the ELCA “to continue to deepen and develop its process for working together with churchwide units, synods and social ministry organizations in times of specific disasters.” The assembly asked for a progress report to be presented to the Church Coun-cil in 2010, and amended the proposal to recommend creation of a permanent LDR advisory commit-tee.

+ Israel/Palestine: Adopted 690-125. Voting members resolved to advocate on behalf of a peace-ful resolution of the conflict between Israel and Palestine. They called the ELCA to lift up the voices within both communities, especially those who are victims of violence. The resolution also calls for care for the people of Gaza, and support for U.S. financial assistance that funds “peace and coopera-tion for all parties to the conflict.” An amendment to the memorial called for the ELCA to “evaluate and refine its peace-making efforts to demonstrate as fully as possible the balanced care for all par-ties” expressed in the "Churchwide Strategy for Engagement in Israel and Palestine."

+ Worship, liturgical materials in Braille: Adopted 926-10. This memorial called for affirmed and celebrated materials being provided to people with impaired vision, acknowledged funding challenges and limits for this work, and asked for a report to the Church Council in 2010.

+ Project Connect: Adopted 919-19. The memorial recognized "the immense contribution of com-munities of color within and beyond this church," encouraged those involved with Project Connect to share learnings with the wider church, renewed the ELCA's commitment to confront racism, and en-couraged review of factors that inhibit people of color from "the fullness of leadership in this church."

+ Human disability message: Adopted 785-88. The assembly declined to authorize development of a social statement on human disability, but requested that the Church in Society program unit in-stead consider development of a message on human disability.

In addition, the assembly en bloc referred other memorials to the Church Council or churchwide units for response.

Assembly Adopts, Refers Resolutions+ Health care reform: Adopted 799-126. The resolution provides that “each person should have ready access to basic health care services that include preventive, acute and chronic physical and mental health care at an affordable cost." The assembly requested that the urgency and sense of the resolution be communicated to Congress and the White House.

+ Batak Special Interest Conference: Adopted 845-15. The action strikes from the ELCA's bylaws reference to the "Batak Special Interest Conference of North America," a move supported by Batak members of the Indonesian ministries of the ELCA.

+ Thanks: The assembly also adopted resolutions expressing appreciation ELCA churchwide leaders and staff, plus local hosts and the people of the Twin Cities. Other resolutions regarding mission funding, wills and living trusts, and a study on "bound conscience"

A Brief Summary of Actions • Eleventh Churchwide Assembly • Aug. 17-23, 2009 • Minneapolis, Minn.

Church Office:7820 State Route 722Arcanum, OH 45304Office Phone/Fax: 937-884-7006E-mail: skmccullough@earthlink.net

We’re on the web!!

www.smlc-ithaca.com

Pastor Joene HerrPhone: 937-564-5802

E-mail: joeneherr@yahoo.com

W h e e l c h a i r a c c e s s i b l e + E l e v a t o r o n p r e m i s e s + H o l y C o m m u n i o n c e l e b r a t e d - 1 s t S u n d a y o f e v e r y m o n t h - m a j o r c h u r c h f e s t i v a l s

Weekly Worship 9 a .m.—St . Mat thew’s

10:30 a .m.—Tr in i ty

Sunday School9:15 a .m.—Tr in i ty

10:30 a .m.—St . Mat thew’s

St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church – Ithaca Trinity Lutheran Church – Pitsburg 7820 State Route 722 Arcanum, Ohio 45304

Nonprofit OrganizationU.S. POSTAGE

P A I DArcanum, Ohio

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Address Correction Requested

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