September/October 2017 Newsletter

In the name of Jesus!  Amen.

Dear Family of God at Grace,

As we begin the month of October, I had intentions on writing about the 500th anniversary of the Reformation and then Irma, Maria, and a lunatic in Las Vegas all happened.  We certainly continue to live in a sin-filled and dying world!  None of it makes good sense.  Hurricanes that take one home and leave another.  A crazed gunman who has no thought for life shoots into a crowd indiscriminately killing with seemingly no motive other than just being evil!  It makes no sense because we live in a sin-filled and dying world where what should not happen happens and where what should happen doesn't.  Dear friends, I wish it all made sense!  I wish sin didn't happen!  I wish everything was right in this world, but it is not.

Let me say upfront, none of this is punishment from God!  If any of this is punishment from God then the cross means nothing.  If God is punishing the world for sins then why did Jesus die for the sins of the whole world?  (1 John 2:2).  Now sins committed do have a punishment waiting for those who do not know Jesus as Savior but it is not in this life (Matthew 10:28; 25:45-46).  So, punishment in this life does not come from God because Jesus has taken our punishment in this life and by God's grace through faith in the life to come for those who believe.

 So, what purpose is this seeming random suffering that we go through?  Well, God can and does use suffering for our good and for His glory.  Suffering brings us closer to God and to each other as sisters and brothers in Christ or at least it should.  When we face suffering and hardship we are driven to God as we carry our cross and follow Jesus.  Our suffering gives a small glimpse of what our Lord went through on our behalf.  Our suffering unites us to and with Jesus.  Suffering is certainly not a sacrament but it does work to bind us to Christ and reminds us

of what He did for us on the cross! 

Dear friends, we fared well through Irma.  Some tiles missing from the roof that will be replaced as soon as we can get tiles - 3 or 4 weeks. 3 broken windows in the fellowship hall that have already been replaced.  Water in the fellowship hall that Dwayne Zeedyk, our custodian, cleaned up as soon as we got power, he also fixed the fence around the playground!  Trees down around the property have been all cut and cleared to the road.  Chris Leibfried, our properties manager has done a wonderful job! 

I have spoken with most of you and the ones that I have not spoken with I have heard through the vine about damage or lack of damage at your home.  You are in my prayers always!  If there is anything you need, let me know and we will do what we can to help.

We received a few trailers full of supplies that were distributed all in one day!  We are still helping unload trailers at the Pelican from time to time and any collections we receive we are doing our best to get help to where it is needed most, Immokalee, Everglade City and Lely. Thank you to all who donated, served, and prayed for all of us!  God bless you!

This is October and it is the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.  There will be things happening this month.  We have the Octoberfest which will be on Sunday the 15th at 4PM.  Bring a covered dish and enjoy some food and fellowship.  Brats and beer will be provided!  On Sunday, the 29th at Hope Lutheran in Bonita at 3 PM we will be having a Reformation Hymn Sing and food following.  There will be special choirs.  This will be a great way to celebrate and remember the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.  Also during the month of October, we will be using Luther's setting for worship.  This setting is filled with beautiful Luther hymns. 

God bless you!

Pastor Lingsch 

                  

UPCOMING

EVENTSOctoberfestSunday, October 15th4:00 pm Parsonage Lawn

Endowment Applications DueMonday, October 23rdTurn in to Church Office

Trunk or Treat and Pot LuckFriday, October 27th6:00 pm Church parking lot and Fellowship Hall

500th Reformation Anniversary Hymn FestivalSunday, October 29th3:00 pm  Hope Lutheran, Bonita

WOG Fall Lunch/MeetingTuesday, November 7th

WOG Thanksgiving Bake SaleSunday, November 19th

WEEKLY EVENTS

Women's Bible StudyThursday's 10:00 am - 11:00 amFellowship Hall Handbell ChoirThursday's at 6:00 pm

Wednesday Afternoon/EveningPrograms 3:45 pm Cherubs Choir4:00 pm Kids Club4:15 pm Choristers5:15 pm Dinner6:00 pm Confirmation Class6:30 pm Evening Worship7:00 pm Grace Chorale

500th Anniversary of the ReformationHYMN FESTIVAL

Celebrating the hymns of Martin LutherSunday, October 29, 3:00p.m. at Hope in Bonita Springs

Featuring:  Grace Chorale, High School Youth Vocal Ensemble, Choristers, Brass, The Genesis Ensemble,  and choirs from churches in our local Naples/Ft. Myers Circuit. 

All around the country, Lutherans are gathering to celebrate the 500th Anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation.  There have been or will be Hymn Festivals at all the Concordia Universities.  The Michigan District of the LCMS is having a hymn festival at an arena that sits 4000!  Every ticket has been spoken for!  In New York City Lutherans will be gathering at St. John the Divine Cathedral!

Please join us as we celebrate our Lutheran heritage, singing the hymns of Martin Luther in concert with Lutherans all around the world!

Wednesday Night DinnerPlease join  us each Wednesday night for dinner at 5:15 pm.  This week (tonight, October 4th) will be a pot luck.  Please bring a dish to share and join us for food and fellowship.  

If you would like to help with a Wednesday night dinner, please see the sign-up on the wall in the Fellowship Hall or call the office.  You don't need to do the whole meal to help. See the sign up sheet in the Fellowship Hall for jobs and dishes needed.  

Wanted:  Someone or a couple to deliver an Altar bouquet on a Sunday afternoon to someone who is in the hospital (whenever the need arises). You would be notified after the second church service on any given Sunday.  Call the church office or Ruth Dishop (239-262-7137) to volunteer.   

October Events From DCE Kami Jo Mogelvang

October 5th & 6th: Coffee & Doughnuts with the preschool October 11th: This is the last day to register for the Middle School (6-8th Grade) District Youth Gathering $155 per person, covers all food/lodging/t-shirt costs. November 3-5th in Leesburg, FL. Sign up in the narthex or email DCE Kami Jo Mogelvang to register.

  October 12th: Our first official Women's Bible Study class for the fall season starts. We will be discussing the upcoming Sunday morning lessons and current events. Class meets from 10am-11am at Grace Lutheran Church. This is for women of all ages! Contact DCE Kami Jo with any questions you may have.

October 27th: Trunk or Treat at 6pm. 

 

 

Grace Lutheran ChurchQuarterly Meeting of the Voters 

October 1, 2017                  

 Call to Order at 9:35 a.m. Invocation by Pastor Lingsch.  Approval of the minutes from the meeting of April 23, 2017: It was moved by Paul Koch and seconded by Harold Feuser to approve the minutes.  Pastor's Report - Pastor Lingsch:  We were fortunate with how minor the damage was with Hurricane Irma.  Much of it has already been taken care of. We have a big season planned.  Throughout the month of October we will be using Setting Five (The Luther service), for our Sunday morning services.  We also had one wedding the month of September.  The staff attended the Florida/Georgia District Presidential Equip Conference this past week.  Properties' Report - Chris Leibfried:  Dwayne Zeedyk was hired as a handyman/custodian.  The outsourced custodial company we had, was released.  The transition has been seamless.  Dwayne works 25% of his time at the Pelican. Several properties projects have been completed including painting of the exterior, a lightening suppression system and driveway pavers.  We are also working on the landscaping.  Hurricane Irma damage included, four trees down, and one leaning tree, fountain was damaged.  We are looking for a replacement/repair.  The sign was damaged, and will probably be replaced.  Three windows in the Fellowship Hall had glass replace.  The preschool fence was repaired.  25-30 roof tiles were lost.  Carpets in the Fellowship Hall were wet from the rain.  We are exploring having them replaced.  All perishable food was lost in the Fellowship Hall.  Rusty Hussman report - Pastor Lingsch:  He recommended that we have a Statement of Faith to help protect us.  We will work on this during Season.  We have already updated the Statement of Faith for the Preschool, so it could be added to the Parent Handbook.  A recommendation of a dress code for the Preschool staff was made and has been implemented.  Property usage was discussed with policies for different uses.  A Property Usage Policy, will cover us legally and help with the interaction with our community.  Blue Zone Project - Pastor Lingsch:  This originated from a study done to see why people, in some communities, live longer than in others.  Naples is one of the first cities in the country to implement this program, through NCH hospitals.  Our preschool has already signed up for this project and Kami Jo Mogelvang is interested in bringing it to the congregation.  This is a program that encourages making healthy choices by adding to but not taking things away. 

 Pelican Report - Pastor Lingsch:  Hurricane Irma caused minimal damage to the property, mostly trees.  Some of their members went to a storm shelter in Gainesville.  They have done a giveaway for Hurricane Irma relief.    They have about 30 attending each week.  They are continuing their English nights.  They are working on a soccer field in front of their property.  Wednesday Dinners - Pastor Lingsch:  We have resumed Wednesday night dinners.  We need help with both the dinners and Coffee Hour.  2018 Budget - We are starting to work on the new budget.  It will be presented to Voter's in December. Delegates for District meetings were nominated.  Nominated were Patrick Perri and Gwyn Powers.  It was moved by Cliff Lingsch and seconded by Betty Yock that we accept them as our representative and alternate representative.  The motion carried. Pastor thanked Brian and everyone for celebrating Pastor Appreciation Sunday.  Meeting was closed with a motion by Diny Biehler and ended with the Lord's Prayer.  Respectfully Submitted, Gwyn Powers                                                            

Board of Properties ReportThe Board of Properties has been busy over the summer months. A warm welcome was extended to Dwayne Zeedyk who started in late July as the newly created Church Custodian and Handyman. Dwayne has assumed the custodial cleaning responsibilities along with the fountain and pool pump requirements in the Memorial Garden that were formerly contracted with two respective outside vendors.  Dwayne has also repaired all of the exterior lighting fixtures that were broken;  reset sinking bricks in the courtyard and a variety of other maintenance issues. Recently completed projects by outside vendors included the painting of the entire exterior of all of the Church, Preschool, Offices, Fellowship Hall, Shed and mailbox. Also completed was the installation of an exterior (roof) Lightning Protection System and Surge Suppression Equipment to all of the previously unprotected Electrical Distribution Panels. By September the brick pavers at the main entrance to the Church will be reset and expanded, setting a new grade that is a pre requisite to the repair, resealing, re-stripe of the parking lot. Some landscaping in the front of the Church will follow to finalize the summer projects. When seasonal congregants return home the exterior of the facility will be totally refurbished. Thank you,Chris Leibfried   

Pastor Eisold - October 2017

 Praise the Lord for SAVING HIS PEOPLE! 

Just three weeks and a day after Hurricane Irma hit Naples, and it is easy to forget how much the Lord saved us from "complete devastation". The visible damage we still see is NOTHING compared to what others experienced.  The wind, the water, and the rain were NOTHING compared to what the weather experts foretold.  Even as the storm was raking the Keys, we were still hearing of horrors beyond imagination for wherever the tempest would touch. The Lord Jesus is the God over the wind and the waves; the land and the sea.  He is master over the air above, the space beyond, and the land below. PRAISE THE LORD O MY SOUL!  I pray that you go through the Psalms this month and read along with King David and proclaim the incredible power and majesty of our SAVING GOD.  He is alive, active, and is intervening on our behalf daily in all kinds of storms that we may or may not see. Pelican Lutheran Church Updates:My family evacuated to Ocala and then Gainesville, following the storm.  I stayed with Dwayne & Mary Zeedyk.  We helped folks prepare for the storm and stocked The Pelican for disaster response up till 11 p.m. on Saturday September 9th. Erik came to Naples early on September 14th with a friend, who delivered 4 chainsaws, 55 gallons of gasoline and more.  The Lingsch family helped us in many ways at The Pelican and hosting us at night with dinner and air conditioned rest at night.  We did a lot of work to help neighbors, friends, and the Lord sent amaing volunteers to assist us at The Pelican.The Sanctuary carpet was ruined by water damage, but thanks to Dwayne Zeedyk it was dried quickly.We partnered with Grace to cover windows, remove glass, cut & clear properties, unload trucks at both Grace & The Pelican, and run distribution days at both Grace & The Pelican. Worship is stronger than ever with an average of 36 folks each Sunday over the past two weeks since Irma.People are healing and need time and encouragement in God's word.  Lots of lost wages, inspiration, and time.  The Lord is restoring everything through His power & love.English class & Spanish class schedules have resumed even in the midst of ongoing disaster relief.  Even on Wed October 3 we have another distribution day, and anticipate this two more times.  We are also working with congregations up north to bring down & host work teams to assist in rebuilding homes destroyed by Irma.  Our neighborhood at Ohio & Goodlette-Frank has 32

homes that received 3 feet of water.  All was destroyed.  Everglades City & Chokoloskee Island to our near south have a great need as well.  We are working with the mayors office and command center there to connect volunteers to the need. Blessings in Christ, and have a great week praising His name as you read through the PSALMS! Your Brother & Faithful Servant,Pastor Mark Eisold 

Some of the damage done, by Hurricane Irma, to the parsonage yard.

The district sent help to remove trees, knocked down by Hurricane Irma.  A group from Illinois whose mission is to help in a disaster came to

help us.

So many people wanted to help.  We had two truckloads of supplies donated from people up north.  All these supplies were given out in one afternoon.  

After the hurricane, we had our first Wednesday night dinner and helped Pastor Lingsch celebrate his

birthday.

       

Grace Lutheran Church, 860 Banyan Blvd, Naples, FL 34102