voice of grace · 10/10/2017 · in his book, obedient rebels: catholic substance and protestant...

We are called to proclaim the Word and celebrate the sacraments. We gather in Christian community for nurture and support. We are sent out in service to others.

Voice of Grace

Grace Lutheran Church, 1120 Walker Street, Port Townsend, WA 98368 - (360) 385-1595 www.gracelutheranpt.org

Worship 10:30 a.m. October 2017

First of all, what is a Diet? Here we are not talking about a diet such as Weight-Watchers or Atkins: A Diet is a deliber-ative assembly; a gathering of members of any kind of collective who use parliamentary procedure to make decisions.

The Diet of Worms relating to Luther was April 16 to 18, 1521. On April 16, he was told to appear the following day at 4 p.m. On April 17, he was asked if a collection of 25 books were his and if he was ready to revoke their heresies. Luther requested more time for a proper answer, so he was given until the next day at 4 p.m.

On April 18, Luther presented himself before the Diet. When the same questions were put to him, he answered, “They are all mine, but as for the second question, they are not all of one sort.” He went on to place the writings into three categories: (1) Works which were well received by even his enemies: those he would not reject. (2) Books which attacked the abuses, lies and desolation of the Christian world and the papacy: those, Luther believed, could not safely be rejected without encouraging abuses to continue. “If I now recant these, then, I would be doing nothing but strength-ening tyranny.” (3) Attacks on individuals: he apologized for the harsh tone of these writings but did not reject the substance of what he taught in them; if he could be shown from the Scriptures that he was in error, Luther continued, he would reject them.

He concluded by saying, “Since your majesty and your lordships desire a simple reply, I will answer without horns or teeth. Unless I am convinced by Scripture and by plain reason (I do not believe in the authority of either popes or councils by themselves, for it is plain that they have often erred and contradicted each other) in those Scriptures that I

Reformation: Luther At The Diet of Worms

Luther at the Diet of Worms, by Anton von Werner, 1877

see page 2

Grace Lutheran Church, 1120 Walker Street, Port Townsend, WA 98368 - (360) 385-1595 www.gracelutheranpt.org2

see page 3

Before I Forget by George Hanson

Luther – What I Have LearnedMartin Luther the Reformer is one of the most extraordinary persons in history and has left a deeper impression of his presence in the modern world than any other except Columbus. (Ralph Waldo Emerson

A worthy assessment of Luther, but I would put Christ at the head of the list.

After considerable research and the accu-mulation of many books on Luther and the Reformation, what have I learned? Luther “invaded my home” and I wondered where to put all the books. Did I know any more than I did before? I have a Lutheran background.

My mother’s heritage included over 200 Lutheran pastors, including a few bishops, one of whom served in that office for 56 years, publishing the Bible in Icelandic (1585) and firmly establishing Lutheranism in Iceland. Another ancestor went to Wittenberg and studied with Luther. But when I began this study, I really didn’t know too much about Luther.

I quickly learned that Luther was a complex man; and Luther remains somewhat of an enigma, elusive and sometimes contradictory.

The Reformation began with a soul’s search for God and the subsequent struggles of a tormented soul within the walls of an Augustinian monastery. Finally, Martin Luther found God in Jesus Christ. “The just shall live by faith.” Luther didn’t discover anything new. It was there all the time - especially in Romans - his favorite book. Simply put, it was: We are justified by grace through faith.

One thing for certain, Luther was fearless. He knew what had happened to Hus and others. He felt that this, too, would be his destiny. A martyr’s death. The greatest moment in modern history is Luther’s defense in 1521 at the Diet of Worms. Armed only with the Word of God and the Holy Spirit, the peasants’ son from Eisleben

stood before the Emperor and princes of the Holy Roman Empire, before cardinals and bishops of the Church of Rome and uttered the words: “I will not recant.” He left Worms an outlaw, condemned and finally excommuni-cated by the Roman Church.

In rejecting Luther the Catholic Church lost one of its most faithful sons. In his book, Obedient Rebels: Catholic Substance and Protestant Principle in Luther’s Reformation, the eminent scholar, Jaroslav Pelikan, writes: “Martin Luther was the first Protestant; yet, he was more Catholic than many of his Roman Catholic opponents.” This paradox lies at the very center of Luther’s Reformation. Today some excellent scholarship on Luther is coming from Catholic writers. Luther may well be the person who will bring about reunion. Time will tell. This reminds me of something I did years ago – before Vatican II. At the time, I was living in Iceland. One night in late December a group of us went to the Catholic Cathedral in Reykjavik. The priest was very gracious in showing us around the church. He finally took us up to the choir loft where there was a rather large and magnifi-cent organ. He invited us to play it if we wished. This “cocky” Lutheran sat down at the organ, pulled out all the stops and immediately played Luther’s great hymn, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God.” The priest was not amused. Today this magnificent hymn is sung and appreciated in Catholic churches.

I learned that Luther suffered periods of depression, his anfechtaugen. At times Luther felt that God had abandoned him. In one of his greatest writings, The Heidleberg Disputation (1518), Luther comes to terms with suffering and the “soul’s dark night.” God is found in suffering. Here emerges his famous “Theology of the Cross.” For me and many others, it is one of the greatest and most profound theological statements in history. I have concluded that Luther is the greatest theologian in history since Paul the Apostle. Little by little, I am learning more about Law and the Gospel, The Two Kingdoms, Justification, Faith, the Church, etc.

I started out saying that Luther was a complex man and sometimes contradictory. But on some things he was firm and unchanging. If he felt that something was not right he would attack his opponent like a vicious Pitbull dog, sinking his teeth in and never letting go. He was, on the other hand, a devoted husband and father, as well as a sincere friend. His Table Talk shows a loving and kind Luther. The Reformation needed a strong leader and Luther was that man. Sola Scripture. Scripture Alone. His whole defense was the Holy Bible. True, he was deeply influenced by Saint Augustine. But above any writing was Scripture - in the well-known words of Luther: “Verbum Dei infallible” (the infallible Word of God). He also felt that everyone should have access to the Bible in their

have presented, for my conscience is captive to the Word of God; I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand; I can do no other. God help me. Amen.”

Worms from page 1


Forget from page 2

native language. His translation of the Bible (1534) has no equal and has influenced the faith and language of Germany for centuries.

Solus Christus. Only Christ. Jesus Christ was the center of Luther’s life. He was also the center of Luther’s theology. In the entire Old Testament he saw Jesus Christ and hence a Christ-centered interpretation of this part of the Bible, and of the New Testament, of course. In the classic film on Luther made some fifty years ago, Luther is shown an impressive collection of relics owned by Duke Frederick. Luther is not impressed. The question is put to Luther: “ What will you give the people if these relics are taken away?” Luther quickly responds: “JESUS CHRIST!” The son of German peasants opened to the world the trea-sures of the Bible. The one who came to God as a beggar and teaches us to do likewise, shows us the way to Jesus Christ, the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

SOLUS CHRISTUS

A Letter From UgandaTo all members of Grace Lutheran Church,

I greet you in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Hope you, your families, and ministry are doing well. I am overwhelmed this morning with joy as I write this letter to you. Am just thinking of how dark my future was, then when I was hopeless about education, and had no hand to help despite my passion for education, God just brought these amazing people into my life, that have not only blessed my life, but also have blessed my family, my friends and my country, Uganda, as a whole because every life matters, and for sure if only one life is saved, then many genera-tions that follow after them are also saved. The journey has been long, interesting, tough, and many lessons have been learnt and for sure every day in school for me counts and a lot is being added into my life.

Vivian Nanfuka A Prayer for Faith Alone Gracious Lord God, you have laid claim to us and have set us apart as your own. Help us not to think too highly of ourselves or to seek glory by personal merit. Rather, help us to rest our faith and hope in you alone. In all things, let us remain strong in faith and lead us by your Spirit, at work in your Word. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen

submitted by Roberta Bymers

In my ordinary secondary school (O level 2007-2009) I struggled a lot concerning the fact that I had to catch up on a lot of academic work in a very short time, as I was stuck before due to financial issues, but all in all, God was on my side. I excelled with First Grade and joined advanced secondary school (A level 2010-2011). For the first time while in high school, I realized that for every choice we make, we have to face the consequences. I had a passion for science subjects and I had to make ends meet that is in four subjects (physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics and also Ebenezer, I excelled and after many applications joined Kampala International University for a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery. It has been my time here in university that I real-ized that if God had not been on my side, I would have been swallowed up. Many of my friends and colleagues have dropped out not only for financial reasons but also in discipline issues, impatience to finish 5 and 1/2 years in just university, academic reasons where students are discontinued for poor performance, and, sad enough, some have contracted psychiatric illnesses.

Honestly, I have had many good moments and some sad ones, too. At times I felt hopeless and discouraged because of emotional, psychological and spiritual issues, but all in all, God has spared me by His grace, and now I am to start my very last semester in medical school on 21st August, 2017. I am hopeful that the God who has brought me this far will continue holding my hand till the very last moment of my life.

I am so grateful, really, for all of you who have sacrificed a lot, even let go of the best you would have had just for me and others to study. God bless you. I would not have been where I am or what I am if you had not poured out your love in sacrifice for me. I have no better way to express my gratitude, but please allow me to say “Thank you very much.” I feel so blessed knowing that very soon I am graduating as a doctor and that I will reach out, bless and save many lives because of the blessing you are to me. I love you so much.

Yours, Vivian Nanfuka


4

Gone Diggingby Lois Sherwood

For four days in July 2017, I joined 30 teachers from the United States and Canada for an experience of a lifetime with the Burke Museum

DIG Field School, near Jordan, Montana. During those four days, we camped in tents at the Hell Creek State Campground with 30 university students, graduate students and professors from University of Washington, the Burke Museum in Seattle and the Field Museum in Chicago.

Each day began with breakfast and packing a lunch. For the first three days, we all loaded into one of 10 SUV’s for the long dusty drive to the day’s dig site. We learned the skills of paleobiologist. We crawled on our bellies under the blazing sun scavenging for microfossils. These were indicators of the presence of other fossils deeper in the rocks. We used rock hammers and picks to find the productive horizon, the most likely layer for finding the parent fossils, then gathered bags or rocks to filter and sort for later analysis. Sometimes we even found whole bones of Triceratops or Hadrosaurs. We learned to prepare and jacket these finds in plaster for later retrieval.

We practiced identifying the microfossils in the Hell Creek formation to gain information about the ecosystem that existed 66-68 million years ago when dinosaurs roamed these lands. We learned that the great K/T, or more correctly, the K/Pg extinction was more compli-cated than first thought. The K/Pg event may have been the proverbial straw the broke the camel’s back for dino-saurs’ existence on earth. Other global geologic events may have set the stage for this final extinction event. What can we learn from this to understand our modern world and the current threat of mass extinctions?

So why did I do this? I am retired from teaching, right? I still care deeply about understanding our planet, both its past and future. I still care deeply about science educa-tion and preparing the next generation of explorers. If I can use this experience to prepare myself to train teachers, then I can still make a difference for our future.

So, yes, I am retired from the classroom, but retirement is an opportunity for reinvention.

Penny’s ThoughtsIn a recent mid-week update from Pastor Coe, the congrega-tion was asked to read the book of Jonah. I thought, “I can do that” and went to my little stack of Bible editions. I have three: one humongous edition received as a wedding gift (the type to record family history with tons of beautiful pictures); another received from Kathy Gibson when she was giving away Bibles not too long ago; and the one my parents gave me for Christmas when I was nine years old.

My “go to” Bible is the one my parents gave me. I always like reading the inscription in the front and remembering their love. As I was flipping through the pages, a piece of paper fell out. I was stunned on a couple of levels: one, how could I have missed this before; and two, was this my writing and how old was I when it was written?

Yes, it was my writing, but as a young child. I cannot for the life of me remember why it was written or when. Was it from a Sunday School class? Was it from cate-chism class? Regardless of the circumstances, reading it was very interesting and I’m going to share it with you.

“Oh Lord, who are you that commands us to go into all the world?” Our Father, who art in Heaven “What, oh Lord, shall we say?” Hallowed be thy name “And what, oh Lord, shall we pray?” Thy kingdom come “What, oh Lord, shall be our goal?” Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven “How, oh Lord, will you support us?” Give us this day our daily bread “What, oh Lord, shall we teach?” And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us “But Lord, I’m only a kid.” And lead us not into temptation “And I’m afraid to face those people.” But deliver us from evil “How then, oh Lord, shall we know you are there?” For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever and ever. Amen

Timeless, don’t you think? God’s blessings to you all.

Penny

A Full and Fabulous Fall – God is WorkingGrace Lutheran is already embarked on a full and fabulous fall season with lots of events, celebrations, and opportunities to serve and learn. I wanted to take this space to highlight many of those activities and to encourage you to participate in as many of them as possible. God is working in and through Grace Lutheran, and it is a privilege to be part of that work.

Our fall season kicked off with Rally Day on August 27. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed the theme of “Island Life.” Everyone was decked out in colorful outfits, and we enjoyed burgers and brats from the barbecue. It was such fun. Everyone enjoyed the conversation, fellowship, and delicious food.

One of the highlights of the fall was our Koinonia gathering with Emmanuel Apostolic Church on September 17. Nearly forty people from Grace attended; it was a wonderful afternoon. We were warmly welcomed by Bishop Robertson, First Lady Lillian and the entire congregation. We enjoyed spirit-filled music led by the Emmanuel music team. Then, the combined Emmanuel-Grace “Hallelujah Choir” (my name for the group) thrilled us with a wonderful rendition of Order My Steps. I was privileged to share briefly from God’s Word, and the Bishop even took up an offering for the benefit of Grace. We received $400 which will go into a Koinonia Fund to help with future events and activities. If all of that worship and music and love wasn’t enough, we were then treated to an absolutely delicious barbecue including ribs, hot dogs, chicken, and all the sides. Ummm, that was good! The Bishop gave us a tour of the $13 million Marvin Webster center that is being built as a community center. It will be a wonderful building that will bring significant and long-lasting benefits to their community. It was very inspiring. It was a wonderful afternoon; we all talked about wanting to figure out next steps and what we could do together for the community. The leaders from both congregations will be working on that challenge.

Our fall adult forum program is centered around Martin Luther’s Small Catechism. Some are studying the catechism for the first time and for others this is a refresher. But in either case, this is a great study of the basics of Christianity and Martin Luther’s take on applying those basics to our lives. It is interesting, challenging, and fast-moving. Come and join us Sundays at 9:15 a.m.

By the time you read this, the Men’s Picnic will have taken place on September 23. This is always a fun event including games, good food, and fellowship. As we head into October, we will celebrate our pets with a Blessing of the Animals on October 14, 5:00 at the church. Bring your beloved pets as we thank God for all his creatures.

I am very excited about the Social Concerns Gathering after worship on Sunday, October 22. The purpose of this meeting is to plan and get on a calendar all of our events and fund-raising and important dates. This calendar can then be published. It will help all of us plan ahead and know what is coming up. It will help those who are coordinating the events to have plenty of lead time. It will be a great piece of information about Grace Lutheran when we publish it on our website. We do make a difference in our community; this will help make that visible to others and will be a great reminder to invite others to participate in these events.

On Sunday, October 29th we will celebrate the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s posting of the 95 Theses with a barbecue and celebration right after church. You are invited to bring your favorite German dish; we will be cooking brats for all. There may be some contests involving your knowledge of the Reformation so you might want to study ahead. We will be celebrating the Reformation throughout the year, and this will be one of the key events.

A half-day Prayer Retreat will be offered on November 4. The retreat will begin at 9:00 a.m. and end by noon. These are always meaningful times of quiet, study, and prayer. Please plan to join us. The next day, Sunday, November 5, is the Gathering of Grace at Lagerquist Hall at PLU. This is a synod-wide worship event and begins at 3:00 p.m. There will be a combined choir and it should be a glorious opportunity for worship. As we get closer to the day we will orga-nize some carpools. Then on Wednesday, November 15, we will have a wonderful evening together celebrating and learning about our Ugandan Orphans. We will begin with pizza and a movie at 5:30 p.m. We are going to watch the movie, Queen of Katwe, a delightful Disney movie about a young Uganda girl who learns to play chess and becomes an expert. We will take time to answer your questions about our orphan program and you will have the opportunity to become a regular supporter of this important effort.


Pastor’s Message

see page 6


see page7

Finally, as we move into December and Advent, we will have an Advent Craft Event after church on December 3. One of the things that event will include is the construc-tion of new chrismons for our Grace Christmas tree. We can even put the tree up that afternoon and celebrate with these new decorations. December 10-13 will find us providing meals at the Homeless Shelter; watch for a sign-up list. This is an important and rewarding opportu-nity to serve some of the most needy in our community. Our annual Grace Christmas Party and White Elephant Gift Exchange will be held on Sunday, December 17. It will begin with a 5:00 p.m. appetizer and dessert potluck, followed by the always hilarious white elephant gift exchange.

Whew, there is lots happening, but it is all wonderful. There are many ways that God is working in and through Grace Lutheran. Please invite your friends and neighbors to participate in these events — they are a good way for newcomers to begin to get to know Grace Lutheran.

Koinonia Gathering Homily September 17, 2017

By Pastor Coe

2017 is the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. As we remember this anniversary, we cele-brate the work of the Holy Spirit through many people. As Lutherans, of course, we tend to focus on Martin Luther, but there were many other influential reformers before and after Luther. The more I read and learn about these people of great faith, the more respect I have for them and the more I find that we still seem to struggle with the same issues. Today, I hope to share with you one of the Holy Spirit’s greatest works in Martin Luther and others and why I think that work is still relevant today.

As Christians, we believe that Jesus will “come to judge the living and dead.” John’s Gospel declares that the Father, “has given all judgment to the Son.” So, while we may not know all the details, we know there will be judgment. Someone recently asked me by what standard we would be judged? What is the bar we must surpass? Great question!

We might first think of the Ten Commandments, the first of which is, “You shall have no other gods before me.” Let’s examine how I am doing on that one. Is the Lord truly the only god upon which I depend? Or do I

frequently depend upon my skills, my friends, my family, my beloved wife, my savings account, my possessions, my job? Upon what do I REALLY depend? We might put the question this way, “What in life do you love the most?” If Jesus is truly my God, why am I so upset when my schedule gets changed or I can’t complete my to do list or I get a scratch in my new car? Hmm, maybe I am not doing so well on the Ten Commandments.

But the Ten Commandments are not the highest standard we are measured against. What about Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 and following - where Jesus says things like “Unless your righteous-ness exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus says, “Give to everyone who begs from you and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.” Yikes! I am not doing so well there either.

But even Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is not the highest standard. The real standard is Jesus himself. Yes, Jesus! Are we living up to his example? Are we living as the King who came not to be served but to serve? Are we willing to be like Jesus who gave us life for others, even those who denied Him? How can we ever live up to that? How can we ever get over that bar? How can we ever pass that judgment? Well….the answer is, we can’t!

That was exactly the problem that Martin Luther ran into. He was raised in a tradition that understood that righteous-ness or pleasing God was earned as a result of good works. He would go to confession and do all the things a perfect monk was supposed to do, yet, he would never quite feel he was measuring up to God’s demands. The story is told that he would spend hours confessing, racking his brain to think of all his sins. Exhausted, he would finally make his

Pastor’s Message from page 5

way back to his room where he would remember another sin and race back to begin again.

Sometimes I understand Martin Luther’s struggle to please God. I confess there are times that I wonder if I am pleasing God, am I doing enough, loving enough, praying enough, studying my Bible enough, serving enough? Am I measuring up? Do you ever have times like that? Somehow I want to make sure that God loves me. And I always think it means I have to do more, work more, pray more, and serve more. These are times that I face some of the same struggles as Martin Luther.

Thanks be to God, through the work of the Holy Spirit, Luther was completely turned around. He came to under-stand that righteousness was not something we earned; it is a gift we are given! Romans 3:22 speaks of “the righ-teousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.” Righteousness is received, as a gift, through faith. And through faith, through believing and trusting in this gift, we have already passed judgment. Listen to Jesus in John 5:24 (I love this) – anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me HAS eternal life and does not come under judgment but HAS passed from death to life.” It is past tense! In Christ, we HAVE PASSED judgment. Already done! This amazing gift of grace, this unconditional love, is ours. We are loved; we are adopted as God’s children. In Christ, we are pleasing to God.

So you have received this free gift. Now the only question is what are you going to do with it? Instead of striving to satisfy God, or suffering anxiety about whether we are doing enough, the only question now is how would you like to live in response to the greatest gift you could ever receive? For example, we love our neighbor – not because we have to – because we GET to!

And this, my friends, is freedom and peace. It is freedom from striving! It is peace from worrying about whether I am good enough, whether I am pleasing God! In Christ, YOU are righteous! In Christ, YOU are free! In Christ, YOU are loved! Grace wins—every time! That’s good news! That’s one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit through the reformation.

So, now my friends, having received this gift of grace, I pray for you as Paul prayed for the Ephesians. “I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ for you, that you may know this love that surpasses knowledge and that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Amen.


KoinoniaGood Music, Good Fellowship!

Homily from page 6

Greetings to My Wonderful Grace Family!

My name is Crissy Dunlap, and I am the office manager here at Grace Lutheran Church. There are many new faces in the congregation, so I thought I would take the opportunity to introduce myself to those of you who are new and tell you a few things about myself that maybe even those who have been here since I was hired almost 14 years ago might not know.

My husband, Piper, and I moved to Port Townsend 14 years ago with our two children, Juniper and Theo. Juniper was three and Theo was 15 months old. They are now 17 and 15 years old! I was hired at the church just three months after we moved here, and I have loved my job ever since. It has been, and continues to be, a blessing to have such a loving and supportive work environment while raising kids. They spent a lot of time here when they were much younger and had to come to work with me.

Juniper is a strong and motivated young woman with a passion for cooking. She works at two restaurants in town and cooks and bakes all the time at home. And, if you don’t mind my bragging, she is amazing! Her natural talent and passion comes through in the foods she makes. Theo is a sophomore at Port Townsend High School. He is a good student and loves to learn. His passion lies mostly in surfing, windsurfing and skiing. He and his dad go on many exciting adventures throughout the year. My husband, Piper, practices Traditional Chinese Medicine here in town. He is an acupuncturist and Chinese herb-alist. He is also an accomplished and avid sailor, and among his many adventures he has done the Race to Alaska twice, finishing in eighth place in 2016.

I grew up in Northridge, California, and spent most of my childhood at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church. They had a parochial school that I went to from grades 3-9, so I

was there almost every day of the week! For many years my father was the church council president and my mother the president of the Philoptochos, or women’s society. I am extremely grateful for the many gifts given to me spiritually, culturally, educationally and socially through my church community. I went back there a couple of years ago when the church dedicated a beautiful garden to my father and two other men who dedicated so much of their time and talent to the church. It was wonderful to be there and see some of my childhood friends who are now raising their children in the church. It really made me appreciate what a wonderful childhood I was blessed with.

I have continued to be blessed with a wonderful life full of many adventures. When I was 22 years old I spent 10 weeks traveling through Europe. It was the summer of 1992 and a lot was happening there. I went to the Summer Olympics in Barcelona, The World’s Fair in Seville and the running of the bulls in Pamplona. And that was just in Spain! I also went to France, Italy, Greece, England and Wales. It was a wonderful adventure and I hope to go back someday with my family.

I met my husband shortly after that trip, in the spring of 1993. We proceeded to have many adventures together as well. We spent a summer touring around the country in a VW bus visiting beautiful national parks and seeing many Grateful Dead shows. We lived on a sailboat for seven years. Some of that time was in Sausalito, CA, and the other time was spent cruising through Central America and the Western Caribbean. We sailed from Sausalito down the California and Mexico coast, stopping at many beautiful places along the way. We spent about six months in Costa Rica and Panama before going through the Panama Canal and through the Western Caribbean to Florida. We visited Isla San Andrés, the Bay Islands of Honduras, Belize and the Yucatan Peninsula. We moved off of the boat in Florida as I was four months pregnant with Juniper and was ready to live on land. We weathered two hurricanes that summer of 1999, which included nesting our sailboat among the mangroves to protect it and evacuating from the coast to Orlando. Fortunately we all fared well, including the boat!

When Juniper was four months old we drove across the country to Santa Barbara, CA, where my husband attended graduate school for three years to become a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner. We moved to Port Townsend shortly after that and made a new life here for ourselves and our children.

I hope that you have enjoyed my story! If you have not met me, I invite you to come and visit me in the office. I would love to know each and every one of you.



Nurturing Spiritual RelationshipsHow we care for ourselves impacts our relationship with God. This includes what we eat, how physically active we are, how we share and steward our resources, how we care for the earth, and how we honor the Sabbath.

Nurturing your spiritual relationship with God can be done in many ways. For some of us, worship, prayer, and study of Scripture keep us grounded in our relationship. For others, it may be baking, music, art, retreats, walking in nature, journaling, or movement prayer that grounds.

We are called to live well. And God calls us to share our gifts with others. It is part of our vocational iden-tity as friends, daughters, sisters, aunts and mothers to empower God’s people to embrace health and wholeness. As nurturers and caregivers, we have the opportunity to shape a new generation, to equip them to live as whole people of God.

This message was adapted from “Our Journey to Wellness” Submitted by Roberta Bymers

Surviving a Loss The Voice, with the help of Earl Kong, is conducting a series of brief interviews with people who have lost a loved one. This is the first in a series.

Lucy Hladecek, interviewed by Earl Kong

Q. How did you survive that first day? A. I kept busy preparing for visits from our neighbors, friends and family; I cooked, I cleaned and I visited.

Q. Did you have any help? A. Yes, Pastor Coe and Janet stayed with us at Harrison Hospital through Jim’s passing, praying with us and giving us great comfort. My children and extended family are so grateful for Grace Lutheran Church. It would have been very difficult to get through Jim’s years of illness and death without our faith in our Lord Jesus and our Grace family. Talking about it and sharing with others has also helped me through this heartbreak.

Q. After things calmed down how do you cope? A. I do cry frequently! I try to stay meaningfully busy. I love being active. I live in a wonderful “Jim Museum” surrounded by “Jim memorabilia.” This way, I never feel empty, because Jim is ever-present in my daily life as well as firmly fixed in my heart. The alone times are still difficult. I have had to adjust my routine (e.g., having the evening meal at the table that we always shared was hard for me, so I found a cozy solo place to dine). I particularly miss having lunch with Jim. We ordinarily played scrabble on our iPads during lunch and sometimes spent a couple of hours. Scrabble was our game! I haven’t played since.

Q. Is there any pain? A. No, just sadness. Sadness is inevitable, but joy, which we all recognize as a gift from God, finds its way in somehow. I experience sadness and joy at the same time. Joy just finds a way through the sadness. The grieving does not dwindle, though.

Q. About Jim A. Jim was the hero of our family. He made us all feel safe and well-loved, and he was extraordinarily trust-worthy, compassionate, generous and very good-natured. I thank God daily for the precious years we shared. We were married for 56 years, and both of us were convinced our marriage was “arranged” by God! We grew up together, and we became one together. I will never get over losing dear Jim.

Q. What is the biggest surprise? A. The paper work, the business calls and the inter-minable waiting time on the phone. More of the same seemed always to be there the next morning!

Q. What can you say to others who will walk this route? A. Expect to cry for some time. Prepare for loneliness: Reach out to friends –call, visit, talk and share.Volunteer and /or stay busy with meaningful tasks, but most impor-tant, “stay in community.”

Prepare for an upward learning curve. You will be faced with many new challenges. Count on a surge of confi-dence and satisfaction each time you are able to overcome one of these challenges.

It does take persistence.You will begin to walk away smiling every time you manage to fix something or solve a problem. Expect never to get over the loss of your loved one, though.

October is W.A.V.E. Month WAVE is a community drive organized by the churches and is a major source of funding and food for the Food Bank. Both food and money donations are encouraged. There is a lot of food that the Food Bank can purchase more cheaply than we do. If you want to give food, then canned protein is most appreciated. You can bring your food or money donations anytime during October; we will gather them all up and turn them in at the conclusion of the drive. We are excited to announce that the Council approved using up to $500 of Thrivent Choice dollars as a one to one match for donations.

Good News Band played on Rally Day Picture taken by Miriam Gaenicke.

Happenings at Grace Lutheran

Barbara Berthiauame gave a talk at the women’s picnic.

The men played bocce ball at the men’s picnic..... ....while some just sat it out at the men’s picnic.

Lots of good food at the women’s picnic. We’re all ears for Marty at the women’s picnic.


More Grace HappeningsSaying Farewell to the Potthoffs



Church Council

President: Penny [email protected]

Vice President: Mary RonenSecretary: Catherine White

Ministers:Resources (Treasurer): Dianne Espenson

Facilities: Tom LarsenWorship/Music: DeeDee Norman

Stewardship: Don FristoeSocial Concerns: Earl KongFellowship: Karen Erickson

Church Staff

Pastor: Rev. Coe [email protected]

cell 206-369-0606Parsonage 360-385-2281

Office Manager: Crissy Dunlap [email protected]

Organist/Pianist: Lisa LanzaChoir Director: Colleen Johnson

Sunday School Superintendent: Linda WolffEditor, Voice of Grace: Mary Ronen, [email protected]

www.gracelutheranpt.org

Photos of church events may be published in print or online. If you do not want your picture included, please contact the office at [email protected] or (360)385-1595.

Mark Your Calendar Grace FinancialsMark Your Calendars for These Upcoming Events: Please check out the full calendar on the Grace Lutheran website: www.gracelutheranpt.org/calendar

Saturday, Oct.14, 5:00 p.m., Blessing of the Animals Sunday, Oct. 22, After Church, Social Concerns Calendar Development Sunday, Oct. 29, Reformation Day Saturday, Nov. 4, 9:00-Noon, Prayer Retreat Sunday, Nov. 5, 3:00 p.m., A Gathering of Grace - Synod Wide Worship, Lagerquist Hall, PLU Wednesday, Nov.8, 5:30 p.m. Budget & Stewardship lasagna dinner Friay, Nov. 10, 2:00 p.m., Stewardship Pie with the Pastor at the parsonage Sunday, Nov. 12, 9:00 a.m., Stewardship meeting during Adult Forum Sunday, Nov. 12, 12:30 p.m., Lutheran Community Services Fundraising Luncheon, Bremerton Harborside Wednesday, Nov. 15, 5:30 p.m., Ugandan Orphan Night Sunday, Dec. 3, after church, Advent Craft Event Sunday, Dec. 10 - Wed. Dec. 13, Grace Lutheran serves meals at homeless shelter Sunday, Dec. 17, 5:00 p.m., Christmas Party and White Elephant Gift Exchange

Pastor Coe and Janet with Arlo and Clementine

“God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars.” ― Martin Luther

“Pray, and let God worry.” ― Martin Luther

$136,261 $136,212 $142,258

$-

$20,000

$40,000

$60,000

$80,000

$100,000

$120,000

$140,000

$160,000

Budget Expenditures Giving

Year to Date through September 30, 2017

Ugandan Orphan Night

We will watch the inspiring movie Queen of Katwe about a Ugandan orphan and enjoy a pizza and salad dinner. There will be an update on our orphan program. This will be a great opportunity to learn more about our orphans and to sign up to support them.

http://www.gracelutheranpt.org/calendar

voice of grace · 10/10/2017 · in his book, obedient rebels: catholic substance and protestant...

Documents