The Echo
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No. 2-2004 FEBRUARY Santee,
CA
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The Monthly Newsletter of:
Carlton Hills Evangelical
Lutheran Church
9735 Halberns Blvd., Santee,
CA 92071
Voice/Fax: (619) 448-1888
E-Mail:
chlc@CarltonHillsLutheran.org
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Carlton Hills Evangelical Lutheran Church
Council and Staff
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Sue Lisowsky
President
Laura Vaughan
Vice President
Marie Freeman
Secretary
Charlotte Arthurton
Financial Secretary
Deanna Sampson
Treasurer
Leslie Atkins
Worship
Tom Insel
Trustee
Janice Davis
Stewardship
Bill Thomas
Outreach
Darrel Timan
Christian Education
Lauri O’Neil
Director, Preschool
Pr. Molly Knutson-Keller
SDSU Lutheran Campus Pastor
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Our Mission Statement:
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Strengthen Faith in Christ
Enlarge our Hearts
Energize for Mission
Stretch our Minds
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Mark Neuhaus
Pastor
Jan Neuhaus
Music Director
Marsha Hamilton
Organist
Kathy Norris
Principal, Day School
Vacant
Parish Education
Deanna Sampson
School Bookkeeper
Leslie Atkins
Jennifer Brown
Delores Ryden
Mutual Support
Committee Members
Ed Teichner
Coordinator
Stephens Ministry
Mary Thomas
Prayer Chain, 334-6457
Julie & Terry Borchard
L.B.T. Missionaries
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CONSECRATION SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22nd
With brunch after worship
Our stewardship emphasis this year will culminate
on Consecration Sunday, February 22nd. This is the time we ask
every family and Confirmed youth to make their financial estimate of giving to
Carlton Hills Lutheran Church for the year, 2004. What we commit to on
Consecration Sunday will determine how effective our church will be in
strengthening Christ’s message in our own lives and the lives of those who live
around us and throughout the world.
Consecration Sunday is based on the philosophy of
“the need of the giver to give” for his or her own spiritual development,
rather than on the “need of the church to receive.” Instead of treating people
like members of a social club who need to pay dues, we will be treating people
like followers of Jesus Christ who want to give unselfishly as an act of
discipleship.
Our goal is to raise
the level of giving of individuals to the church rather than to raise a church
budget. Our task this year is to make good stewards; to teach people to accept
a sacred partnership with God by accepting the Bible’s standard of good giving,
the tithe; and to encourage people to give proportionately and systematically
in keeping with their ability.
There
will be no tricks. Every member who makes a commitment will do so by
voluntarily coming to the church on Consecration Sunday for the purpose of
worship, making his or her financial estimate to the Lord’s work, and then
eating a Celebration Brunch in the Acts Center where Time and Talent
commitments may also be filled out. The brunch will take place immediately
after worship. Because part of the brunch will be catered, reservations are
required. You will be asked to make your reservation for brunch by signing up
at worship on February 8th and 15th. Those not signed up
will be contacted to see if it is impossible for them to attend. There is no
charge for the brunch and no free will offering will be received, although some
may be asked to bring a dish to share. It is a CELEBRATION BRUNCH, a time when
God’s people will gather to celebrate the results of our pledging that morning.
We are fortunate that morning to have the Assistant
to our Bishop, Pastor Karen Parker (who later in the year will be working with
our congregation and the Call Committee) preaching. At the close of the
service of worship you will be instructed in how to fill out your estimate of
giving card for 2004. This is an act of worship, completed during worship.
Your commitment is strictly between you and God. The commitment period will be
for the year 2004.
CONSECRATION SUNDAY will be a very festive day in
the life of the church. It is a day when you will be asked to recommit your
life to Christ as a faithful member of Carlton Hills Lutheran Church, to make
an estimate of giving of Time, Talent and Treasure. Our Youth are already
working with Pr. Rick in helping to make this a wonderful day of celebration.
Don’t be left out. Our goal is over 200 at worship on Consecration Sunday
February 22nd.
THE MESSAGE OF LENT
Often Lent means very little. We tend to
Leap from the Ashes of Ash Wednesday
Right into the glory of Easter.
LENT begins with Ash Wednesday on February 25th.
Traditionally Lent has been a time of self-examination, recognition of
sinfulness, and seeking reconciliation with God. Often today Lent means very
little. We tend to leap from a cross of ashes, borne on our foreheads on Ash
Wednesday, right into the glory of Easter. Even Good Friday is barely
observed. Lent, when it is observed, tends to be a private affair. The Gospel
readings for the Lenten season speak a different language.
Jesus’ first
prediction of his suffering and death (Mark 8:31) follows on Peter’s confession
of Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus accepts this designation. Yet his response to
Peter contains a radical qualification: this Messiah will not conquer the world
through power and domination but through suffering and death. Jesus’
prediction that this Messiah is the Son of Man who will have to suffer and die
turns the traditional expectations of the Messiah’s role upside down.
God does not come into the world
to use power against power and force against force. Rather, in Jesus as the
Messiah, God joins the poor, the hungry, and the persecuted. This challenges
the legitimacy of every political, social, and economic system that allows the
poor to go hungry. It establishes for the faithful Christian a fundamental
suspicion of the ways of this world and of its institutions.
This creates an uncomfortable relationship with the
world and its rulers, powers, and dominating institutions. Christians are
tempted to establish their own power, their own values, and their own success
in this world. Today there are many who desire to impose their vision of a
law-abiding society upon other people. According to the Gospel, God in Jesus
is not present in power and success but among those who are on the wrong end of
the exercise of power as it is practiced in this world.
LENTEN WORSHIP—EVENING VESPERS
During the Wednesday evening services in Lent,
beginning March 3rd through the 31st (five Wednesdays in March) we will again
be using the Holden Evening Prayer as our order of service. The words are the
same as the Vesper service in the Lutheran Book of Worship. The music is by
Marty Haugen, who wrote the music for Now The Feast, a contemporary service.
The Holden Evening Prayer is so named because it
was developed for the worshiping community at Holden Village in Washington
State. The words of the Vesper service create a quiet, meditative mood.
Haugen’s music, with its smooth, singable melodies, contributes greatly to this
mood.
Prior to our Worship which will take place in the
Acts Center we will again gather for a soup and salad dinner. Make this a time
of spiritual renewal for you and your family during Lent.
KICKING
IT UP A NOTCH AGAIN,
THIS TIME WITH
KICKING IT UP A NOTCH AGAIN,
THIS TIME WITH
THIRTY
PIECES OF SILVER
Thirty
pieces of silver. That’s the price of BETRAYAL. Can we turn that price into
the POWER OF MINISTRY AND MISSION IN JESUS NAME? Can each member of Carlton
Hills Lutheran Church, man, woman and child fill a bag with 30 pieces of silver
to be brought to worship on Palm Sunday April 4th. On February 15th
every person at worship will receive the gift of a bag
with a silver coin inside. Can you return that bag on Palm Sunday April 4th
with 30 or more pieces of silver to turn the price of Betrayal into the POWER
FOR MINISTRY AND MISSION?
During Lent you are asked to make a Sacrificial
Gift to the Ministry and Mission of Jesus through our Church. Our challenge is
to raise $3,000 over and above our regular giving through a daily Lenten
Sacrifice. This will help us meet our budget with 10% of the money raised to be divided between Santee Food Bank and Synod Benevolence. We need to
help underwrite and maintain our regular ministry to Youth with Pastor Rick,
our Sunday Worship, the ministry to sick and shut in of our parish, Stephen
Ministry to name a few.
God’s People
are being challenged! Know that God asks no small thing of his faithful
people. If our Ministry is to continue and grow we all need to answer the call
and respond.
Have you any idea what $3,000 of silver coin looks
like or weighs? We will have a wagon or wheel borrow in the church just to
hold the bags of coin. We will need volunteers to count and help carry it to
the Bank. Can you?
Turn the Price of Betrayal into a Powerful Symbol
of Mission and Ministry. I am counting on you to HELP KICK IT UP A NOTCH.
DO YOU KNIT OR CROCHET?
The Dorcas Circle is looking for people to Share
their talent and make shawls for our Prayer Shawl Ministry. The Dorcas Circle
will provide yarn for your project, you provide the talent and prayers as you
knit or crochet! Please contact Florence Hustad or Charlotte Arthurton for more
information.
A Hug is a perfect gift.
One size fits all. And nobody minds if you exchange it.
Spotlight on Hymns
“Seek Ye First” WOV #783
Seek ye
first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness,
And all these things shall be added unto you.
Allelu, alleluia.
Karen Lafferty, b. 1948
Born and raised in
Alamogordo, New Mexico, Karen Lafferty is probably best known in the Christian
world as the author of the scripture chorus "Seek Ye First." This
chorus, and its message, has been key in opening doors for Karen around the
world and is found in most major hymnals today. Karen's public performance
began during her teenage years as she participated in musical groups ranging
from folk and rock groups to marching band, stage band, orchestra, choir and
solo performances. She received the majority of her formal musical training at
Eastern New Mexico University earning a Bachelor of Music Education.
Karen became active in
her church, Calvary Chapel, in Costa Mesa, California, and spent her first
years in ministry with the Christian recording company Maranatha! Music, which
was an outgrowth of Calvary Chapel. There she recorded four albums.
As she began to have
invitations to share her music outside the USA, she began to see the incredible
potential that contemporary Christian music had in reaching youth around the
world. After completing missionary training in Holland with Youth With A
Mission (YWAM) Karen founded Musicians For Missions International (MFMI) in
1981 as a part of YWAM in Amsterdam, Holland.
For more than two
decades Karen has concentrated her energies on developing MFMI. She has led
many multinational music teams on tours in more than 50 countries; held
numerous music seminars and short term outreaches for musicians, launched a
"School of Music In Missions" as part of YWAM's University of the
Nations and produced or assisted with many recordings in several languages.
While living in Amsterdam, she and the MFMI staff musicians were regularly
involved with ministry to prostitutes and street people.
In 1995 after leading
the first "School of Music in Missions" in Amsterdam, Karen felt she
needed to return to the US to help her elderly parents. She relocated to Santa
Fe, New Mexico and incorporated YWAM Santa Fe to be the new home for Musicians
For Missions International. Although Karen has become very involved with local
Santa Fe churches, her call to the nations remains strong. She is still a world
traveling troubadour who loves to share the Love of Jesus through music. Her
latest recording "Multitudes - The Sound of Many Nations" is a
reflection of her life's work with musicians from many nations.
“Seek Ye First” is one
of our favorite hymns and is planned as the sending hymn for the February 15
service.
Source: http://www.musiciansformissions.com/history/founder.php Submitted by Leslie Atkins
Mardi Gras' Christian Roots
Mardi Gras, literally "Fat Tuesday," has
grown in popularity in recent years as a raucous, sometimes hedonistic event.
But its roots lie in the Christian calendar, as the "last hurrah"
before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. That's why the enormous party in New Orleans,
for example, ends abruptly at midnight on Tuesday, with battalions of
streetsweepers pushing the crowds out of the French Quarter towards home.
What is
less known about Mardi Gras is its relation to the Christmas season, through
the ordinary-time interlude known in many Catholic cultures as Carnival.
(Ordinary time, in the Christian calendar, refers to the normal
"ordering" of time outside of the Advent/Christmas or Lent/Easter
seasons.)
Carnival comes
from the Latin words carne vale,
meaning "farewell to the flesh." Like many Christian holidays and
seasonal celebrations, it likely has its roots in pre-Christian traditions
based on the seasons. Some believe the festival represented the few days added
to the lunar calendar to make it coincide with the solar calendar; since these
days were outside the calendar, rules and customs were not obeyed. Others see
it as a late-winter celebration designed to welcome the coming spring. As early
as the middle of the second century, the Romans observed a Fast of 40 Days,
which was preceded by a brief season of feasting, costumes and merrymaking.
The Carnival season kicks off with the Epiphany,
also known as Twelfth Night, Three Kings' Day and, in the Eastern churches,
Theophany. Epiphany, which falls on January 6th, 12 days after Christmas,
celebrates the visit of the Wise Men bearing gifts for the infant Jesus. In
cultures that celebrate Carnival, Epiphany kicks off a series of parties
leading up to Mardi Gras.
Epiphany is also traditionally when celebrants
serve King's Cake, a custom that began in France in the 12th century. Legend
has it that the cakes were made in a circle to represent the circular routes
that the Wise Men took to find Jesus, in order to confuse King Herod and foil
his plans of killing the Christ Child. In the early days, a coin or bean was
hidden inside the cake, and whoever found the item was said to have good luck
in the coming year. In Louisiana, bakers now put a small baby, representing the
Christ Child, in the cake; the recipient is then expected to host the next King
Cake party.
Eventually
the French in New Orleans celebrated Mardi Gras with masked balls and parties,
until the Spanish government took over in the mid-1700s and banned the
celebrations. The ban continued even after the U.S. government acquired the
land but the celebrations resumed in 1827. The official colors of Mardi Gras,
with their roots in Catholicism, were chosen 10 years later: purple, a symbol
of justice; green, representing faith; and gold, to signify power.
Mardi Gras literally
means "Fat Tuesday" in French. The name comes from the tradition of
slaughtering and feasting upon a fattened calf on the last day of Carnival. The
day is also known as Shrove Tuesday (from "to shrive," or hear
confessions), Pancake Tuesday and fetter Dienstag. The custom of making
pancakes comes from the need to use up fat, eggs and dairy before the fasting
and abstinence of Lent begins.
The reasons for the
great variation in Mardi Gras day can be explained by the custom of aligning
the occurrence Easter Sunday and then Ash Wednesday and Mardi Gras annually
with the Sun and the spring full moon. Many are surprised to learn that Easter
Sunday is determined by planetary alignment.
The first
day of spring for those of us who live above the Equator is usually March 21st.
This Spring or Vernal Equinox is the first day of the year when night is not
longer than day. From this point forward in our calendar the sun will shine
longer tomorrow than today, until three months later when the longest day of
the year will arrive. Summer Solstice almost always occurs on June 21.
Easter can fall on any Sunday from March 23rd
to April 25th because it set to fall on the first Sunday succeeding
the first full moon after the Spring Equinox. First day of Lent, Ash
Wednesday is a function of 40 weekdays plus seven Sundays prior to Easter.
Since Ash Wednesday falls on February 25th this year, Mardi Gras
will end at midnight on February 24th.
Sources: http://www.theholidayspot.com/ash_wednesday/
http://www.cin.org/users/james/files/ash_wed.htm
http://www.carnaval.com/cityguides/dating.htm
http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/MardiGras/default.asp
Submitted by Leslie Atkins
Transition Team Meeting
January 14, 2004
Carlton Hills Evangelical Lutheran Church Members
present: Bob Metz, Pastor Frank Gearhart,Tim Hustad, Dee Ryden, Darrel Timan,
Susan Ellison, Joi Comstock and Jim Thomas.
The Rev. Dr. Gordon Peterson, Assitant to the
Bishop for Reconciliation and Discipleship, led us in a well structured meeting
discussing five developmental tasks for interim ministry. They are:
1. Coming
to Terms with History
2. Discovering
a New Identity
3. Dealing
with Shifts in Power
4. Strengthening
Denominational Ties
5. Commitment
to New Leadership
We were comforted by the fact that we have an
expert in this situation from the Bishop’s office to help us pursue our goals
in a logical, attainable manner.
We will meet again in approximately two weeks.
"Is It I, Lord?"
Do you remember reading the articles regarding the
Stephen Ministry in the Echo a couple of months ago? They were on the pros and
cons of either being, or needing, a Stephen Minister. Did you read the
articles with interest, or pass over them after seeing the title? I'd like to
pass along a little more "fodder" for you to think on. Training
classes for new Stephen Ministers will begin in April. We will actively start
"recruiting" in March. If the articles provoked a spark of interest,
got you thinking about joining us, or maybe needing us, let me plant another
seed or two. Talk to a Stephen Minister. You know them all: Bill Blue, Carol
Davidson, Ed Teichner, Jim Thomas, and Ellie Timan. Talk to Pastor Frank or
Pastor Rick. Better yet, talk to God, and listen to what He says. We sang a
hymn in church recently that we should all take to heart in our church life.
"Is it I, Lord? I will go, Lord. I have heard you crying in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you need me. I will hold your people in my heart."
We are all at a crossroads in our chuch life, and there are many changes ahead
here at CHLC. Whether it be Stephen Ministry, or another task God is calling
us to do, now is the time we need to heed the words of that hymn. Is it I,
Lord? I will go, Lord, if You lead me.
How will we answer?
CHURCH COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS
JANUARY 2004
Pastor Frank is
still helping us deal with the congregation’s grief for Pastor Mark We assisted
him in a test to determine the extent of our healing.
Consecration Sunday
will be held February 22nd. There will be three Sunday programs leading up to
Consecration Sunday - Faith, Hope and Love. Pastor Frank will preach on the
theme of Faith on February 8th. Pastor Tom Dudley, our Synod Stewardship leader
will preach on Hope on February 15th, and Pastor Karen Parker from the Synod
will speak on Love on February 22nd. The congregation will sign an “estimate of
giving” card at church and they will place it on the altar. Dorcas Circle will
furnish brunch to the congregation following service. While in the Acts Center,
members can fill out their time and talent sheets. The youth will decorate the
church and Acts Center. It is requested that all members attend this very important
three-week program.
Jan Neuhaus will be
returning as music and choir director. It will be good to have her back.
Plans were made for
the Lenten Season. Ash Wednesday is February 25th, with services at 7 p.m. Soup
and salad dinners will be held the following five Wednesdays prior to service.
Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services will be held at 7 p.m. Easter Sunday
service will be held April 11th, with an Easter egg hunt and a brunch. It was
decided to have a “30 Pieces of Silver” special Lenten Self-Denial offering. We
will ask members to deny themselves something for Lent and place the cost of
that item in a furnished bag (each time they would want it) to collect for the
term of Lent. On Palm Sunday all these bags of coins (and we do want coins) will
be brought in by members to the service. We are hoping for $30.00 per person
(not family), with every man, woman and child participating. Nancy Funick will
make the bags. A percentage will go to Santee Food Bank and to Synod
benevolence, which we are behind in payments to. The balance will go to the
general fund to assist us with our debts.
The annual
congregational meeting will be held on Sunday, February 15th following service.
Please make plans to attend. Installation of church council officers will be held
the same day.
These are very busy
times for our church, and we look forward to your participation.
Respectfully submitted,
Marie Freeman
Council Secretary
+++REMEMBER IN PRAYER
those who are affected by anxiety, depression, guilt, grief, loneliness,
poverty, illness and in need of God’s healing and loving touch:
Friends: Arnold, Glen,
Kathy, Patty, Fred, Helen
Members: Crystal & Rod
Boisvert, Arlean Lane, Laura Kramer, Norie Feltner, Ralph Beyer, Joseph &
Gertrude Geiler, Gunda Richardson, Grace Otto, Judy Johnston, Ed & Marge
Whitehead, Elsie Erion, Linda Tomsick, Cole & Marie Freeman, Betty Keehn,
Charlotte Kimbrough, Marty Freer, Arnold Flurry, Jan, Erin, Andrew Neuhaus
& family.
NOTE: We currently have two prayer chains that can
be easily activated by calling Mary Thomas, Prayer Chain Coordinator,
334-6457(note this is her new number).
Texts for the Sundays
in January:
Feb 1st/ 4th
Sunday after the Epiphany
Jer 1:4-10, 1 Cor 13:1-13, Luke 4:21-30
Feb 8th/ 5th
Sunday after the Epiphany
Isa 6:1-13, 1 Cor 15:1-11, Luke 5:1-11
Feb 15th/ 6th
Sunday after the Epiphany
Jer 17:5-10, 1 Cor 15:12-20, Luke 6:17-26
Feb 22nd/ Transfiguration
of Our Lord
Exod 34:29-35, 2 Cor 3:12-4:2, Luke 9:28-43
Feb 29th/ 1st
Sunday of Lent
Deut 26:1-11, Rom 10:8b-13, Luke 4:1-13
SR. FELLOWSHIP meets at the Jamacha Junction, 777
Jamacha Rd, El Cajon at 11:30 a.m., Tuesday, February 10th. Join in
for some good food and wonderful fellowship. For more information call either
Grace Otto, 440-2456 or Nancy Funick, 561-7823.
February
Anniversaries
18/ Robert & Laura
Graef
February Birthdays
3/ Gerry Nelson
4/ Cole
Freeman
6/ Trudy
Handley
7/ Carole
Dixon
13/ Jan
Neuhaus
Wendy
Watson
14/ Shawna
Bagalini
Mark
Swathwood
16/ Frank
Steirer
17/ Norma
Borgeson
21/ Michael
Huber
22/ Vernette
Berger
Lorraine
Beyer
Grace Otto
23/ Rusty
Kellison
24/ Steve
Lane
February
Ministers
Acolyte: TBA
Assist.
Minister:
Leslie Atkins
Coffee
Fellowship:
1/ 8/ 15/ 22/ 29/ Stephen Ministers 11/ 18/ 25 / Nancy Funick, Laura
Vaughan, Janice Davis et. al.
Communion
Assist.:
Laura & Mandy Vaughan
Communion
Care:
Lyn & Charlotte Arthurton
Edgemoor
Hospital Worship:
22/ Florence Hustad
Greeters:
1/ 8/
Lyn & Charlotte Arthurton 15/ 22/ 29/ Marie & Cole Freeman
Lector: 1/ 8/ Kathleen Darland 15/
22/ 29/ Ben Timan
Nursery:
TBA
Sound: 1/ Neil Johnson 8/ TBA 15/
Randy Catron 22/ Neil Johnson 29/ TBA
Stephen
Minister of the Day: 1/ Ed Teichner 8/ Jim Thomas 15/ Bill Blue 22/ Carol Davidson
29/ Ellie Timan
Ushers:
Tom
Insel, June
Webb, Hi-Youth, Randie & Ericka Davis, Molly Lisowsky
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Financial Status
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January
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2003
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2004
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Attendance/wk
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126
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106
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Giving
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$9,068
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$8,939
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Schools/misc
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$2,056
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$2,056
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Clearing Acct.
loan
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$1,459
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$0
|
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Total Income
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$12,583
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$10,995
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Budget
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$12,583
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$14,500
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Deficit
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$0
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$3,505
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Our Sympathy To:
Bonnie (Brunk) Lawrence, Betty Pendergast and
family, whose husband, son-in-law and father, Robert Lawrence, 55, passed away
Saturday, January 24th of Cancer.
Moving:
Gertie Geiler and her husband Joe are moving to
South Carolina. Their new address:
120
Whispering Hills Lane
Chesnee, SC 29323
