Open House October 24 - Epiphany Lutheran...

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Epiphany Lutheran Church – St. Louis, MO November 2015 Epiphany Lutheran Church November 2015 1 Open House – October 24 th Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers …” Hebrews 13:2 Thanks to all who made this a success. Who could you invite to our next Open House this spring?

Transcript of Open House October 24 - Epiphany Lutheran...

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Epiphany Lutheran Church – St. Louis, MO

November 2015

Epiphany Lutheran Church November 2015

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Open House – October 24th

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers …”

– Hebrews 13:2

Thanks to all who

made this a success.

Who could you invite

to our next Open House

this spring?

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Epiphany Lutheran Church – St. Louis, MO

November 2015

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Last month, God did many good things at Epiphany—too many to mention. But we could summarize them with just one word: hospitality. God offers His extravagant hospitality to us by welcoming us into His household through Jesus by the free and undeserved gift of His Spirit. We extend this welcome by opening our doors, our arms, and hearts to all people. We either welcome them as fellow members of God’s household, or as someone whom God wants to bring into His family through faith in Jesus. It’s really that simple. And so the New Testament calls us to practice hospitality:

“Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality” (Rom. 12.13).

“Show hospitality to one another without grumbling” (1 Peter 4.9).

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers” (Hebrews 13.2).

God gave us many opportunities to put hospitality into practice in October. By His Spirit, we walked in them together.

Our youth and chaperones enjoyed and shared the hospitality of the Missouri District and Camp Windermere staff at the Youth Retreat—watch the video here: https://youtu.be/iiKn1V0DuAg

We worked together to welcome visitors during our Open House.

We took God’s hospitality on the road by packing over 100 Blessing Bags to distribute to people in need (Have you given away all your bags? Stop by the church office to restock).

About 200 people stopped for a potty break at our Hallow’s Eve Hospitality Hut, with over 2,000 people walking past our sanctuary and seeing a simple, but tangible demonstration of God’s concern for them.

I give thanks to God, our Father, for His gracious

welcome through Jesus, which is extending

through you and into our community.

Pastor Zeigler

This is Nathan. He was the 100th person to use the potty. He won a complimentary can of 7-Up. He was galactically grateful for the pit-stop.

Youth Retreat

Open House

Blessing Bags

Hospitality Hut

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Epiphany Lutheran Church – St. Louis, MO

November 2015

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Christian Fellowship & Formation

Sunday School Snapshot

DATE LESSON ACTIVITY

Nov 1 Greatest Hits Bringing the Bible to Life

Nov. 8 The Lord’s Supper

Holy Communion and the Holy Community

Nov 15 The King is Coming

Advent Stained Glass

Nov 22 4th Sunday Fellowship Potluck

Nov 29 The King is Coming

Advent Stained Glass

Men’s Tuesday Morning Bible Study and Fellowship at Panera on Loughborough & I-55 6:30 a.m., every Tuesday

Epiphany 101 Refresh your understanding of the Faith. Led by Pastor Zeigler in the lower level meeting room.

Thurs. Morning Bible Study & Fellowship 10:00 a.m. We’re learning to pray, mourn, complain,

sigh, sing, and celebrate to God through the Psalms.

Thanks to our Sunday School Teachers for helping us

put on the full Armor of God!

Wed. Women’s Bible Study & Fellowship 6:30 p.m. Contact Amy Zeigler or Desiree Stout.

Christian Wisdom with C.S. Lewis Atheist turned Christian apologist, C.S. Lewis is one of the best-loved authors in the last 100 years. This discussion will help bring his writings to life. Led by pastor-to-be, Eric Hauan in the fellowship hall.

New Sunday Morning Classes (starting Nov 8th)

Youth Bible Study & Fellowship Sunday mornings, led by Youth-and-Family Ministry Director, Paul Terral

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Epiphany Lutheran Church – St. Louis, MO

November 2015

Please notify the

church office of

any errors or

omissions.

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November

Coming Up: Nov. 8th – First Communion

Nov. 15th – Giving Tree set up (Christmas donations)

Nov. 22nd – Fourth Sunday Fellowship Potluck, 11 a.m.

Nov. 26th – Thanksgiving Day Worship, 9:30 a.m.

Dec. 2nd – Mid-week Advent Services (Dec 2, 9, 16) Dinner from 5:00 – 6:30 p.m.; Worship at 6:45

Dec. 5th – Decorate the Church, 9 a.m.

Dec. 13th – LWML Cookie Sale & Christmas Party

Dec. 24th – Children’s Program, 5:30 p.m. Christmas Eve Candlelight Service, 11 p.m.

Dec. 25th – Christmas Day Service, 9:30 a.m.

Jan. 9th – Take Down Christmas Decorations, 9 a.m.

8th Carol & Lynn Niemeier 27th Mark & Hiromi Senshu Slama

November

1st Nicki Vitale Addelynn Stout Michael Zeigler 3rd Marlene Kleffner 8th Sabrina Benson 11th Robert Reynolds 12th Emera Mueller 13th Rod Horton 14th Joe Krick 16th Alketa Mara 17th Jo-Ann Orr 26th Tony Spain Charleigh Williams Bill Yaeger 27th Keith Lund Tiffiny Gallo

December

1st John Tate Kathy Zickler Paul Gallo 2nd Michael Williams, Jr. Braden Vallejo

Hat, Mitten & Coat Drive for

Woerner Elementary & the Homeless!

During November and December, we

will collect new and gently used hats,

mittens and coats (sizes 5-14) for the

children of Woerner Elementary School.

We will also collect hats and gloves for

the homeless. Please place your items in

the labeled boxes in the narthex.

This is a great opportunity for those

who enjoy knitting and crocheting. Who

doesn’t appreciate a hat and pair of

mittens hand-made with love?

Please Note: Gently used, means no

holes and no stains … something you

would be happy for you, your child or

grandchild to wear. Thank you!

- Britney Hawk, Chairperson,

Board of Social Ministry

Congregational Meeting Highlights • 48 members attended. • The 2015 budget of $298,378 (4% increase) was approved. • Together In Mission commitment was raised to $4,000,

which includes support to 2 missionary families. • We praised God for our Open House, Youth Retreat,

and Blessing Bag effort.

Thank you to each person who took time to donate and

support this project. Special kudos to the ladies of the

Wednesday Night Bible Study Group, especially Amy

Zeigler, Britney Hawk, Tiffanie Schenone, Katy Schmitt,

and Meagan Spalding, who assisted with inventorying all

the donations and procuring additional items. Thanks to

Panera Bread (Susan Etter) for boxes of chips/apple

chips and to Pediatric Dentistry of Sunset Hills who

donated 30 toothbrushes! We can make a difference one

person, one bag, one smile at a time.

- Desiree Stout, Chairperson, Board of Evangelism

We made over 100 blessing bags!

Their value is much more than food

and personal care items. Put yourself

in that person’s shoes—sign in hand,

looking for help. We can’t begin to

grasp the circumstances that led them

here … but now, we are equipped to

seize this moment and demonstrate

Christ’s love to a neighbor in need.

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Epiphany Lutheran Church – St. Louis, MO

November 2015

Attendance

Week

of Sunday

Growth

in the

Word

10/4 104 24

10/11 83 32

10/18 106 36

10/25 116 50 (Potluck)

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Offerings

Our Stewardship

Week

of Sunday

Dedicated

Gifts

Other

Income

10/4 $2,469 $190.39 --

10/11 $2,591 $260 $80

10/18 $1,925.25 $430.47 $46

10/25 $2,950.36 $300 $457

Anyone interested in joining

our choir please join us

Sunday mornings, we’ll be

happy to have you.

May God warm your heart

to help us praise Him.

Talk to Greg Gastler for

more information.

Epiphany’s LWML will help you satisfy your

sweet tooth with their cookie sale on

Sunday, December 13th.

You can help by donating a batch of

your favorite cookies to be included in

the sale. The cost is $7 a pound and you

can pick what you want. They’ll be on

sale before and after church service that

morning and during the Christmas party.

Contact Shirley Frederich. In Sync Need another reason to join the choir?

Neuroscientists in Sweden discovered that

singers’ heartbeats tend to synchronize, which

leads to a sense of emotional calm and bonding.

“Joint action leads to joint perspectives,” write

the researchers. “In other words, singers may

change their egocentric perspective of the world

to a ‘we-perspective,’ which causes them to

perceive the world from the same point of view.”

So start singing — and enjoy the many benefits

and blessings of being part of a choir!

Take part in

beautifying our

sanctuary for

Christmas on Sat, Dec. 5th, 9 a.m.

All are welcome.

We especially need

able-bodied members

to hoist the tree.

Everyone is invited. Mark your calendar for our annual Christmas Potluck—Share-A-Gift Game, canned goods, & singing. Sponsored by Thrivent. Details to follow.

Christmas Party Sunday, December 13th

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Epiphany Lutheran Church – St. Louis, MO

November 2015

Homebound: Bonnie Crites Emilee Sutherlin Donna Reek Kurt & Kathy Zickler Dorothy Zickler

Epiphany Members - for God’s Grace, Health, & Healing: Carolyn Gluesenkamp Ron Diederichs Bonny Lang Rod Schury Kathy Zickler

Serving as Police Officers: Jonathan Baublitz (Desiree Stout’s brother) Andrew Kleffner Mark McMurry Adrian Patton Don Reynolds (Andrea’s husband)

Serving in the Military: Patrick Coil Paul Frederich (Shirley Frederich’s grandson) Jinming Lam Tyson Patton James Welch (Michele’s husband) David Wheeler (Judy Langdon’s son-in-law)

Date Time Elder Greeter(s) Acolyte

11/1 9.30 a.m. Rich Berg Johanna & Ron Armstrong Elise Zeigler

11/8 9.30 a.m. Bill Dorsam Judy Roeder Josiah Zeigler

11/15 9.30 a.m. Rod Horton Wil Degenhardt Jayme Gallo

11/22 9.30 a.m. Mike Meyer Barbara Troup

11/26 Thanksgiving

9.30 a.m. Chris Pfeuffer Lynn & George Goetz Brianna Meyer

11/29 9.30 a.m. Rich Berg Alketa Mara Alex Pfeuffer

Altar Guild Duty – Judy Marvin & Barb Troup

Serving in November

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(Information as of Wed., Nov. 4th. Please notify the office of any additions or removals.)

Prayer Chain: Contact Karen Slama

(314) 353.2396.

Bookmark Epiphany at

www.epiphany-stl.org

Would you like to have

a copy of the Sunday service?

We can make a DVD for you.

Call the office at (314) 752.7065).

Buttons! Buttons! Woerner Elementary needs your unused buttons! Deposit them in the Button Jar in the narthex. Any size, any color! Every little bit helps!

Beautify the chancel with poinsettias at

Christmas. Cost will be $8. Special envelopes

will be in the narthex later in the month.

Include your name and envelope number.

-- Altar Guild

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Epiphany Lutheran Church – St. Louis, MO

November 2015

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The Word on the Street

This last month, our Star correspondent visited with Lynn Dancha, a member at Epiphany for 53 years. We asked Lynn about her experience as a volunteer Reading Buddy & tutor for early elementary students. Over the last 13 years, Lynn has worked with kindergarten, first, and second grade students, mostly helping them with reading. Along the way, she got some good advice. One of the teachers told her, “Don’t worry about teaching the students. I’m their teacher. You be their mentor.”

Lynn mentored students at Hope Lutheran School in South City St. Louis until it closed in 2011. “I was sad to see Hope close,” she said. “It was a good school. Nice people. Good students.” Q: How did you get started with tutoring? A: I went to a two or three day OASIS class on tutoring. (OASIS is a national program for seniors that encourages healthy aging through life-long learning, active lifestyle, & community involvement). Q: What did the children call you? Ms. Lynn? Mrs. Dancha? A: I told them just to call me “Mrs. D.”

Lynn tutored at Hope Lutheran for 11 years. After it closed, she figured she was done.

Q: What got you interested to start again? A: I saw an announcement about volunteering at Woerner Elementary. Rich Berg put something about it in the Epiphany bulletin. I was already thinking about it since Woerner was so close. I decided to give it a try.

“Give it a try,” seems to be a life philosophy for Lynn. Q: How did you get started with Woerner? A: I just called up the principal and told her. I went over there and she took me to the teacher, Mrs. Fenton. She had a student for me.

Most of the students in the Reading Buddy program at Woerner need extra help, which other children normally

get at home. A Reading Buddy is typically assigned to just one student to work with over the course of the year.

Last year, Lynn’s student was Ariana. Q: How often did you read with Ariana? A: Twice a week, for half an hour each time.

Q: Is there some flexibility in the schedule? A: Yes. They don’t mind if you have to cancel sometimes. I call and tell them I can’t come if there’s snow. Q: What was Ariana like? A: She didn’t really want to be there. She kept saying she wanted to go with the other students. Then she would lay her head down on the table. Q: What did you do then? A: I just waited for her. If she didn’t respond, I would read to her. Sometimes I would read a word, then she would read a word. One time Mrs. Fenton asked me how she was doing. I told her that she would lay her head down and doesn’t seem interested. She told me, “Well, she’s in kindergarten. Don’t expect too much.” So I didn’t. Q: Did Ariana enjoy it when you read to her? A: Sometimes she did. Sometimes she didn’t. Then she would put her head down on the desk. Q: What books did you pick? A: I got all kinds of books out from the library. My favorite ones were Minnie and Moo—books about a couple of cows. I remember getting those at Hope. A few of the kids and I would laugh when I read them. They were funny. Q: Did Ariana like them? A: Not much. She would pick out a couple of books that she liked and would listen to them, but not too many. Q: Did she ever get excited when you came? A: No. Q: So she drudged through the whole year? A: Yes. I hope she’s doing better this year.

Continued next page …

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November 2015

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The Star is the monthly publication of Epiphany Lutheran Church

4045 Holly Hills Blvd. St. Louis, M O 63116

CONTACT US

Pastor Zeigler: [email protected] Church Office: [email protected] On the Web: www.epiphany-stl.org Mail: 4045 Holly Hills Blvd. St. Louis, Missouri 63116 Phone: (314) 752.7065 Fax: (314) 752.7065

November is

Food Pantry Month

During November, Epiphany is focusing its efforts on helping others by contributing to the food pantries at St. John’s, St. Trinity, Concordia Seminary, and Feed My People. All non-perishable food items are needed as well as personal care items. Monetary donations will allow the pantries to buy specific items that are not donated and are needed. Our schedule is: Nov. 1st Feed My People Nov. 8th St. John’s on Morganford Nov. 15th St. Trinity on Koeln Nov. 22th Concordia Seminary

Thanks so much for your help and generosity. - Board of Social Ministry

Interview with Lynn Dancha, continued from the prior page …

Q: After a year like that, you probably weren’t sure if you wanted to do it again. What brought you back? A: I thought I’d try it again. This time, I didn’t know I was going to be teaching writing … working with the alphabet. My daughter Christine got me this book they used at her school to teach kids writing. (Lynn’s daughter teaches at Stix Early Childhood Center, a St. Louis Public School near the Botanical Garden)

Lynn has now started her second year at Woerner. Currently, she’s working with a first grader named Alyiah

Q: What’s Alyiah like? A: She’s a talkative little girl … She likes to talk about all kinds of things, so sometimes I have to tell her to be quiet so we can focus. She does want to learn how to write. We go over the letters. Then she writes her own. She needs help with some letters. She really likes to talk. Q: Does Alyiah get excited when you come? A: She does. This last week the class was in the gym and the teacher told me to go down and get her. She saw me and came running and said, “Mrs. D!” Q: What advice would you give to someone thinking about being a Reading Buddy or tutor? A: Give it a try. If you don’t like it, you can stop. But you might like it. Just give it a try.

Lynn and Alyiah working on writing at Woerner Elementary

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Epiphany Lutheran Church – St. Louis, MO

November 2015

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