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Active in Faith
June 2015
Monthly publication for members and friends of
Faith Lutheran Church 4005 Palm Drive, Punta Gorda, FL 33950
941-639-6309 [email protected]
Pastor: Rev. Dana Alan Narring, MDiv
Mission and Vision Statement:
Empowering All People to Know Jesus Christ!
Weekly Bible Studies
Monday 10:30 AM: Women’s Bible study will resume in the fall.
Thursday – 10:30 to 11:30 AM – Pastor Clyde’s Thursday Bible class will resume in the fall.
Worship Services
Saturday 5:30 Praise and Worship Service
Sunday 9:30 Worship Service
“Our churches teach that the remembrance of
the saints is to be commended in order that
we imitate their faith and good works
according to our calling.”
Augsburg Confession 21.
June 14
June 21
Nativity of St. John the Baptist
June 24
Sts Peter and Paul, Apostles
June 29
St. Barnabas, Apostle
June 11
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More Significant Budget Cuts Coming Soon for Faith Lutheran . . . ?
We give Thee but Thine own, Whate’er the gift may be; All that we have is Thine alone, A trust, O Lord, from Thee.
May we Thy bounties thus, As stewards true receive; And gladly, as Thou blessest us, To Thee our first-fruits give!
(Luther Service Book, Hymn 781:1–2).
In many congregations these stanzas are sung every Sunday when the offerings of God’s faithful people are received. It’s sung as a reminder of who God is and who we are in relation to Him — of what God does for us and gives to us — and how we respond to His generosity.
In April, along with other approved budget cuts, our Board of Elders’ approved minutes shared this reality:
“ . . . if, by September 1st of 2015, the Church is still having problems meeting the Church Budget, there would be significant cuts in both payroll and expense accounts.”
We are stewards of God’s varied grace to us. As stewards we acknowledge that God owns all things and that every-thing in Heaven and on earth belongs to Him (1 Chron 29:14; Ps 24:1; Ps 100:3; 1 Cor 4:7; 1 Cor 6:19). Even we ourselves — all that we are and all that we have — are His. We are His because He created us, preserves us, redeemed us, and continually sanctifies us.
As the stewards of what He has done for us and given to us, we give of our first fruits to Him and His Church.
And the Lord receives them and presses them into a use all His own. He sanctifies it. He hallows it. He uses it to ensure that the Word of God is still preached among us. He uses it to ensure that there is water for Baptism, bread and wine for His Holy Supper. He uses what He gives to you and what you give back to Him for your good.
Everything that happens in the church is purchased with the giving of the saints from what God has provided them . . . ‘Holy-giving from holy people . . . ‘pressed into holy service.
But there’s more. For, our giving does not just make the liturgical life of the church possible. It’s not just the necessary means by which the vessels and sacramental elements, the hymn books, the pastor and staff are made available.
The giving of God’s stewards is part of the liturgy itself, part of the Divine Service. It is one of our responses within the liturgy where we, not just with words spoken or sung, but with deeds declare, live out and live in, “the
excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Pet 2:9)
Our offerings are part of God’s sanctifying work that He has us do in the Divine Service for the life of the world. That’s what makes our regular and heart-felt stewardship so precious and significant.
God hallows what we give and employs it to sanctify us and others.
And that is why we sing: “And gladly, as Thou blessest us, To Thee our first-fruits give!”
First-fruits giving . . . Is it too much to ask? Or, should there be more significant cuts? Both you and God know what those answers should be. May God bless your response to His generosity and His love in the days ahead.
In Christ,
Pastor Narring
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Wandering Editors’ Note
We have been wandering! Since we left Punta Gorda we have seen friends in Jacksonville, FL and
Crossville, TN and relatives in Jacksonville, NC and Fort Mill, SC. At the time of this writing we are
in Elkhart, IN to have some maintenance work completed on the trailer. Our prayers for you is that
God’s traveling mercies go with you. God willing we will be together for the winter. Return
restored and energized to serve Him at Faith.
Terry and Naomi Weslock
Editors
Board of Fellowship
Betty Pio and Carolie Brockmiller
Co-chairs
Altar Guild
If you have time to help
one weekend every few
months please call the
church office or Linda Daut
– 941-655-6993.
Ushers and readers are needed! Many
of the ushers have “retired” due to ill-
nesses or having moved. Please call
Jan Hubbell 815-922-9261.
The 2015 Flower Chart is on the
narthex bulletin board. Please fill
in the weekends you’d like to
sponsor flowers. If you leave for
the summer, feel free to also
sponsor during that time. If you
sponsor one ($26), or both ($52) of our Chancel
Flowers, note on your payment/check that it is for
flowers – This helps us deposit your funds into the
correct account. Thank you!
Everyone is invited to the Picnic in the Park
Date: June 14, 12 noon to 3pm
Place: Gilchrist Park
Committee will provide hamburgers, buns, and the condiments
Please bring a dish to pass. Sign up sheet is in the narthex.
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Board of Directors President – Robert Page Vice-President - Robert Hall Head Elder – Ralph Winkler Education – Terry Weslock Evangelism – Rev. Fred and Gloria Koehler Fellowship – Betty Pio and Carolie Brockmiller Missions – Margaret Andrews Stewardship – Carol Meyer Trustees – Steve Meyer Treasurer – Sam Jackson Recording Secretary – Kathy Winkler, Ted Naumann
Board of Elders Head Elder – Ralph Winkler Harvey Sterriker Roger Thalacker Frank Livingston Peter Daut Dick Lehman David Cope Richard Fasnacht Ken Johnson Mike Turkal Victor Gonzalez Gerry Misener Larry Berkel
Complete list of your officers.
President’s Message Members & Associate Members of Faith Lutheran Church, during the month of April we received $29,091 in revenue in Offerings & Tithes. This would represent $2,739 favorable for this one month. I do not have all the month end figures from our accounting company. May 1,2015 we closed on the sale of the parsonage to Mike Turkal. We received $84,703.32 after paying the real estate tax for the first four months of 2015. This money has been placed in the building fund for further principal payments on our mortgage. The BOD has approved the purchase of a storage building to accommodate the supplies and material we have in the parsonage garage. The building should be here in June so we can vacate the garage. The building will be placed in the last two parking spaces on the north side of Zalman Hall. The funds used to purchase were named from the Memorial Donations fund. I want to thank Kathy Winkler for volunteering for the position of Recording Secretary during the months she is here, and Ted Naumann for volunteering during the months Kathy is absent. I also want to thank Pat Fasnacht for volunteering to take over the usage of Zalman Hall, and to Flo Norsell for helping on this endeavor. The advertisement for Zalman Hall usage started in the Sunday Punta Gorda Herald on Friday, May 8, 2015 and will be in this magazine insert every Friday. We now have a graduation party booked for May 30, 2015. God bless,
Bob Page
President
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Lutheran Women’s Missionary League
Serve the Lord with gladness. Psalm 100:2
Naomi Weslock
President
Dates to remember: June 25-28: LWML Convention: Bountiful! Sow-Nourish-Reap, Des Moines, Iowa Info: www.lwml.org/events/ conven tions/2015-des-moines Sept. 26-28: Fall Retreat, St. Petersburg, FL Info: website given in the article Oct. 17: Fall Sarasota Zone Rally at Lutheran Church of the Cross, Port Charlotte (More information coming.)
Nov. 18: Meeting at Faith: 9:00 December 5: Cookie Walk (set up Dec. 6)
2016 Jan. 20: Meeting at Faith 9:00 Feb. 6: Flea Market (Set up Feb. 1-5) Feb. 17: Meeting at Faith 9:00 March 16: Meeting at Faith 9:00 April 20: Meeting at Faith 9:00 November 2: Meeting at Faith 9:00 November 12, 2016: Zone Rally: Faith Punta Gorda
Please keep Sam Sessa, our adopted seminarian, in your prayers as he studies for the ministry at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.
A place to get away from it all. What better place could you find then a
LWML District Retreat on the shores of the beautiful Gulf of Mexico. Sira-
ta Beach Resort, 5300 Gulf Blvd, St. Petersburg will be the site of the
2015 retreat. Single rooms, double-double or king, are $119 for up to four
people; studio rooms are $129 and one-bedroom suites are $139 per
night. They offer free Wi-Fi, free parking for one car per room, free coffee
and tea in room, free newspaper and free use of the exercise room. Day visitors will be charged
$15 parking. There are three eating locations, a store, and room service. Make your own reser-
vations by calling 1800-344-5999 and identify yourself as LWML. The rates are valid two days
before the retreat to two days following the retreat. Reservation deadline is Aug. 25, 2015. Early
Retreat registration is $125 per person and includes Saturday lunch and dinner. The registration
form is in this Evangel. Check our web site as it will be posted there. Great surroundings, great
music and entertainment, a great speaker, and of course a great officers’ skit
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I
said,
Our Keynote Speaker for our District Retreat is Donna Pyle. By God’s grace, Donna Pyle has a
passion for studying and teaching from His life-giving Word.
To register: www.flgalwml.com and click Evangel then “summer evangel” and go to page 9 for
registration form
Fall Retreat
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George and Carol Boehm 6/1 58 yrs.
James and Virginia Bowden 6/5 45 yrs.
Ken and Joanne Fladd 6/6 16 yrs.
Larry and Marcia Berkel 6/9 52 yrs.
Hal and Joyce Jandola 6/10 37 yrs.
Jim and Joyce Kolka 6/16 64 yrs.
Tom and Madeline Schminke 6/16 53 yrs.
Ron and Flo Norsell 6/18 55 yrs.
Bill and Bev Winslow 6/18 60 yrs.
John and Elfrieda Wuerz 6/21 57 yrs.
Ed and Pat Lehmann 6/25 67 yrs.
Lorne and Lois Niemann 6/25 55 yrs.
Don and Ruth Cavallini 6/29 46 yrs.
Christa Livingston 6/2
Ralph Misener 6/2
Barbara Wilts 6/2
Kathy Page 6/4
Ron Norsell 6/5
Jerry Metz 6/7
Will Puska 6/7
Frederic Vogelpohl 6/10
Fred Fulrmann 6/11
Mary Shenkenberg 6/14
Bill Holbrook 6/15
Erwin Vosberg 6/15
Gene Krentz 6/16
Ted Shenkenberg 6/16
Gladys Manley 6/17
George Buono 6/19
Richard Nicholas 6/25
Carol Renier 6/26
Janie Arnold 6/27
Bud Wolff 6/28
Marcia Berkel 6/30
Don Wiek
September 12, 1934 -
May 4, 2015
Wayne Shepard
August 10, 1927 -
-April 10, 2015
Robert Hall
June 23, 1938 -
May 24, 2015
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Date Ushers Reader
June 7, 2015 Stan Smith and Betty Pio
Dave and Shelly Cope Dave Cope
June 14, 2015 John and Lois Arens Dick and Lou Young
John Arens
June 21, 2015 Bob and Gladys Manley Sam Jackson and Bev Shutter
Dave Cope
June 28, 2015 Bob and Kathy Page
Ken and Virginia Johnson Kay Oetting
June Ushers and Readers Schedule
Unless indicated the Saturday ushers are Dick and Sandy Lehman and the reader is Dick Lehman.
View weekly announcements and calendar at: www.faithlutheranpg.com
The church’s office email address is: [email protected]
Summer church office hours are 9:00 am –12 noon Monday-Friday
Deadline for the July newsletter is June 22.
Please e-mail all announcements, articles and photos to
Editor will reserve the right to proofread and edit all articles for the monthly newsletter.
New
Hours
Dear Members of Faith,
With a heavy heart I say “Goodbye” to all you people at Faith, but since
my partner has gone to our Lord I feel the need to be near my family
who we did not have the foresight to raise in a warm climate. I will soon
be joining them in Minnesota.
So I leave grateful for your support and for having had you as my
church family and wishing you all the best of God’s blessings.
Bonnie Doeren
