Grace Lutheran Church

Following is a copy of a letter sent to the brothers and sisters in Christ at Pinnacle Lutheran Church in Henrietta, New York.

July 15, 2008

Dear Brothers and Sisters of Pinnacle,

I am returning to you the Divine Call you have extended to me to be your pastor. I have greatly appreciated your hospitality as you opened your hearts for my family and myself. During my visits I witnessed the wonderful people of Pinnacle capturing a vision for reaching out into the community with the good news of Jesus. I do not want anyone wondering if he said something wrong because every person I met at Pinnacle was gracious, kind, and extended words of peace and encouragement.

I have found it very difficult in deliberating over the Divine Call that you issued to me to be your pastor. Awareness of your need for a pastor has been present in many of my thoughts, and I have struggled to discern if I am to be your pastor. I believe that I am a young, dynamic, exciting shepherd who is able to share my joy to people of every generation. I find in myself many of the qualities that would help serve the people of Pinnacle and the community of Henrietta. It is the match of my gifts with your need for a pastor that made the discernment process so difficult. Read the rest of this entry »

+ In Nomine Jesu +
The Rev. Evan Gaertner
July 13, 2008
Proper 10A
“The Powerful Word”
Matthew 13:1-9,18-23

There are certain stories in the Bible that for a long time it was expected that people just knew. The number of Bible stories that people know now are decreasing and even when we do know the stories we may be forgetting the impact these stories had in Jesus’ time and should still have in our time.

Jesus used stories to share the greatness of the kingdom of God with others. His stories often were about simple events that people were experiencing in their everyday lives. The power of the stories he told were in how he redefined for the people their relationship to God and how they were to relate to one another. Today the parable of the sower is the story for us to consider.

The story is about the planting of seeds. Can you imagine a meeting in Hollywood with a writer trying to convince a producer about how he has this great story about a guy that plants seeds. This story will revolutionize the way we think. I don’t know how that pitch meeting would go. But it is interesting that after Jesus tells this story the disciples ask, “Huh? Why do you speak to the people in parables?” Read the rest of this entry »

A blood pressure clinic will be held on Sunday during the 10:00 a.m. coffee fellowship. Look for us where the coffee is being served and have your blood pressure checked for free.

There is a VBS planning meeting after the worship service on Sunday. If you are interested in helping but cannot attend the meeting, please contact the Randy Broeker.

Grace Ladies picnic is this Tuesday, July 15 at 6:00 at the home of Dorothy Kew. Dessert and beverages will be provided, just bring a dish to pass. All women are welcome, come bring a friend. Rain location will be at church.

The Wednesday Morning Bible Study is starting a new topic this week, “Angels and Demons.” Please join us at 9:30 a.m.

Vacation Bible school is coming soon! Christi Gaertner is looking for volunteers willing to pass out fliers to houses in the neighborhood promoting VBS. Please see her to pick up a map and a bag of fliers. Fliers should be distributed anytime between now and Saturday, July 19. VBS is a great way to tell kids about Jesus, and you can help spread the Good News.

From now until Labor Day, there will be a box in the narthex for our SOCK and UNDERWEAR collection. We will collect all sizes of undergarments and socks to be distributed in the fall by the Community Mission and our city’s school nurses. ONLY NEW ITEMS CAN BE ACCEPTED. This is one of our most appreciated collections. Last summer we collected 272 items and they were distributed within a week! Please remember this project as you shop this summer. Your help is needed.

Youth entering grades 7 through 12 are invited to attend this summer’s only Backyard Bible Study on Thursday, July 17 from 7-8 p.m. It’s at the home of Jordan and Jake Dixon, 180 Colonial Dr. East on Grand Island. Invite your friends to this free event.

Be sure to check your family mailbox, in the chapel area. The July-August Gleanings is published. Also check out the church’s website. You can see a calendar of all the church happenings, read the sermons, request a prayer and read the announcements. Take a look! www.gracenf.org

Through you contributions to the mission fund at Grace, we reach out and support different missions locally, nationally, and international. Lutheran Campus Ministries is the special mission for the month of July.

THIS WEEK AT GRACE

SUNDAY

9:00 a.m. Morning Prayer Service

10:00 a.m. Coffee Fellowship

10:30 a.m. Worship Service

11:30 a.m. Blood Pressure Clinic

11:30 a.m. VBS Planning Meeting

MONDAY

6:30 p.m. Community AA Meeting

6:30 p.m. Elders’ Meeting

TUESDAY

6:00 p.m. Grace Ladies Picnic @ Kew’s

WEDNESDAY

9:30 a.m. Bible Study

10:30 a.m. Craft Group

5:30 p.m. Choir Picnic

THURSDAY

7:00 p.m. Youth Backyard Bible Study

SATURDAY

5:00 p.m. Communion Worship

NEXT SUNDAY

9:00 a.m. Morning Prayer Service

10:00 a.m. Coffee Fellowship

10:30 a.m. Communion Worship Service

Vacation Bible school is coming soon! Christi Gaertner is looking for volunteers willing to pass out fliers to houses in the neighborhood promoting VBS. Please see her to pick up a map and a bag of fliers. Fliers should be distributed anytime between now and Saturday, July 19. VBS is a great way to tell kids about Jesus, and you can help spread the Good News.

The blood pressure clinic will be held next Sunday, July 13, during the 10:00 a.m. coffee fellowship. Look for us where the coffee is being served and have your blood pressure checked for free.

Come one! Come all! The Grace Lutheran Youth group is having a hot dog sale at Walmart this Saturday, July 12^th from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 or 4:00 p.m. Stop by for a hot dog or a pop. Youth who participate will split the proceeds and replenish their personal youth group account.

Youth entering grades 7 through 12 are invited to attend this summer’s only Backyard Bible Study on Thursday, July 17 from 7-8 p.m. It’s at the home of Jordan and Jake Dixon, 180 Colonial Dr. East on Grand Island. Invite your friends to this free event.

There is a change of date for the Grace Ladies picnic. It will be held on Tuesday, July 15 at 6:00 at the home of Dorothy Kew. Dessert and beverages will be provided, just bring a dish to pass. All women are welcome, come bring a friend. Date location will be at church.

From now until Labor Day, there will be a box in the narthex for our SOCK and UNDERWEAR collection. We will collect all sizes of undergarments and socks to be distributed in the fall by the Community Mission and our city’s school nurses. ONLY NEW ITEMS CAN BE ACCEPTED. This is one of our most appreciated collections. Last summer we collected 272 items and they were distributed within a week! Please remember this project as you shop this summer. Your help is needed.

Bill and Connie Winter need a ride from the bus stop (near Old Country Buffet) to church this summer. They need to be picked up between 9:30 a.m. and 10:10 a.m. Please sign up with Christi if you can help once or twice this summer.

Be sure to check your family mailbox, in the chapel area. The July-August Gleanings is published. Also check out the church’s website. You can see a calendar of all the church happenings, read the sermons, request a prayer and read the announcements. Take a look! www.gracenf.org

Through the LCEF Joyful Response program our church can receive electronic payments directly from personal bank accounts or LCEF Steward Accounts. It is simple, safe, convenient, and stewardship-minded. This is a wonderful program to help you support the ministry of Grace Lutheran Church during the summer when you might be away camping. Interested? Talk to Jon Lehning.

Through you contributions to the mission fund at Grace, we reach out and support different missions locally, nationally, and international. Lutheran Campus Ministries is the special mission for the month of July.

THIS WEEK AT GRACE

SUNDAY

9:30 a.m. Morning Prayer Service

10:00 a.m. Chiavetta’s Planning Meeting

10:30 a.m. Communion Worship Service

MONDAY

6:30 p.m. Community AA Meeting

WEDNESDAY

10:00 a.m. Craft Group

SATURDAY

10-4 Youth Hotdog Sale at Wal-Mart

5:00 p.m. Communion Worship

NEXT SUNDAY

9:30 a.m. Morning Prayer Service

10:00 a.m. Coffee Fellowship

10:00 a.m. Blood Pressure Clinic

10:30 a.m. Worship Service

Summer Sunday School has started for Pre K through grade 4. After the Children’s Message in the Worship Service, Laura Lehning and Cathy Hoffman will take the children downstairs for Bible stories and other fun activities. The children will be returned to their parents before the service is over.

Bill and Connie Winter need a ride from the bus stop (near Old Country Buffet) to church this summer. They need to be picked up between 9:30 a.m. and 10:10 a.m. Please sign up with Christi if you can help once or twice this summer.

Youth in grades 6-12 are invited to a Photo Scavenger Hunt on Monday, June 30. Meet at 4:00 p.m. at the home of Zach and Adrienne Tilton, 712 88^th St., right across from the church parking lot. We’ll split into teams (probably by grade) and start looking for photos to take. For example, can you take a picture of your team with a person wearing a hard hat? We’ll end with pizza at the Tilton’s house and be done around 7:00 p.m. Invite your friends to this free event. Speak to Christi if you can be an adult driver for this event.

From now until Labor Day, there will be a box in the narthex for our SOCK and UNDERWEAR collection. We will collect all sizes of undergarments and socks to be distributed in the fall by the Community Mission and our city’s school nurses. ONLY NEW ITEMS CAN BE ACCEPTED. This is one of our most appreciated collections. Last summer we collected 272 items and they were distributed within a week! Please remember this project as you shop this summer. Your help is needed.

Needed: VBS Volunteers!

This summer’s VBS entitled Friendship Trek: Jesus, Our Forever Friend is scheduled for the week of July 21-25, and will be held in the evening, beginning with a simple supper at 5:30 and ending nightly at 8 pm. Anyone interested in helping us bring the wonderful word of God to the young people of our community please contact the church office at 283-1843 so we may contact you. Together we can make a difference. Registration forms can be found in the chapel or online.

Be sure to check your family mailbox, in the chapel area. The July-August Gleanings is published. Also check out the church’s website. You can see a calendar of all the church happenings, read the sermons, request a prayer and read the announcements. Take a look! www.gracenf.org

Through the LCEF Joyful Response program our church can receive electronic payments directly from personal bank accounts or LCEF Steward Accounts. It is simple, safe, convenient, and stewardship-minded. This is a wonderful program to help you support the ministry of Grace Lutheran Church during the summer when you might be away camping. Interested? Talk to Jon Lehning.

THIS WEEK AT GRACE

SUNDAY

9:30 a.m. Morning Prayer Service

10:00 a.m. Coffee Fellowship

10:30 a.m. Communion Worship Service

MONDAY

4-7:00 p.m. Youth Photo Scavenger Hunt

6:30 p.m. Community AA Meeting

WEDNESDAY

9:30 a.m. Bible Study

10:30 a.m. Craft Group

SATURDAY

5:00 p.m. Communion Worship

NEXT SUNDAY

9:30 a.m. Morning Prayer Service

10:00 a.m. Coffee Fellowship

10:00 a.m. Chiavetta’s Planning Meeting

10:30 a.m. Communion Worship Service

+ In Nomine Jesu +
The Rev. Evan Gaertner
Proper 8A
Jeremiah 28:5-9
“Surviving Conflict”

Last week I shared in the sermon Jeremiah’s personal struggle with how to be a prophet for the Lord when he faced so much conflict in his faith. We found that Jeremiah did not get a lot of answers to all of his questions, but he did get one very important answer from the Lord, “I will be with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.” With the confidence that the Lord would be present in his life Jeremiah went forward by the grace of God.

So if last week we searched for how Jeremiah handled his conflicts with God, this week we are going to search for how Jeremiah handled the conflicts he had with people that opposed his message.

I had looked at our lesson from Jeremiah and struggled with how I could bring the points of this lesson to play in our lives today. After all it is a story about Jeremiah wearing a yoke around his neck talking to Hananiah a false prophet who was telling Jeremiah he was wrong. I did not want this sermon to become a Biblical history lesson. I found how another pastor has outlined a sermon on this text and thought that his approach fit with my desire to bring Jeremiah’s conflict to play with our own struggles today. The basic outline for this sermon will be to look at how Jeremiah dealt with Hananiah as a model for own behavior when involved in a conflict with another person. Read the rest of this entry »

Dear Saints of Grace,

The beautiful outdoors are wonderful in Western New York during the summer. Many people would like summer to start earlier for certain but what summer we do receive is gorgeous. But a challenge comes up during the summer, how do we squeeze everything we want to do into such a tight time frame? There are so many places and events to get out and enjoy.

Hanover, New Jersey has been asked by the Hanover Township Interreligious Council to not make available its fields for sports on Sundays. The officials praised the pastors for their proposal but questioned its feasibility, answering that they do not have enough fields or time to schedule all the games and practices without utilizing Sunday. One official suggested to not allow scheduling of games until after 12:30pm.

It is becoming clear throughout our country that many leagues do not even make the attempt to avoid scheduling games or practices on Sunday mornings. In some homes the message becomes “attending church is important unless it conflicts with…” Read the rest of this entry »

+ In Nomine Jesu +
The Rev. Evan Gaertner
Proper 7A
June 22, 2008
Jeremiah 20:7-13
“Lord, What Were You Thinking?!?”

It can be difficult to handle the waterfall of frustrating, disappointing, sad, unbearable news that can seem to swirl around us. Good moments happen for all of us but there just seems to be a drumbeat of bad stuff that at times appears to become the rhythm of life.

How do we handle those times when we want to just say, “Lord, What Were You Thinking?” Lord what were you thinking giving cancer to someone in their twenties. Lord what were you thinking bringing the death of someone loved and cared for by so many. Lord what were you thinking putting our soldiers into such a difficult situation. Lord what were you thinking indeed. I have these moments when not everything makes sense and not all of the puzzle pieces seem to match the picture that I have of the ways things are supposed to be. Read the rest of this entry »

Announcements

Please stay after the 10:30am for a Voters’ Meeting. The agenda includes election of officers and Pastor Gaertner explaining the call to ministry he has received from Pinnacle Lutheran Church, Henrietta, New York.

The summer coffee fellowship needs a coordinator. If willing to help out please contact the church office.

Summer Sunday School will starts today for Pre K through grade 4. After the Children’s Message in the Worship Service, Laura Lehning and Cathy Hoffman will take the children downstairs for Bible stories and other fun activities. The children will be returned to their parents before the service is over.

Bill and Connie Winter need a ride from the bus stop (near Old Country Buffet) to church this summer. They need to be picked up between 9:30 a.m. and 10:10 a.m. Please sign up with Christi if you can help once or twice this summer.

Youth in grades 6-12 are invited to a Photo Scavenger Hunt on Monday, June 30. Meet at 4:00 p.m. at the home of Zach and Adrienne Tilton, 712 88^th St., right across from the church parking lot. We’ll split into teams (probably by grade) and start looking for photos to take. For example, can you take a picture of your team with a person wearing a hard hat? We’ll end with pizza at the Tilton’s house and be done around 7:00 p.m. Invite your friends to this free event. Speak to Christi if you can be an adult driver for this event.

From now until Labor Day, there will be a box in the narthex for our SOCK and UNDERWEAR collection. We will collect all sizes of undergarments and socks to be distributed in the fall by the Community Mission and our city’s school nurses. ONLY NEW ITEMS CAN BE ACCEPTED. This is one of our most appreciated collections. Last summer we collected 272 items and they were distributed within a week! Please remember this project as you shop this summer. Your help is needed.

Needed: VBS Volunteers!

This summer’s VBS entitled Friendship Trek: Jesus, Our Forever Friend is scheduled for the week of July 21-25, and will be held in the evening, beginning with a simple supper at 5:30 and ending nightly at 8 pm. Anyone interested in helping us bring the wonderful word of God to the young people of our community please contact the church office at 283-1843 so we may contact you. Together we can make a difference. Registration forms can be found in the chapel or online.

THIS WEEK AT GRACE

SUNDAY

9:30 a.m. Morning Prayer Service

10:00 a.m. Coffee Fellowship

10:30 a.m. Worship Service

11:30 a.m. Congregational Voters’ Meeting

MONDAY

6:30 p.m. Community AA Meeting

TUESDAY

6:00 p.m. Grace Ladies Planning Meeting

WEDNESDAY

9:30 a.m. Bible Study

10:30 a.m. Craft Group

SATURDAY

5:00 p.m. Communion Worship

NEXT SUNDAY

9:30 a.m. Morning Prayer Service

10:00 a.m. Coffee Fellowship

10:30 a.m. Communion Worship Service

+ In Nomine Jesu +
The Rev. Evan Gaertner
Proper 6A
Romans 5:6-15
“Critical Care”
June 15, 2008

Recently on a radio show a guy called in very frustrated with Christianity. He said, “Why can Christians say this evil guy I know down my street suddenly be okay with God when this guy says he believes in Jesus, while over in India there can be this other guy that does not believe in Jesus but doing all these good things not be okay and be going to hell.”

The question of heaven and hell and who we are and how we view others are tough questions for Christians to get into with other people. These are tough questions because most of us do not want to act out of envy or pride when sharing our Christian faith with someone else. Because of the fear of appearing holy-than-thou, too prideful with our faith, we may find ourselves being silent at a critical moment.

It is a critical, essential opportunity when the Holy Spirit gives a person the opportunity to share her Christian faith with another person. Instead of being silent I do want to share my spirit filled confidence that by my faith in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior I am saved. I want to be able to share the transformative power that the forgiveness of sins and the love of Jesus brings to how I view myself and how I view others. I want to be able to share my joy in knowing that I am never alone but always in the protective, sheltering care of my Lord. Read the rest of this entry »