PILGRIM LUTHERAN CHURCH

44 CHAPEL ROAD – KENMORE, NY 14217

(716) 875-5485

A Congregation in Mission, Community and Service

PILGRIM’S PROGRESS AUGUST 2015

PASTOR: Rev. Ben Eder SUNDAY SCHOOL: 9:00 AM

EDITOR: Mary Werth TUESDAY BIBLE STUDY: 9:30 AM

ASSOC. EDITOR: WORSHIP: 10:00 AM

God’s powerful Word The Bible contains about 800,000 words, depending on the translation. This is about four times as many words as are found in a book of average length. Although the Bible is so long and deals with the greatest themes that can engage the human mind, its vocabulary is singularly limited. It uses only 6,000 different words, a very small number compared to the 20,000 words that Shakespeare employed while writing his plays. Not only is the Bible’s vocabulary limited, but the average word in it contains only five letters. However, many of these short words are full of the deepest meanings and are worthy of earnest study. For example, consider these five-letter words: grace, peace, faith, saved, serve, glory and Jesus.

The Lausanne Covenant In 1974, some 2,300 Christians met in Lausanne, Switzerland. One positive result of that gathering was the covenant the body adopted: “We affirm our belief in the one-eternal God, Creator and Lord of the world, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who governs all things according to the purpose of his will. He has been calling out from the world a people for himself, and sending his people back into the world to be his servants and his witnesses, for the extension of his kingdom, the building up of Christ’s body and the glory of his name. “We confess with shame that we have often denied our calling and failed in our mission, by becoming conformed to the world or by withdrawing from it. Yet we rejoice that even when borne by earthen vessels the gospel is still a precious treasure. To the task of making that treasure known in the power of the Holy Spirit, we desire to dedicate ourselves anew.”

Praying twice According to legend, the early Christian theologian St. Augustine of Hippo said, “He who sings prays twice.” (The Latin wording is actually “He who sings well prays twice,” but more on that in a moment.) Singing, a common element of worship, is a handy way to help children pray. My 6-year-old, who loves to sing, was surprised and delighted when I told him a praise song he’d just learned could also be his bedtime prayer. He sings off-key, forgets some words and doesn’t want help from Mom; he just sings his little heart out. But what of older churchgoers who stay silent during hymns, fearful that they don’t sing well enough? Forget the Latin translation! Long before Augustine, a psalmist wrote, “Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands!” (Psalm 100:1, KJV; emphasis added). Why not pray twice today? —Heidi Mann

A prayer for our church Lord Jesus, we pray that you will somehow give us ears to hear, hearts to love and wills devoted to serve; that in the days to come this congregation may be known not for our glory but for thine alone - a congregation of people who know you; that this place may be an oasis, a place where people come to find out about you, where lives are straightened out and made whole, where people find the peace that passes understanding. Give us, we pray, a heart to desire these things above all else. We pray through Jesus Christ. Amen.

SUNDAY SERVER SCHEDULE

AUGUST 2015

DATE Aug. 2 Aug. 9 Aug. 16 Aug. 23 Aug. 30

READER Wes Wiers Tyrone Bryant

Carolyn Alessi

Mary Werth

Colvina Colvin

USHERS Pat Watkins

* Roger

Watkins

Naomi George

* Harvey Caldow

Jim O’Brien

* Gary Smith

Colvina Colvin

* Tyrone Bryant

Peggy Clark

* George Alessi

COMMUNION ASSISTANT

Gary Smith Jim O’Brien

Jack Hambridge

George Alessi

Frank Alessi

Sanka-what?!

Not Sanka — sanctification! From its Latin roots, this term is related to words such as holy, sacred and

saint. While classic Sanka coffee commercials boasted it was “instant” and 97 percent caffeine-free,

sanctification is commonly defined as a long process of Christian growth — becoming free, we might say, from

unhealthy indulgences that compromise our life in Christ.

The trouble is, we struggle all our lives to be “good Christians,” to remain diligent in prayer and service,

to wholly trust Jesus, even amid trouble. But we can’t be holy by ourselves.

I find helpful a recent explanation I heard from a pastor: Sanctification is learning more and more

throughout life how deeply we need Jesus. Because we can’t cultivate our own holiness, we must let the Holy

Spirit draw us to the cross of Christ, where God’s unfathomable love and forgiveness make us holy, or sanctify

us.

—Heidi Mann

Cristin Krajnak Sept. 9

Ruth Caldow Sept. 13

Lee Fellner Sept. 13

Bob Neumann Sept. 16

Harvey Caldow Sept. 20

Jennifer Bartz Sept. 28

Joyce Innes Sept. 28

Aug. 26 Tim & Sharon McGuan __________________________________________________________________________________________________

• “If you lack knowledge, go to school. If you lack wisdom, get on your knees! Knowledge is not wisdom.

Wisdom is the proper use of knowledge.”

—Vance Havner

• “I always wondered why somebody doesn’t do something. Then I realized I am somebody.”

—Lily Tomlin

• “Like a welcome summer rain, humor may suddenly cleanse and cool the earth, the air and you.”

—Langston Hughes

The Community Dinner will be held on Friday, August 7th from 5-7PM. This is now sponsored in part by The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, thanks to receiving a grant.

The P.A.L.s (Pilgrim Active Laymen) will meet on Saturday, August 15th at 9:00AM at the Family Tree restaurant at 4346 Bailey Ave. Amherst, NY. (716) 838-2233.

ESTHER CIRCLE REMINDER

We still collect:

Dash’s Market tapes – Give to Sue Holway

Used inkjet print cartridges, used cell phones (also chargers if the phones have them), cancelled postage stamps (cut around stamp leaving at least ¼ inch edge of envelope paper on each side) – Give to Pat Watkins

Pennies (mites) for LWML missions – Give to Karen Smith

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**** There will be NO Game Night in August. ****

The annual church picnic will be held on Sunday, August 9th from 1pm - 5pm.

Where? Frank & Carolyn Alessi's house 251 Fayette Avenue Buffalo NY 14223

Bring a bathing suit and a lawn chair!

Please bring a dish to pass. A sign-up sheet is posted on the bulletin board at church. Meat and soft drinks will be provided!

Thanks to all who planned, taught, assisted and otherwise participated in this year’s

Vacation Bible School. Many children – and some adults – were reached with the Good News

of Jesus through “Camp Discovery”. May the Lord continue to bless the educational

offerings of our congregation!

Prayer — it’s in our genes

I don’t think prayer is merely a sociological phenomenon. I don’t think it’s something we do just to fit

into a community or when we’ve exhausted all other options. I think it’s hardwired into our spiritual DNA. God

is the inevitability of humanity’s search for true meaning.

—Jared Brock, A Year of Living Prayerfully

A Voters Meeting was held on June 28th after the service. At the district convention

earlier in June, Pastor Ben was elected as the First Vice-President of the English District –

LCMS. The new bishop is Rev. Jamison Hardy.

In Pastor’s report, he said that we should be looking at church security to see how we

can make the building more secure. There have been some reports in the news regarding

church break-ins in the past months. We should also look at providing “helping hands” (time

and talent) to other district churches.

Two grants have been awarded to provide funds for the purchase of equipment and

food stores for the monthly Community Dinners. One has been provided by the Lutheran

Church Extension Society of Buffalo for $2,500 and the other by the LCMS for $3,360.

The Youth Ministry outreach has been put on hold. More information will be

announced when it becomes available.

Planning is underway for the Christian education of both children and adults in the fall.

Although we have offered Sunday School in the past, we have not reached as many children

as we would like. So the entire format is being re-evaluated. There is a possibility that we

may offer something during the week (either after school or early evening) rather than early

Sunday morning. Teachers are certainly needed! Your input would be appreciated. (Please

speak with Pastor Ben if you have any ideas or suggestions.)

A new class of Lutheranism 101 will hopefully begin this fall. Current members can

use this as a refresher course; interested friends and visitors can use it as an introductory

course.

The next meeting is scheduled for September 27th.

The meeting was adjourned and we closed with the Lord’s Prayer.

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A work in progress

A Christian is always in the process of becoming, never in the state of having become. The Christian life

is not being pious but becoming pious, not being healthy but becoming healthy, not being but becoming, not

rest but exercise. We are not yet [what we are to be], but we are becoming it. It is not yet done and has not yet

happened. It is, however, going on and coming to be. It is not the end, but it is the way.

—Martin Luther

Dear Friends in Christ,

During these beautiful warm summer days, I’d like to share two of my mom’s poems.

I hope you enjoy them.

In Jesus’ Love,

Marilyn Schneck

TIME

Time

In her breathless moments

Drifts silently away;

Not as the roar of thunder,

but softly as a summer breeze.

Grasp it,

Ere the moments steal away

Into eternity.

By Doris V. Neumann

1-2-2002 _____________________________

SUNSET AND PROMISE

The radiant sky at sunset gleams

With golden splendor’s cast,

So God rules in His heavens

With promise overpassed.

When darkness overshadows

The sky at midnight hour,

God’s lights will shine the brightest

In brilliant grace and power.

When raindrops fall from heaven

The sun comes shining through

A rainbow in all elegance

Bespeaks God’s love to you.

Beyond the blue horizon

The golden sun sinks fast

At times like these we contemplate –

God saves the best for last.

By Doris V. Neumann

2002

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NEWSLETTER IS AUGUST 23RD.