Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
1
For all to know Christ February 2011
Renewal of Vows Members cele-brating “special” wedding anniversaries this year (e.g. 1, 5, 10, 15, 20…50, etc) are invited to participate in a Renewal of Vows Sun, Feb. 13, at both worship services. The congregation is invited to join the celebrating couples for refresh-ments in the Gathering Space be-tween services. Let us know of your participation and your anni-versary date using the signup form in the Sunday bulletin or by con-tacting the church office ([email protected]).
Get ready for Youth Sunday ... February 6, 2011
“Love Thy Neighbor” This year, Youth Sunday will be Sunday, February 6. At both services, the High School youth group of All Saints will
lead worship, with the theme “Love Thy Neighbor”. Through skits, song, and mini-sermons, the youth will bear witness to their message of love for all. If past years are any indication... surprises will be in store... so be sure to bring a friend!
“Always seek to do good to one another and to all.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:15b
Log on and get your daily devotional via email... Each day (Monday through Friday), Pastor Jenn and Seth write a brief daily email devotional that is sent out via email. The scripture texts for these reflections are based on the daily lectionary, designed to tie in to and build upon the readings from the Sundays. If you'd like to receive these and are not currently, please send an email to [email protected]. We also have a con-versational component for those who wish. You can also read the devotionals at http://aslcdevotions.blogspot.com. Here, you can also leave comments either for the pastors or for other members and reflect back on what we've written. Join in the conversation and make the Bible a part of your daily life.
Valentine’s Day is February 14...
Happy Valentine’s Day!
2
Newsletter Information
The deadline for the February issue of Saints Alive! will be Wednesday, February 23, 2011 Submissions should be sent to
[email protected] in a Word document, if at all possible. Written submissions should be placed in the editors mailbox by the deadline.
Adult Forum – The Greatest Story Each and every Sunday at 9:45 we hold an Adult Forum in the Li-brary upstairs. We've been en-gaged this fall and winter with a 16-week overview of the Bible using a brand-new course called "The Greatest Story." If you don't know anything about the Bible, come and learn. If you have lived with this story your whole life, come and learn something new. Let's all dive into "The Greatest Story" together. We will begin again on Sunday, January 9. Come and see the fantastic interpreta-tions of biblical stories in sand art. Really! It's awesome.
Saints Alive! A monthly newsletter published by All Saints Lutheran Church
630 S. Quentin Road, Palatine, Illinois 60067
Telephone: 847-991-2080 Fax: 847-991-2082 Email: [email protected] www.allsaintspalatine.org
Co-Pastors: Jennifer Moland-Kovash Seth Moland-Kovash
Newsletter — Editor Jennifer DeFranco Email: [email protected]
Our book for January is The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald.
We will be meeting on Monday, February 21 at 7pm. Carolyn Wil-liams and Sonia Solomonson will be our hosts and Jane Oppermann will lead the discussion. All are welcome to attend. Please call Tina Keck for information.
Senior High Mission Trip A Senior High Mission Trip is being planned for this summer. It will take place during the week of July 24 through July 29. Students who are right now in 8th through 12th grade are eligible. The cost for the trip per student will depend on a few factors and is not firm yet, but should be un-der $300. Even the location is a bit up in the air, until we deter-mine how much interest we have. We will be partnering with a Christian organization called YouthWorks which organizes trips all around the US. We'll do things like paint houses, work at soup kitchens, work at summer camp (VBS-like) for kids. And we'll have fun. Check out their website at http://www.youthworks.com We're looking at fairly close locations such as St. Louis, the Quad Cit-ies, etc. So, please let Pastor Seth know if you're interested in learning more.
Women's Christmas Dinner And a good time was had by all. The Women's Christmas dinner was an evening filled with fun, fellowship, and food! Eighty-two guests enjoyed the chicken stuffed filo dough entree. The music of The Jazz Company and vocalist Marie Lemke kept the festive mood going. Our raffle to benefit WINGS brought in over $1200.00! WOW! Thank you to every who donated items for the raffle and also to everyone for buying the raffle tickets to make the cause a success. Now it's time to start planning for next Christmas...
Men's Breakfast If you like breakfast, if you like conversation, if you like learning about a variety of things, if you're a man (and even that's negotiable), join us for Men's Breakfast. Watch the weekly bulletin an-nouncements and your email for the specific topic for February 19 (still under negotiation at the time of writing). The cost of breakfast is $3 and the cost for the fellow-ship and learning is NOTHING!
Dear Members of All Saints: Please accept my heart-felt thank you for the generous Christmas gift. Your thoughtfulness is very much appreciated. I am so blessed to be working at Little Saints Pre-school and have come to know many wonderful people. Thank you again. Have a great New Year filled with blessings of Christ. Michelle Gutmann
3
Congregational Leaders and Staff
Co-Pastors Jenn Moland-Kovash Seth Moland-Kovash Church Council Joe Quinn, President Jeff Witt, Vice President Mary Lofgren, Secretary George Buerger Troy DeFranco Gen Dunlop Katie Fedota Monika Fiedler Bill Friskics Lee Kingdon Jill Rusten Ray Winklelmann Financial Secretary: Peggy Hollingsworth Arlene Winkelmann Kevin Drucker, Treasurer Staff Church Secretaries: Bev Laseke, Vicky Schnackel Bookkeeper: Sara Cole Music Director: Doug Williams Accompanist: Karen Nedzel Nursery Attendant: Dorothy Borg Youth Ministers: Linda and Kevin Kinsella Karen Goodlow Troy DeFranco Little Saints Christian Preschool Michelle Gutmann, Director Committees/Ministries Confirmation Coordinator: Trina Garcia Cradle Roll: Ruth Spasoff Learning: Ruth Spasoff Loving Hands: Nancy Oakford Memorials: Rosemary Monsen Ministry Endowment Fund: Mike Nedzel Mutual Ministry: Linda Foltz New Member Assimilator: Diane Szuberla Outreach: Jon Gray Personnel: Lydia Rohn Prayer Chain: Rosemary Monsen, Carol Marx Property: Jeff Fredericks, Bill Friskics Shepherding: Jon Gray Social Ministry: Cindy Parkin Stephen Ministry Leader(s): Sandy Herweg Support Committee: Dick Dunlop Sunday School Superintendents: Doug and Kim Kuhlman Worship/Altar Guild: Janet Lowe, Janine Byrne
Brian and Kristen Konkol, our Missionaries All Saints has been in a relation-ship of support with ELCA mis-sionaries Brian and Kristen Kon-kol who serve in South Africa for just about one year now. Brian and Kristen are the coun-
try coordinators for Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGMs) throughout South Africa. YAGMs are young adults who serve in a
volunteer capacity as teachers, health workers, organizers, etc. through the ministry of the ELCA and its companions in South Africa. To read about their work, visit http://elcamud.blogspot.com/ Brian and Kristen will be in the states on home leave this spring and will be visiting All Saints for a dinner and conversation on Wednesday, May 25. More de-tails to come!
As I sit here writing this article a few hours before it is due, I can hardly believe I have been the president of ASLC for almost a year. During that time, we have seen many changes. We went into the year with a deficit that had may people wondering if we were entering a very dark time for the church. But, by the end of 2010, we saw the deficit slashed by more than half. We saw pledges increase to levels not seen in years. We saw members reener-gized and volunteering to help in new ways. We actually had peo-ple come up and say they “wanted” to be on council after they heard we had formed a nomi-nating committee to find two peo-ple to replace the two who were going off the council. Just look around you and I think you, too, will see the change. What makes me so happy is that I hear the members of All Saints once again asking “What can I do?” instead of “What are you go-ing to do?” These changes didn’t happen due to the work of any one person but through the efforts of everyone pitching in and doing whatever it took to get the job done. For that, I thank you.
God Bless You Joe Quinn
Barrington Career Center The Barrington Career Center serves folks throughout the northwest suburbs with job searches and coaching. The BCC (http://www.barringtoncareercenter.com) has received support from All Saints' own Ministry Endow-ment Fund in the past year. Monica Keane, the Executive Director, will be our guest on Sunday, February 27. She will speak in both worship services and provide conver-sation during the Adult Forum time to share what BCC does in our commu-nity.
President’s Corner
4
Stewardship of Creation By: Amy Nolting
This is the second installment in the All Saints Stewardship of Creation program. I gave a brief overview at church on January 16th. In summary, we want you to read the suggestions and take action. Tell us about your results via the ‘Stewardship of Creation’ jar in the narthex. We also want to hear your ideas. Each month we will have a raffle for those that submitted feedback and ideas to the jar. Since January’s theme was HEAT – and reducing your thermostat a few degrees to save energy – we are giving a fleece blanket for the prize. The winner in January is….GEORGE BUERGER! Ideas submitted in January included: Turn the water off when brushing teeth Turn off all lights when not in use Remember to change furnace filter monthly Use mug for coffee instead of Styrofoam cups Below is the February message: LIGHTBULBS Keep the ideas coming and tell us the changes you have made!
lightbulbs Daily Scripture:
‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand,
and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory
to your Parent in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-15
We challenge ourselves, particularly the economically secure, to tithe environmentally. Tithers would reduce their burden on the earth's bounty by
producing ten percent less in waste, consuming ten percent less in nonrenewable resources, and contributing the savings to earthcare efforts.
Environmental tithing also entails giving time to learn about environmental problems and to work with others toward solutions.
From the ELCA social statement “Caring for Creation” Fact:
Replacing a single incandescent bulb with a compact fluorescent lightbulb (CFL) will keep a half-ton of CO2 out of the atmosphere over the life of the bulb. If everyone in the U.S. used energy-efficient lighting, we could retire
90 average size power plants. Saving electricity reduces CO2 emissions, sulfur oxide and high-level nuclear waste.
Commitment: Immediate- Replace your regular incandescent light bulb with a compact
fluorescent. They can screw into regular sockets and cast great light. Another benefit along with the environmental benefits is that the bulbs last a
long time (up to 10 years or more) so you can save some of your own work as well. You can find these heavenly bulbs in your local home store or
hardware store. Long term- Watch how you use lights in your house. Turn off lights when
you are not in rooms or at home. Look to ways where you can do a full retrofit of the lighting in your home, congregation or business both to
save money on energy, but also to save energy and thus the environment. Daily Prayer:
Lord of Light, you have called us to be light for the world. Help us to be lights for the created world, to use light and energy responsibly and to use
our resources carefully and wiseful. Amen. http://eartheasy.com/live_energyeff_lighting.htm
http://www.nesea.org/publications/NESun/lighting_three.html
5
Lenten Devotional Once again this year, we will be preparing a daily Lenten devo-tional written by YOU! If you would like to share your thoughts about a particular Bible passage (about 200-250 words) please let Pastor Seth know ([email protected]) for inclusion on our writer's list.
Last chance to become a PADS
Volunteer
If you’ve been procrasti-
nating your New Year’s resolution to become a volunteer for All Saints ministry to homeless per-sons in our community, February is your last chance to become in-volved this season. The shelter network supporting Journeys from PADS to HOPE, including All Saints, closes the 1010-2011 sea-son on April 30.
Training for new volun-teers who will work face-to-face with guests in the shelter will be offered Thursday, Feb. 3, at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 12, at 1 p.m. The two-hour training ses-sions are conducted at Journeys’ offices at 1140 E. Northwest Hwy , in Palatine , just east of the Route 53 overpass.
All Saints provides warm, secure shelter and nutritious food to the men, women and children who come to us in need every Sat-urday night during the cold weather months from October through April. No training is re-quired for volunteers who help clean up the site on Sunday morn-
Good progress being made on rehab of Elgin cottage
“We’ve made some good progress,” said Project Coordinator George Becker, as he assessed work Spring of Life- Habitat volunteers have done on a 95-year-old cottage the Partnership is rehabbing in Elgin . Although there continue to be surprises and challenges, he acknowledged.
For example, in January when employees of Norman Mechanical of Rolling Meadows—the con-tractor who is donating the plumbing materials and labor—began to make a connection to the sewer sys-tem they discovered the existing pipe was out of place. To do the job properly required digging up the yard from the house to the street. And volunteers have been continually challenged to correct myriad haphazard modifica-tions and repairs that had been made to the house in the past nine decades.
The two other mechanical contractors should complete installation of the heating and electrical systems early this month. Following necessary inspections SOL volunteers will begin to complete the inside of the house. In the meantime, work con-tinues on installation of exterior trim and siding.
Because this is the smallest project the Partnership has undertaken there has been some difficulty managing the workload and volunteers. To make this job easier (and assure that every volunteer gets a lunch) volunteers are urged to sign-up online at www.springoflifehabitat.org. Follow the links on the Volunteer tab.
At the Partnership’s January Steering Committee meeting, Volunteer Coordi-nator Lee Kingdon, reported that recent fund raising activity and a substantial dona-tion from a former member of the Partnership helped put nearly $10,000 in the bank. She praised the 108 “terrific” volunteers who wrapped books at area bookstores be-tween Thanksgiving and Christmas for their help in raising $3,000. She said the total was substantially less than previous years and attributed the decline to a combination of the economy and less-than-favorable gift wrapping stations in some of the book-stores.
On the other hand SOLs first attempt at selling dry soup mix was an out-standing success, she reported. The $4,500 raised from Friendship Soup sales was all profit thanks to a donation of $750 to cover the cost of ingredients and packaging from John and Janis Morrisroe neighbors of Pat and John Koepke, members of Holy Family Catholic Church who brought the idea to the Partnership and managed the project. Lee also reported that the Church of the Incarnation had donated $1,800 from the admission fees to a holiday bazaar to Spring of Life.
Also at the Steering Committee meeting, Dick Samojla, a member of St. Thomas Catholic Church, agreed to become Financial Secretary for the Partnership.
There are non-construction volunteer opportunities for anyone willing to help document the project by taking digital photos of workers each Saturday. The task could be split up between several photographers. The photos will be compiled into a book for our homeowner-partner and may be used in the weekly This week at Habitat … email progress report and on the Partnership’s web site. For information about how you can volunteer for Habi-tat contact Lee Kingdon, 847-934-1171, or Tom Ger-muska , 847-934-1984.
6
VBS 2011 is Coming Watch out for PANDAMANIA!
August 1-5
Preschool registration open for 2011/12 school year Our Little Saints Christian Pre-school started enrollment for the 2011/12 school year. Children ages 2 to 4 are welcome. (If your two or three-year old is still in dia-pers, that is ok.) All Saints church members receive a 10% discount off monthly tuition and scholar-ships are available. Little Saints has weathered the economic challenges well. Enroll-ment is on the rise and has been strong during the past year. We currently have 46 children in our 2, 3 and 4-year olds classes. Many of them are siblings of older brothers and sisters that have graduated from Little Saints in earlier years. You can support Little Saints con-tinued growth by referring your family, friends and neighbors with little ones. Michelle Gutmann, Little Saints Director, will be happy to provide more information or schedule a visit. She can be reached at 847/991-2334. Also, you are always welcome to chat with a Little Saints board member: Peter Carlson, Dawn Wurtz, Nancy Kunz, Monika Fiedler, George Buerger, Kim Kuhlman, Wendy Gumz, Pastor Seth.
Slammin’ 70’s February Event
Let’s go to the Movies! Friday, February 11 “Just Go With It”
Starring Adam Sandler/Jennifer Aniston at
Gold Class Cinema in South Barrington $20 per person
Time of show yet TBD—we will know by February 6 when the show will start and notify attendees of start time.
(will start sometime between 6-8)
Enjoy the show seated in your own plush recliner and you can order dinner/snacks
and drinks to enjoy during the show, if you want — waiters deliver it right to your seat!
RSVP no later than
February 4 to ensure we get our seats together! Payment should be made
directly to Vikki Drucker or Jen DeFranco.
7
Church Council Notes from January 2011
Budget for 2011 As discussed on January 16 at the “budget review” forum between services, and also as discussed at
the Annual Meeting on January 23, the proposed budget has been com-pleted for 2011. The deficit for 2010 was originally approved to be a defi-cit of over $70,000, but through the efforts of the Stewardship Committee and all the individuals of All Saints, the actual deficit for 2010 was actu-ally right around $30,000 – a dramatic improvement!
Due to increased pledges and careful spending cuts, the proposed deficit for 2011 is about $35,000. This includes adding $10,000 to a long-term maintenance fund that will be needed for upcoming projects for the church. Also, the $4,000 scholarship for Holy Family Lutheran School is a part of the budget for 2011. All Saints has, again, decided to give 15% of revenues to Synod benevolence.
The intention is that the congregation will be able to make up most, or all, of this budget deficit throughout the year, as was the goal in 2010. The surplus funds, or reserves, continue to be over $200,000 at this time. The use of these funds will be discussed with more depth at a future council meeting.
Columbarium All Saints continues to consider having a Columbarium where mem-bers and friends can have a resting place for the cremated ashes of their loves ones. These discussions are ongoing. Many members of All Saints have shown interest in this project idea. One of the next steps in the coming months may be to seek approval from the village before proceeding further. If you have questions or want to express interest, talk with Steve Fedota or one of the Pastors. CPOD (Council Person On Duty) This position allows one member of council each Sunday to be “on duty” to help with anything that is happening, and to be a special greeter for visitors. Each week this is a little different, but the Pastors have expressed great appreciation for having this assistance, to make things run more smoothly each Sunday.
MUSIC NOTES Thank You – Dear All Saints Friends: Thank you for the very generous Christmas gift. I am blessed to be able to share my mu-sical gifts with you and to encour-age your gifts of music-making here at All Saints all year long. Happy New Year and God’s blessings to all. Soli Deo Gloria! Doug Williams Come and join in on the music-making! The beginning of a cal-endar year is always a good time to jump in and begin rehearsing with the many people who add music to our worship services. Sing with a choir. Ring bells and chimes. Play your instrument. Children, youth, and adults of all ages are welcome. Contact Direc-tor of Music Ministries, Doug Williams, via email at [email protected] or by calling 847-991-2080 ext. 25. Alleluia Choir – children age 4 through third grade – Wednesdays 4:15-5:00 p.m. Adult Bells – high school youth and adults – Thursdays 6:15-7:30 p.m. Adult Choir – high school youth and adults – Thursdays 7:30-9:00 p.m. Contemporary Praise Team – high school youth and adults – monthly as scheduled Instrumentalists – any age, any experience, any time, just volun-teer!
To the Members of All Saints: Thank you so much for your very generous Christmas gift. I feel so blessed to be part of such a wonderful, caring congregation. It means so much that I can share my gift of music with you. Wishing you all a blessed 2011! Karen Nedzel
8
Music Schedule February 3, 10, 17, 24 6:15pm Adult Hand bells February 3, 10, 17, 24 7:30pm Adult Vocal Choir February 2,9, 16, 23 4:15 pm Alleluia Choir
PADS Saturday, February 5, 12, 19, 26
FEBRUARY 2011 Events and Schedule Committee/Club Meetings Feb 1 6:30pm Officers Mtg 7:30pm Support Comm Feb 8 6:30 Boy Scout Comm 7:15pm Church Council. Feb 16 9:30am Quilting 1:30pm Staff Mtg Feb 22 7:00pm Memorial Comm Feb 23 7:00pm DMin Mtg Feb 28 7:00pm Stephen Ministry ELCA World Hunger Offering February 6 Chapter One Book Club February 21 —7:00pm Renewal of Vows February 13 Men’s Breakfast Saturday, February 19 — 8:00 AM Eagle Scout Ceremony February 26 — 4:00 AM
Women’s Bible Study February 3, 10, 17, 24 — 9:30am
Youth Events Sunday School/Confirmation/Youth Group — 9:45—10:45 AM February 6, 13, 20, 27 Confirmation February 2—5:45pm
Worship Schedule February 6 — Youth Sunday 8:30 AM/11:00 AM February 13 8:30 AM/11:00 AM February 20 8:30 AM/11:00 AM February 27 8:30 AM/11:00 AM Manor Care Worship February 25 - 10:30 am Holden Evening Prayer February 9 — 7:00 pm
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
- 1 Corinthians 13:13
Prayer Ventures— February 2011 1 Give thanks for Revs Michael and Terri Church, in their second year working with an English-language ministry in Romania in cooperation with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Romania and the Metro-politan New York Synod. 2 Presentation of Our Lord Lift up in prayer the ELCA minis-tries in the Holy Land, especially the Revs. Fred Strickert and Eliza-beth McHan, working with Bishop Munib Younan of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, for peace in that trou-bled part of the world. 3 Pray for campus ministry staff as they gather in regional conferences this month.
4 World Cancer Day Give thanks for the ELCA Board of Pensions health plans and all who support the ministry of pre-venting illness and sustaining health for staff and retirees throughout the church. 5 Pray for Sarah and Pastor Peter Grow-Hanson who live in Dakar, Senegal, serving in theological edu-cation and leadership development with the Lutheran Church of Sene-gal. They also provide support for ELCA-related development minis-tries in Senegal and facilitate a pilot Christian-Muslim immersion pro-gram. 6 Fifth Sunday after Epiphany God in heaven, bless all who strive for peace and human welfare in Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Take away any anxi-ety about the future and give them a
sense of responsibility for where you have called them. 7 Lift up in prayer all graduating seminarians who with great excite-ment wait to be assigned to a synod where they will begin their service in God's mission in the church. 8 Thank God for Kirsten and Pastor Stephen Kienberger. Pastor Stephen Kienberger is a parish pastor of the American Church in Berlin, Ger-many. Pray for all international con-gregations who seek to bring together people of different nations and de-nominations as followers of Christ. 9 Give thanks for the service of David Hardy, who concludes his ser-vice as chairperson of the Board of Directors of ELCA Risk Manage-ment at the end of the board's winter meeting in February. 10 Pray for Rebecca Lee, a short-
9
term English teacher in Hong Kong, as she engages students from differ-ent parts of Asia studying at Lutheran Theological Seminary. She is part of a wider work by the ELCA and churches in Asia to engage the needs of churches in the region. 11 Pray for the staff and ministries of the ELCA churchwide offices as they experience a time of transition into the ELCA reorganization. 12 Please pray for all who serve international congregations, espe-cially Mary Ann & Timothy Stewart as they serve the American Lutheran Church in Oslo, Norway. 13 Sixth Sunday after Epiphany O God, you who stand in the midst of the silent ones, bless the churches of Portugal, Spain, Italy and Malta, and their ministries among children, workers, the sick and the elderly. 14 Ask God to guide the Rev. Al-bert (Al) Starr, Jr., and other leaders of the African American Lutheran Association, as they seek to help ELCA congregations reach out to people of color with the Good News of Jesus Christ. 15 Remember Jenifer Brown and Matthew Linden as they prepare to end their service as English teachers in Kumamoto and Tokyo, Japan, as part of the J-3 program of the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church. 16 Pray for the Racial Justice Ministry Program as it strives to address the church's climate on race, ethnicity, culture, inclusivity and diversity. 17 Pray for the many young people participating in the Young Adults in Global Mission program. Today re-member Erin Bonawitz, Amelia Decker, Tricia Ernst, Nathan Lesce-lius, Nathaniel Murken, Kari Beth Shobe, Heidi Sjoberg, Kathleen Sny-der, Elizabeth Sorenson, and others
who serve in a variety of social ministry settings in Great Britain. 18 Thank God for Lutheran Ser-vices in Iowa, its director, the Rev. Douglas E. Johnson, and other staff and volunteers, who serve peo-ple of all ages, genders, na-tionalities, religions, ethnici-ties and sexual orientations in a wide variety of minis-tries. 19 Pray for the Fellowship of Re-covering Lutheran Clergy as they have their annual retreat February 21-25, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. 20 Seventh Sunday after Epiph-any We give you thanks, O God, for signs of your presence and activity among the people of Germany and France. Continue to bring vitality, we pray, to the churches, that the awakening that happened with the Reformation may live on in ongo-ing renewal. 21 International Mother Lan-guage Day Give thanks for Pastor Abraham Lu and the members of Grace Chinese Lutheran Church, Elm-hurst, N.Y. 22 Lift up the ministry of the members of Fordham Lutheran Church, Bronx, N.Y., reaching out to African Americans and Hispanics with the mission state-ment, "Serving Jesus by serving our neighbors," and their interim pastor, the Rev. John Backe. 23 Give thanks for all who partici-pate in the life and ministry of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church in Argentina. Remember especially the Young Adults in Global Mission, Jenna Engquist, Krystle Moraska, Emily Singleton, and Rachel Smith as they serve in congregational and social service
ministries in Argentina. 24 Pray for mission developer pas-tors and lay leaders, who will meet for training February 24-28 25 Pray for Martin and Suzanne Shoffner, who are serving in Jerusa-lem. Martin serves as the coordinator for both the Young Adults in Global Mission program in Palestine and the Holy Land trips program. 26 Thank God for the work of Ellen D. Walid, executive director, and the staff of Lutheran Social Services of Southern California, as they struggle to meet increasing needs in an area plagued by natural disasters. 27 Eighth Sunday after Epiphany Holy God, we give you thanks for the witness of Christians in Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Andorra, Monaco and San Marino. Grant re-newal and strength to the churches in these countries, that the Gospel might reach those who have not yet heard the words of our Lord. 28 Praise God for the witness of Pastor Jeffrey Truscott. At Trinity Theological College in Singapore his classes in liturgy and theology equip students from many Asian countries to cultivate a worship life that will shape their faith communities. This resource may be copied and shared among members and friends of the congrega-tions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Prayer Ventures is produced by ELCA Mission Advancement in cooperation with other units of the ELCA. Contact [email protected] for additional information: Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Communication Services, 8765 W. Higgins Road, Chicago, IL 60631. Telephone: 800/638-3522, ext. 2458.
