6335 South Holly Street Centennial, Colorado 80121 303-779-1332 www.oflc.net June 2016 Living by Faith in a Faithless World The world around us is changing. For better or for worse, Western civilization for centuries upheld Christianity as the established faith of the general culture and afforded it a place of prestige and influence. But now the walls of “Christendom” are crumbling, leaving many in the church to wonder what this means for the future. How, exactly, are we to live as believers in an increasingly unbelieving world? There are many Christians today who are angry, even bitter, over the loss of the churches influence in society. Some of their bitterness may be due to the simple loss of power and prestige. In other cases, people are hurt because they have lost children or friends to non-Christian values and practices. If this is not the answer, how are we to live by faith in this faithless world? Looking to history, we see that this is not the first time God’s people have faced this challenge. In 586 BC the southern Kingdom of Judah was carried away into exile in Babylon. Forced to live in this foreign land, they were no longer living in a believing society, where cultural institutions were committed to God and His Word. Much like today, God’s people were forced to live in an environment in which the dominant beliefs surrounding them were radically different from their own. The book of Daniel gives us compelling insights into this period of history, and tells us the story a young man trying to live by faith in the faithless society of Babylon. It is a very practical book giving guidance to all living in a religiously pluralistic society. Beginning June 18-19, we will begin a series of sermons working our way through some of the key moments in this fascinating and relevant book of the Bible. Together, we will learn both good and bad models for how believers today can relate to the unbelieving word around us. As we will see, God does not want His people to simply become a part of the culture, nor does He want us to totally segregate ourselves. He calls us to be “in” the world, but not “of” the world. We are to engage with those around us – to pray for our land and seek its prosperity. And yet, God also commands that His people retain their distinctiveness and not compromise their commitment to Him. As believers living in the world today, we find ourselves in a very similar situation to those exiled in Babylon. We, like Daniel, find ourselves living in a pluralistic society doing our best to remain faithful to God’s Word and our calling to share with all the hope that we have in Christ. This summer at Our Father we look forward with hope to the future, by looking back to God’s faithfulness to His people in the past. To God alone be all the glory! Pastor Abel Our Father Lutheran Church Student Ministries SUMMER NIGHTS! There will be an activity each Wednesday 6:00 - 8:00 pm at the church unless otherwise noted. High School: June 1 - Dodgeball HS vs MS June 8 - BBQ at Palmquist’s House June 15 - Bowling (Location TBD) June 22 - Water Wars or Scavenger Hunt June 29 - Laser Tag (Location TBD) Middle School: June 1 - Dodgeball HS vs MS June 8 - Pizza Creations June 15 - Monster Mini Golf June 22 - Water Wars or Scavenger Hunt June 29 - Movie Night It’s going to be an awesome summer at Our Father! Ride the River Volunteers are needed to help make this Youth Fundraiser a big success! Sign up now to help. See the sign-up link in the weekly youth e-blast. Page 2 Education Sunday Mornings 9:30-10:30 am Always Ready – How to Defend Your Faith – Using real-world examples and practical advice, this class will prepare you to clearly and confidently defend your faith. Led by Pastor Abel (Class goes through next Sunday, June 5) Forum coming on Sunday June 12 Hinchey Scholarship Fund will host a forum and reception at which they will present scholarships to the recipients during the 9:30 - 10:30 am education hour. Education Opportunities Saturday Morning 45+ Singles Bible Study You are invited to attend on Saturdays, 8:30 10:00 am. They are studying the Book of John. Children’s Education Children’s Sunday Morning Ministry Summer Sunday School begins June 5 with preschoolers and kindergartners in Room 104 and kids going into Grades 1-6 in Room 106. No class on July 3 or September 4—due to holiday weekends. Sprouts During the 10:45 am service, children 3 years old through fifth grade leave worship for an educational experience prior to the sermon and return after the sermon. Our Father Lutheran Church Page 3 Fellowship OFLC Information Book Club – The Book Club meets Monday, June 20, 7:00 pm, discussing The Bookseller by Cynthia Swanson. Any and all readers are invited to join our group! Elderberries Please join us for fellowship and games on Wednesday, June 15 at 1:00 pm in the Community Room. OFLC Golf Fun Event Saturday, June 25, 2:30 pm Todd Marley, OFLC member and head pro at South Suburban Golf Course, is arranging for tee times starting at 2:30 pm. Afterwards, we’ll meet in the South Suburban Restaurant for snacks, drinks and fun prizes, while we discuss the great shots that never happened or the putts that just missed! The cost for green fee, warm up balls, and snacks will be $30 per person. Sign up at the Reception Desk. Save the Date The 2nd Annual Swing Fore Scholarships Golf Tournament benefiting the Hinchey Scholarship Fund will be on Monday, September 19 at Inverness Golf Course. Individuals and foursomes can reserve their spots by contacting Kevin Chambless at kchambless @homesincolorado.com or by contacting Glen Burmeister at gburmster@gmail. We are also asking interested persons to support the tournament by signing up to be a hole sponsor. More information will be available in June, but reserve your foursome and hole sponsorship early. OFLC Blood Drive Thank you to everyone that took the time to donate blood. Bonfils is very grateful for the gift of life this summer. Altar Flowers Do you have a special event or remembrance to celebrate? We have many openings for flower sign-up. Cost is $40 and your flowers should be picked up by the following Tuesday or they will be donated. Drive for Back to School Supplies On Monday, June 13, OFLC will be partnering with the Salvation Army to collect school supplies for local children through Saturday, July 18. Please pick up a supply list and drop off your donations in the Salvation Army bin in the Narthex. Donated items will be distributed by the Salvation Army Centennial Family Service Centers Food Pantry. Learning Community #2 GENERAL OFFERINGS Through April 30, 2016 Offerings received …....................….$ 428,142 Offering budget..................................$ 441,000 Shortage through April....................$ 12,858 Annual offering budget …...............$ 1,431,800 Remaining offerings needed............$ 1,003,658 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” Matthew 6:21 Join us for our rescheduled Learning Community #2 (LC), Saturday, June 4 from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm at OFLC. A LC is a way for you to grow in your understanding and ability to live your life as a disciple of Christ, through your UP-IN-OUT relationships. As a reminder, each LC will contain new content, so if you missed the first LC, you can still attend this one and jump right in. Cost is $10 for lunch, and child care is available for $5 per child. Please RSVP to Micah at [email protected]. Page 4 Our Father Lutheran Church Congratulations to our Graduates May God continue to bless you as you seek to serve Him in your future. High School Graduates Graduating From Future Plans Grace Elizabeth Cunningham Savannah Dietz Lydia Farrar Mark Gambardella Cherry Creek High School John F. Kennedy High School Colorado Early Colleges & ACC STEM High and Academy Ashleigh Maus Tim Orton Grandview High School Eaglecrest High School University of Kansas Concordia University Seward Concordia University Seward University of ColoradoColorado Springs University of New Mexico Grand Canyon University College Graduates Graduating From Degree/Future Plans Sean Merrill Cunningham Riley Herren Greg Shirk Colorado Christian University Concordia University Seward Johns Hopkins University BA in Music Composition BS Business Administration/Finance Masters in Applied Economics Join us for Ride the River on June 11. Register now at GoRTR.org. Deadline to receive an official RTR t-shirt is Wednesday, June 1. Our Father Lutheran Church Page 5 Parish Council Update I hope everyone has a great Memorial Day holiday! We give thanks for all those who protect and serve our country through their service in the U.S. armed forces. With Memorial Day being the unofficial start of summer, I thought it would be a good time to update everyone on recent events and some projects underway here at OFLC. I offer a big welcome to the 47 new members of OFLC who formally joined our church as members on May 22. It is exciting to see such a vibrant group of new members joining the church family. And, mentioning new folks, we are looking forward to our new Director of Worship, Matt Hoehne, joining us at the end of June. We look forward to his installation as our newest member of the Ministry Team. This successful call was a long and arduous process - many thanks for the hard work of the volunteers on the Call Committee. Also hard at work is the OFLC Vision Framing Team as they finish up a six-month process to define the unique strategic vision of OFLC. As you will recall from our 2015 Annual Voters’ Assembly last December, our adopted 2016 Ministry Plan calls for a Debt Retirement Campaign this fall to help make OFLC better positioned financially for the future. A clear and precise Vision of where we see OFLC going and how we get there is of critical importance in making the Campaign a success. A major change to our facilities will take place with the removal and replacement of the north parking lot asphalt and the curb and gutter work in the south parking lot. Contracts have been signed and this project will be underway in July. Many thanks to Mary Ann Shirk and Property Coordinator Rob Berlinski for all their work in getting this project planned and started. At our 2015 Voters’ Assembly, the adopted 2016 Ministry Plan calls for OFLC becoming better prepared for any uncertain events or conditions by developing a comprehensive risk management plan. The first phase of that comprehensive risk management plan has focused on the safety and security of our people and property. Just after the Voters’ Assembly, Parish Council established the OFLC Safety and Security Team and named a planning team for that ministry. As part of the team’s planning, members have attended church security seminars conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, our CO District Attorney and a local Sheriff’s Office. At our request, OFLC’s entire facilities has been inspected by Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office experts on safety and crime prevention. I am pleased that, in the near future, our SST members will start providing coordinated security and medical related first response capabilities during regular services, Sunday School and special church events. We are in need of additional individuals, especially those with medical, security and/or law enforcement experience, to help get this important ministry underway. Please contact me if you are interested in learning more. Have a great summer! Andy Ottinger, President [email protected]; 303-471-4524 Our Father Lutheran Church Page 6 Strategy: How Do We Live Out Our Vision? For over 50 years, General Motors dominated the American car industry with a market share that hovered at 50 percent. They did so with a simple vision to create five separate brands for five distinct type of car buyers. You know them as Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Chevrolet, Buick and Cadillac. For years, the idea worked well and GM dominated the American auto industry. Somewhere along the way however, the strategy got muddled and pretty soon, the five brands began competing with each other within the organization. Each brand began marketing the same types of cars. As brand distinction diminished, so did market share. GM, the world’s number one maker of car and trucks, lost twenty points of U.S. market share in the last twenty five years. As a church grows, it can also lose sight of its vision without a proper strategy. Ministries can compete for dollars and volunteers, and while well intentioned, the end result looks a lot like GM… each ministry has its own discipleship plan, targeting the same members, but with different programming. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 On the surface, that might not seem like a bad idea, but the end result for most American churches, is that only 50% of members get involved in a discipleship opportunity outside of Sunday morning worship.* Some members don’t know how to grow as a disciple of Christ because the “how” isn’t clear, while others slip through the cracks because there is not a clear way for leadership (both staff and lay leaders) to guide them in a process. Ultimately, it is the Holy Spirit’s job to work faith in our hearts (Ephesians 2:8-9). So when we are talking strategy from a church context, we are talking about partnering with God to create healthy environments for the Spirit to work. As our culture grows in complexity and further and further from the truth that Jesus is Lord of all, the more we must rely on the Spirit to create a clear and easy to follow path toward discipleship. Please keep our Vision Team in your prayers, as we work on a reproducible strategy in the coming weeks. * Research cited from the book “Church Unique” by Will Mancini. OFLC Vision Framing Team: Mary Ann Shirk, Linda Olsen, Elle Becker, Pastor Peregoy, Ashley Neises, Larry Bettermann, Pastor Abel, Micah Steiner and Patrick Allen. Our Father Lutheran Church Property Committee: Rob Berlinski, Chair Bill Shirk Bob Fritz Mike Brauer Terry Brown Larry Renninger Mary Ann Shirk, Staff Page 7 Spring Work Day – 2016 What a success! With 60 plus people in attendance on Saturday, May 14, over 180 hours of labor were completed in just a half a day. The overcast day made for cooler temperatures working outdoors. Trees and bushes were trimmed. Branches were hauled. Parking lots swept. Landscape mulch and rock refreshed. Debris cleaned from the detention pond. And a 30-cubic yard dumpster was filled. Inside, the Sanctuary received a spring cleaning as pews and chairs were washed and the chancel area cleaned. The piano had special attention and the organ was waxed to a new shine. The Narthex furniture was thoroughly vacuumed and the Welcome Center polished. Even the Fellowship Hall closets were emptied and the floors swept and mopped. The Fellowship Committee led by Joanne Wille provided breakfast and lunch. That crew also worked hard to clean the kitchen pantry, cupboards and appliances. We are very thankful for everyone who came and contributed their time and energy! Page 8 OFLC Events Sun, May 29 8:00A Holy Communion 9:30A SS/Adult Ed 10:45A tenfortyfive/Comm/ Sprouts Sun, June 5 8:00A Holy Communion 9:30A SS/Adult Ed 10:45A tenfortyfive/Comm/ Sprouts Mon, May 30 Office Closed 7:00P AA/Comp. Eaters Mon, June 6 2:00P Loud for Life 3:30P DAR 7:00P AA/Comp. Eaters Tues, May 31 1:00P Ministry Team 4:00P SJO Meeting 7:00P Alanon Tues, June 7 1:00P 5:30P 7:00P 7:00P Wed, June 1 8:00A JobSeekers 6:00P CHAOS/MS 7:30P tenfortyfive Rehearsal Wed, June 8 8:00A JobSeekers 6:00P CHAOS/MS 7:30P tenfortyfive Rehearsal Thur, June 9 10:00A VBS Training 6:30P Reasonable Faith 7:00P Finance Committee 7:00P Carriage Gate HOA Fri, June 10 9:30A Compulsive Eaters Sat, June 11 7:00A 8:30A 12:00P 5:00P Thur, June 2 Fri, June 3 Sat, June 4 9:30A Compulsive Eaters 7:00A 9:00A 8:30A 12:00P 5:00P Men’s Bible Study Learning Comm. #2 45+ Bible Study AA Holy Communion Ministry Team Need Based Care Ministry Coord Mtg Alanon Ride The River Men’s Bible Study 45+ Bible Study AA Holy Communion Sun, June 12 8:00A Service of the Word 9:00A Hinchey Scholarship Reception 9:30A SS/Adult Ed 10:45A tenfortyfive/Sprouts Sun, June 19 8:00A Holy Communion 9:30A SS/Adult Ed 10:45A tenfortyfive/Comm/ Sprouts Sun, June 26 8:00A Service of the Word 9:30A SS/Adult Ed 10:45A tenfortyfive/Sprouts Mon, June 13 1:00P Bookworms 2:00P Loud for Life 7:00P AA/Comp. Eaters Mon, June 20 8:45A 2:00P 7:00P 7:00P VBS Loud for Life Book Club AA/Comp. Eaters Mon, June 27 2:00P Loud for Life 7:00P AA/Comp. Eaters Tues, June 14 1:00P 6:30P 7:00P 7:00P Ministry Team Heritage Village HOA Worship Committee Alanon Tues, June 21 8:45A 1:00P 7:00P 7:00P 7:00P VBS Ministry Team Parish Council Care Givers Support Alanon Tues, June 28 1:00P Ministry Team 7:00P Alanon Wed, June 15 8:00A 8:30A 1:00P 6:00P 7:30P JobSeekers Personnel Committee Elderberries CHAOS/MS tenfortyfive Rehearsal Wed, June 22 8:45A VBS 6:00P CHAOS/MS 7:30P tenfortyfive Rehearsal Wed, June 29 8:00A JobSeekers 6:00P CHAOS/MS 7:30P tenfortyfive Rehearsal 8:45A VBS 6:30P VBS Program/Ice Cream Social Thur, June 30 Fri, July 1 Thur, June 16 6:30P Property Committee Thur, June 23 Fri, June 17 9:30A Vision Framing 9:30A Compulsive Eaters Fri, June 24 8:45A VBS 9:30A Compulsive Eaters Sat, June 18 7:00A Men’s Bible Study 8:30A 45+ Bible Study 8:30A Vision Meeting 12:00A AA 5:00P Holy Communion Sat, June 25 7:00A Men’s Bible Study 8:30A 45+ Bible Study 12:00P AA 5:00P Holy Communion Sat, July 2 9:30A Compulsive Eaters 7:00A 8:30A 12:00P 5:00P Men’s Bible Study 45+ Bible Study AA Holy Communion Page 9 Our Father Lutheran Church Members In Our Prayers Attendance Worship Services Sunday School 4/30 5/1 5:00P 8:00A 10:45A 66 242 293 Adults Children Children 9:30A 11:00A 148 54 33 5/7 5/8 5:00P 8:00A 10:45A 67 275 290 Adults Children Children 9:30A 11:00A 141 56 26 5/14 5/15 5:00P 8:00A 10:45A 59 240 265 Adults Children Children 9:30A 11:00A 142 49 29 5/21 5/22 5:00P 8:00A 10:45A 55 263 212 Adults Children Children 9:30A 11:00A 122 27 20 Sara Stuebe Ann Mericle Jim Klein Jed Ortmeier Lori Vogel Elaine Selander Jackie Klein Jim Fitzjarrell Carol Kramer Anita Krumenacker Rosemary Williams Clarence Council Ann Council Sam Patella Candace Daberko Trinady Kufeldt Carol TorscherHardeman Duke Hardeman Joe Berger Ally Binder Shawn Dailey Jaci Dite Lynetta White Walt Boehnke Lauren Lujan Terry Brown Patty Weissenfels Lester Smith Sara Rhode With Cancer Mary Wing Marve Papka Kelley Oakley Prem Stephanos Pam Wylie Carol Carnahan David Riggs Jody Remon Other prayer requests not listed here are included in our email Prayer Chain. Flowers given in June by: Laurie Knight in celebration of Eamon’s 1st birthday (June 5) Jane Kercher in celebration of her dad’s 90th birthday (June 19) Everett & Charlotte Rohrig in celebration of their 60th wedding anniversary (June 26) Wilma Hawkins receiving hospice care Dorothy Schmid recovering from pneumonia Carol Carnahan beginning new drug treatment Jody Hinrichs preparing for surgery Jody Remon completed chemo Rejoice with Danika Joy and Kendall Jayde Morris being baptized on Saturday Remember Our Homebound Birthdays and Anniversaries Birthdays Adams, Jeff Amack, Suzanne Babby, Jordan Backstrom, June Backstrom, Justin Bame, Eric Barnes, Chris Bergstrom, Dave Berlinski, Ian Bills, Ryan Boos, Suzanne Bridges, Kellie Brinckman, Candace Brinckman, Lucas Brondos, Cathy Brown, Judy Bryant, Randy Burmeister, Jan Cardillo, Kristen Carnahan, Chris Chitwood, Sandy Cornish, Matt Cunningham, Chris Cunningham, Judith Dickman, Zachary Dierking, Karen Doerr, Howard Doetsch, Danielle Driessner, Lucas Duncan, Willis Edrich, Nikolas Elmshauser, Matt English, Lauren Erb, Emilie Farrar, Lydia Franklin, Scott Fritz, Bob Giesler, Kath Giesler, Phillip Godden, Barbara Gossett, Rex Graham, Kari Graham, Mitch Grammes, Emily Haag, Andrew Halpern, Angela Hart, Bob Healy, Patrick Hemenway, Carol Hendricks, Jim Henry, Marty Holmes, Chris Hon, Erica Hon, Jacob Kerber, David Kinney, Kaitlin Klein, Jim Koch, Cathy Kopp, Andrew Kotzker, Hanna Kufeldt, Brady Kufeldt, Trinady Kurth, Ann Lambert, Megan Lee, Stacey Lofblad, Marielle Loomis, Gail Loomis, Jake Eileen Spencer Wilma Hawkins Jan Meyer Lujan, Broden Marley, Sam Martin, Cheryl Martin, Chris McClearn, Hugh McDonnell, Cameron McDonnell, Sheldon McKenzie, Betty Miller, Claire Moore, Mark Mroch, Tom Murray, Stephanie Nelson, John Newton, Mike Niemitalo, Keith Ogg, Norma Olsen, Adrienne Olson, Shane Pankow, Kristy Patterson, Carol Pond, Dan Reed, Gavin Richards, Lauren Rohrig, Everett Rohy, Jennie Rowlett, Doug Sauerbreit, Holli Sauerbreit, Maddie Schmidt, Joe Schulteis, Andrew Smith, Ardis Smith, Jason Smith, Rody Solich, Cindy Spielmann, Brad Dorothy Schmid Jim Fitzjarrell June Taschner Squires, Carol Squires, Nora Stein, Duncan Stein, Harper Stuebe, Sara Tiffenbach, Lanie Treat, Sherry Vinz, Bryan Walker, Ivy Wegman, Deanna Werner, Bruce Wickam, Aiden Wilhelm, Alice Wilhelmi, Emily Wilhelmi, MacAllen Anniversaries Loren & Kathy Anderson Steve & Lori Arbuckle Tim & Marybeth Baer Scott & Amy Bailey Rob & Carolyn Berlinski Glee Ann & Norm Black Walt & Betty Boehnke Edna & Dale Bond Allan & Lynn Brandt Mike & Cathy Brondos Glen & Jan Burmeister Ernie & Karen Cordova Rick Cornish & Jenny Erickson‑Cornish Tom & Chris Cunningham Ron & Cheryl Grothe Don & Marianne Hamilton Jim & Cindy Hendricks Junerose Kayser Mary Wing Elisa Benson Paul & Dianne Holscher Nick & Laura Jasurda Jonah & Ely Johannes Steve & Krista Kapp Ron & Karen Kennedy George & Linda Kerkhove Tanya & Larry Kincaid Joe & Ginny Knappenberger John & Janine Knippenberg Peter & Dedee Kopp Lee & Carole Kramer James & Marie Krause Jeff & Chris Martin John & Susy Maus Alice & Morey McDonnell Josh & Karin Meissner Larry & Laurie Milligan Mike & Laura Moes Tom & Susan Mroch Bob & Linda Olsen Dave & Adrienne Olsen Jamie & Carrie Orcutt Steve & Jill Ray Larry & Georgia Renninger Everett & Charlotte Rohrig Art & Elaine Rosenboom Perry & Jill Ross Joe & Tausca Schillaci Richard & Lise Seedroff Tom & Leigh Ann Siegle Liz & Bob Spurr David & Julia Strain Rod & Cheryl Traff Philip & Sara Winkler Kurt & Stacey Winn Page 10 Our Father Lutheran Church POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: OUR FATHER LUTHERAN CHURCH 6335 S. Holly St., Centennial, CO 80121 Our Father Lutheran Church Church Office: 303-779-1332 Fax: 303-779-1668 Office Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm Web Page: http://www.oflc.net Rev. Scott F. Abel, Lead Pastor, ext. 215 Rev. Nathan F. Peregoy, Associate Pastor, ext. 218 Rev. Dr. Werner K. Boos, Pastoral Counselor, 303-741-5588, ext. 112 Prayer Chain: [email protected] Our Father Children’s Learning Center Alison Cejka, Director, 303-779-4910 Worship Saturday Service: 5:00 pm Sunday Services: 8:00 & 10:45 am Education Hour & Sunday School: 9:30 am Our Father Lutheran Church (USPS 000336) Published the first Sunday of each month by Our Father Lutheran Church Periodical Postage Paid at Littleton, Colorado. PERIODICAL POSTAGE
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