A monthly publication of
Christ Lutheran Church of Aptos, ELCA
www.AptosChurch.org
CLC Connections
FEBRUARY 2014
“Connections”
From the Council President
Dear Fellow Members,
At the January Council Meeting, the council members unanimously voted to
encourage Pastor Dale to take a Personal Leave starting immediately. With much
input from your fellow council members, the council and Pastor Dale agreed that
he needs time at home for both himself and Jan as she recoups from her recent
difficult setback and nears the end of her chemotherapy treatments (just two
more).
Pastor Dale expressed their deep appreciation for all the support given to them
from Christ Lutheran in the form of prayers, food, love, and understanding. At this
point, he will be gone through Sunday, February 9, but will remain available for
any major emergencies that arise. Pastor Herb Schmidt will be on-call during this
time. Please continue to keep Pastor Dale and Jan in your thoughts and prayers.
I would like to give you a brief overview of the topics that were discussed at the
Council Retreat held on January 4. We identified four main areas of interest that
the council, with help from interested church members, will begin to set up task
forces to work on :
Youth, Children and Family (Faith Formation),
Visibility (Social Media Communications, Public Relations),
Organizational Chart (Mindful Groupings) and
Office (Technology Use in the Congregational Setting)
We also made a list of assorted smaller projects that we will discuss at the
February Council Meeting.
Please feel free to talk with any council members and offer your suggestions, time
and talents. All is appreciated.
Your Council President,
Tori Nahnsen
Page 1
www.AptosChurch.org
Church Council Highlights
January 22, 2014
●
Approved a Personal Leave for Pastor Dale until at least February 9th
●
Youth, Children Ministry Task Force formed and will meet after February 9th.
●
Reviewed church goals formulated at Council retreat in January.
● Planned to recognize Jennifer Norman for 13 years of service on February 9th.
●
Heard reports from Visibility, Hospitality, Santa Cruz al Salvador and Aptos
Community Garden representatives.
●
Approved $500 to be sent to Santa Cruz al Salvador.
(Complete minutes are posted on the bulletin board in the Gazebo.)
Treasurer's Report
December 2013
Year 2014
Budgeted Income
$14,969.00
Actual Income
$ 14,498.00
YTD Income
$179,803.00
Budgeted Expenses
$15,267.00
Actual Expenses
$ 15,391.00
YTD Expenses
$186,589.00
Thrivent Choice $382.00.
We were $6,786.00 short income to meet expenses. We did over and above our
budget giving almost $15,000 to others. We were “GREAT” in 2013!
The balance in the Endowment Fund is $13,300.00 with $10,000.00 pledged as a
matching fund.
Roberta Pruitt, Treasurer
“Connections”
Page 2
www.AptosChurch.org
In Memoriam
Rev. David L. Place
Dec. 26, 1936 - Jan 13, 2014
Pastor Place was our Interim Pastor during 2001 to January, 2003. He was
a patient, quiet leader with a strong moral compass. We are thankful for his time
with us.
Ordained in 1963, his first call was at Edison Park Lutheran Church,
Chicago. He served four churches in Minnesota before being called as CoPastor at Bethel Lutheran in Cupertino. He retired from ordained ministry in
February, 2003.
Pastor Place is survived by his wife, Carol, and daughters, Jenny and Karen. The service was
Friday, Jan. 17th, at Faith Lutheran Church in Evansville, MN.
Condolences may be sent to: Carol Place, 651 State St., #108, Evansville, MN 56326
MY PEOPLE There is a group of people who never make it to the headlines. They are my people.
They work under the radar, unnoticeable, steadfast…. I know them~that is who I am.
Those folks are those who do the tedious work of mending the frayed edges.
They salvage the selvage and keep the whole-nine-yards in one piece.
My people ~ the saviors of the tapestry of Life.
Submitted by Kris Smith
Santa and a little boy of the Toys for Tots Program put
on by our neighboring church, Aptos Christian Fellowship, which we helped support this Christmas.
Aptos Christian Fellowship was able to provide a
Christmas food box with frozen chicken and present to
376 individuals, including adults, in the household.
They invited us to partner with them in the Toys for Tots
campaign to provide presents for children ages 0-14 for
their current food pantry clients.
“Connections”
Page 4
www.AptosChurch.org
4 Corners News
Aptos Community United Methodist Church
Christ Lutheran Church
La Selva Beach Community Church
Saint Andrew Presbyterian Church
THE MANY WORLDS OF CHRISTENDOM
The La Selva Beach Community Church is offering a free 8 week community course on The
Many Worlds of Christendom during February and March of 2014. The course offers a broad
overview of the history of Christianity, provided by Robert Strayer, a retired professor of history, as
well as an opportunity to hear from authentic practitioners representing various contemporary expressions of the Christian faith. We will meet on Thursday evenings at the La Selva Community
Church at 26 Florida Avenue in La Selva Beach from 7:30 to 9:00.
SCHEDULE
February 6: The Early Centuries of Christianity: An Afro-Eurasian Faith
Guest: Father Lawrance Namato: Assyrian Church of the East in San Jose representing an ancient Persian-based Church of the East.
February 13: Contraction and Expansion: The Europeanization of Christianity
Guest: Father Patrick Dooling: San Carlos Roman Catholic Cathedral in Monterey representing
the Roman Catholic tradition.
February 20: Controversy and Division: The Fragmentation of Christendom
Guest: Father Thaddaeus Hardenbrook, St. Lawrence Orthodox Church in Felton, representing
the Eastern Orthodox expression of Christianity.
February 27: Growing Up Together: Christianity and Islam
Guest: Liqetguhan Bekele Worku from the Mekane Rama Cathedral of the Ethiopian Orthodox
Church in San Jose representing Ethiopian Christianity
March 6: The Globalization of Christianity: The Americas
Guest: Father Jose Alberto Vasquez-Martinez, St. Mary of the Nativity in Salinas representing an
Hispanic expression of Christianity.
March 13: The Globalization of Christianity: Asia and Africa
Guest: Stephanie Milton, Progressive Baptist Church in Santa Cruz representing AfricanAmerican Christianity
March 20: Christianity and Modernity: Science, Enlightenment, and Evolution
Guest: Laurie Schlaepfer, Twin Lakes Church, Aptos representing evangelical Christianity in the
United States.
March 27: The Most Recent Century: Challenge and Renewal in Christendom
Guest: Rev. Jane Grady, La Selva Beach Community Church, La Selva Beach representing progressive Protestant Christianity in the United States
NOTE: Many of these sessions will include distinctive musical traditions as well.
Each session is self-contained, so come when you can. While there is no charge for the course,
we would invite you to register for it by contacting the church at 831-688-4033 so that we
can know how many handouts to prepare.
For more information, contact Robert Strayer: 831-662-2238 or at [email protected]
For the schedule of events, see the church web-site at www.lsbcc.org
“Connections”
Page 5
www.AptosChurch.org
All Christ Lutheran Church Ladies:
Saturday, March 8th, 12 noon
at the home of Marjorie Albright
Jane Amaral, Janet Blomquist, and I would like to invite all women who attend
our church to a casual lunch at my home. Please bring a sandwich to put on a plate to
share. We will furnish salad and cookies.
This meeting will be a sharing of ideas that each one of us cherishes. Each one
will give a quotation from the Bible or some other source that has given them inspiration.
For instance, if I gave one from the Bible I would have to say “Love thy Neighbor as
Thyself” (Mark 12:31) OR
“I would be true, for there are those who trust me;
I would be pure, for there are those who care,
I would be strong, for there is much to suffer:
I would be brave, for there is much to dare.”
(Howard Arnold Walter)
Please give the church office a call and tell us you will be coming so we know
how much salad and how many cookies to prepare. We will have a great time.
Jane Amaral, Janet Blomquist, and Marjorie Albright
“Connections”
Page 6
www.AptosChurch.org
January 2-11, 2014 Mission Trip to El Salvador
The First Group on United Airlines (Taca/Avianca)
On arrival San Salvador Airport : Jesse McMilan, Kent Madsen, Sierra Dwyer-Voss, Rachel Lapp (St.
Stephen’s Lutheran); Pastor Karla Norton (St. Andrew Presbyterian), Edita McQuary, Joey Amrhein (Christ
Lutheran) and Steve Barrett (Church of the Good Shepherd, Salinas).
The above is half of our group of 16 El Salvador mission trip participants. It was so good to be
with our Joey Amrhein again! This was her third trip and she volunteered to be in charge of the children’s
craft projects in Guillermo Ungo. These were a huge success: especially popular were the glitter tattoos,
“stained glass” painting on various ornaments, and creating colorful rubber-band bracelets. Some of us were
lucky enough to meet our prayer children that morning.
The next morning, moms and grannies came to help us arrange the tables for the scholarship
ceremony. We were welcomed by Don Fito, the community leader, who thanked us for being there and
supporting their children’s education. When the child’s name was called, one of our delegation escorted the
child to pick up his/her schoolbooks, uniform, pair of shoes (all paid for by the government) and the gift
packet that we, as madrinas, provided to them. The annual $75.00 that each sponsor pays is used to buy an
extra pair of shoes, a second uniform, school supplies and a hot meal.
Of the 120 gift packets that our delegation brought, 80 of the children were there to receive them.
The rest of the packets are being held in the school administration office. Blanca, the school secretary, will
issue them when the children come back to school after the Christmas holiday. We are hoping that she will
take their photos and send them on to us.
The families of these children are very concerned about educating their children. They live in the
campesino (rural area) in small cement houses surrounded by banana trees, and beautiful tropical plants and
flowers. The bougainvillea were amazing! We were invited to eat lunch and dinner with the various families
whose children we sponsored. We split our group of 16 into two so as not to overburden any family.
Tables were put together to accommodate all eight of us and we were served chicken, rice, beans, tortillas,
and something deliciously fruity to drink.
With the help of an interpreter, we were able to get better acquainted with the families. The words
“brothers and sisters in Christ” took on a whole new meaning for us. Thank you again, for sponsoring me!
Submitted by Edita McQuary
“Connections”
Page 7
www.AptosChurch.org
“El Camino Real”, Guillermo Ungo
Santa Cruz al Salvador Presentations
In the Christmas/New Year’s rush, I forgot to pack my camera. Joey packed her
camera, took fantastic photos, but lost her camera either at San Salvador Airport or at
Houston International Airport. If her camera does not turn up, she will work up a
presentation with borrowed photos from other delegation members. More information to
follow.
In the meantime, two SCaS member churches will be having presentations/El
Salvador Sunday:
February 2, 2014 Trinity Presbyterian, 420 Melrose Ave., Santa Cruz 423-8995
@ 11:30 Pupusa Lunch & Slide Show Presentation
February 9, 2014 St. Andrew Presbyterian, 9850 Monroe Ave., Aptos 688-4222
@ 11:30 a.m. Rev. Karla Norton’s presentation
2014 FLOWER CHART
Now posted in the Gazebo. Please sign up for your special calendar Sundays.
Your flowers enhance our altar, adding to the worship service.
Please direct “how-to” Questions to Joan Newman.
“Connections”
Page 8
www.AptosChurch.org
Sunday School Teacher Lois DeVogelaere with Raven, Dakota, Savannah’s cousin, Savannah & Dominic
“Connections”
Page 9
www.AptosChurch.org