Grace Lutheran Church
Grace Grapevine
A Word From Pastor Gentile...
Inside this Issue:
3
Council Info
4
Quilters
5
500 years
6
Receipes
7
Church Etiquette
7
Day School
8
Trivia
8
Birthdays
9
10
Dates to Remember
April 13—Maundy Thursday
April 16—Easter
April 23—Dedication Ceremony, Infant Room and
Church Office
April 28/29—Fiesta Parades
April 30—Loaves/Fishes
The most important
service of the year is
coming. It's obviously
not Christmas, and
it's not even Easter.
It's the one buried in
Holy Week, but it's
not just another day.
It's Good Friday. It's
a funeral, you say,
and I am not going.
It's a coming out party for Jesus. More
than any other day,
more than the day of
his birth, we learn
who Jesus is, who
God is. He is the God
of the cross. He is
the God, who is the
king, who rules by
serving all he subjects in the most profound way, by laying
down his life for all of
his people.
This is who God is,
and this is who God
calls us to be. If we
want to be great, we
should be the servants of all. It's not
what anybody wants.
It's not what Jesus
wanted. It's not what
we want, but it de
Pastor Gentile
Announcements
Columbarium
April 2017
Pastor Gentile
fines who Jesus is.
And, it defines who
we are. It gives Jesus' life meaning,
and it gives our lives
meaning.
So, let us not allow
the headline to be
buried. Good Friday
is coming. And. It
gives us much more
than any new Easter
dress or suit. It defines who God is,
and who God calls us
to be!
Happy Good Friday,
In Christ,
Pastor Chris
P age 2
A pr i l 2 0 1 7
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
God’s work. Our hands.
SYNOD ASSEMBLY
Synod Assembly is fast approaching. It will be held May 5-7 this year in San Antonio at the Omni Colonnade. The theme of the Assembly is, “Formed and Reformed for Mission,” and Andrew Steele will be
keynote speaker. Andrew has served as the Director for ELCA Global Church Sponsorship since April of
2015. In this capacity, he oversees the advancement efforts for ELCA Missionaries, Young Adults in
Global Mission volunteers, Global Ministry projects, and the International Women Leaders Initiative,
which is also where our Synod Assembly offering will go this year. Besides being treated to this engaging presenter, we will also conduct the annual business of the synod.
Voting members, both clergy and lay, will gather from all across our synod to represent their congregations in making decisions about the issues facing the larger church. There are still a couple of spots available, if you would like to be a voting member this year (talk to Pastor Chris). Of course, Pastor Chris will
be there as well. If you would like to learn more about what issues will be discussed and voted on at
Synod Assembly, please visit the Synod's website at www.swtsynod.org.
PLEASE NOTE DATE CORRECTION
Last month, I mentioned that our next Semi-Annual Meeting would be on May 14. That was incorrect. It
will actually take place on June 4. Please accept my apologies.
Dave McIntosh
Church Council President
Like us on Facebook
Visit us on the web!
www.gracesa.org
Our Vision
That we grow as a light
shining throughout the
G r a c e Gr a p e v i n e
P age 3
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
HOLY WEEK AND EASTER SUNDAY
Palm Sunday, April 9th--Worship with our Day School children and their families; then lunch in Fetter
Hall followed by an Easter Egg Hunt; Maundy Thursday (April 13th)-- Seder Meal in Fetter Hall at 5:30
pm (reservations required: contact the church office or Barbara Tezel by April 9th); Worship with Holy
Communion in the Sanctuary at 7:00 pm; Good Friday (April 14th) Service in the Sanctuary at 7:00 pm;
Easter Sunrise Service at 7:00 am at Arneson River Theater, Easter Breakfast in Fetter Hall beginning at
8:30 am, Easter Worship in the Sanctuary at 10:30 am
A special thank you to Holly Schwartz, friend of Grace Church, who donated the palms for Palm Sunday in memory of Mildred Babcock.
EVANGELISM ANNOUNCES CAM DRIVES 2017
April-May (Underwear, Socks, Personal Hygiene Products); June-August (Backpacks); SeptemberOctober (Winter Wear.. coats, sweaters, scarves, hats); November (Christmas Toys). For more information
contact Christina Conrad at [email protected]
DEDICATION OF INFANT ROOM AND CHURCH OFFICE
On April 23, Pastor Chris will lead the ribbon cutting ceremony and blessings of the new infant room, day
school director’s office and church office. Refreshments will be served in courtyard following the dedications.
Congratulations to Gloria, her staff and the Day School Board for all their hard work and effort.
May you and your families
have a wonderful Easter .
Blessings!
P age 4
A pr i l 2 0 1 7
2 0 16 — 2 0 17 C H U R C H C O U N C I L
Here are your Church Council Members for this year along with email addresses:
President
DAVE MCINTOSH
[email protected]
President-Elect
TROY FRAIL
[email protected]
Secretary
JEANNETTE WOHLFARTH [email protected]
Evangelism Board
CHRISTINA CONRAD
[email protected]
Finance Board
LESLIE BLALOCK
[email protected]
Fellowship Board
SAN JUANA TEZEL
[email protected]
Lay Ministry Board
RONDA WENZEL
[email protected]
Property Board
JOHN TEZEL
[email protected]
Parish Education
LEAH CLARK
[email protected]
Stewardship Board
KAY JOHNSON
[email protected]
Youth Board
KAREN WRIGHT
[email protected]
School Board
LISA MATHIS
[email protected]
Youth Representative
REILY JONAS
[email protected]
Communication
Points of Contact
Messenger & Grapevine:
Trina Guevara
Pre-service Slide
Presentation:
Mark Tezel
Post-service
Announcements:
Pastor Gentile
Weekly Texts:
Pastor Gentile
Website: Media Team
Phone Tree:
JoAnn McIntosh
Youth retreat March 24-26 at Camp Chrysalis
Special Thank You to Jeannette Wohlfarth and
Jan Sommerville for arranging the wonderful Lent lunches
and to Kay Johnson for handling the Lent services.
G r a c e Gr a p e v i n e
P age 5
GRACE QUILTERS
The quilters of Grace Lutheran Church have been working for a year, lovingly stitching beautiful, soft quilts to send warmth and comfort to those
who need it. The quilts will be taken to TLU on Wednesday, April 19 and
from there, they will be shipped to a warehouse in Baltimore until needed.
We appreciate our quilting team Ruth Leopard, Jan Sommerville, Gerri
Koehn, Ida Ruth Cuthbertson and JoAnn McIntosh.
Such a blessing!
CHURCH OFFICE
HOURS
FIESTA 2017 TICKETS SALES
Tickets for both the Night and Day Parades are available at the Church Office.
Seats are $12 each. Tickets will not be released without payment; credit cards
accepted. Viva!
LOAVES AND FISHES – April 30
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR THE FOLLOWING: Food servers, individuals to offer spiritual guidance to guests (can be offered in the form of music), tray carriers, clean up, drink stations
DONATIONS OF THE FOLLOWING ITEMS: Side dishes (your choice),
Ice, Drinks, Desserts. --- To volunteer email Gloria at [email protected]
or call 210-226-9132. These special events will be generally held on the last
Sunday of each month. Hosted by First Presbyterian & Grace Lutheran
Church. Serving begins at 3pm. Clean up begins at 4:30pm. Finished by 5pm.
Line up/ticket distribution begins at 2pm; the line will form along 6th street.
APRIL USHERS – Delton Koehn (Lead), Geri Koehn, Lee Leopard, Hannah
Stahl, Jennifer Stuart, Stefan Villanueva
Mon—Thurs
9am to 4pm
Friday
8am to Noon
Office #
(210) 226-9131
Email
[email protected]
P age 6
A pr i l 2 0 1 7
Celebrating 500 Years
This year, Christians worldwide will observe the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. To mark this
anniversary, the Grapevine will provide a small tidbit of history about Martin Luther and the Reformation each month. This month's topic is “The 95 Theses.”
The 95 Theses
Committed to the idea that salvation could be reached through faith and by divine grace only, Luther
vigorously objected to the corrupt practice of selling indulgences. Acting on this belief, he wrote the
“Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences,” also known as “The 95 Theses,” a list of
questions and propositions for debate. Popular legend has it that on October 31, 1517 Luther defiantly nailed a copy of his 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Castle church. The reality was probably
not so dramatic; Luther more likely hung the document on the door of the church matter-of-factly to
announce the ensuing academic discussion around it that he was organizing.
The 95 Theses, which would later become the foundation of the Protestant Reformation, were written
in a remarkably humble and academic tone, questioning rather than accusing. The overall thrust of
the document was nonetheless quite provocative. The first two of the theses contained Luther’s central idea, that God intended believers to seek repentance and that faith alone, and not deeds, would
lead to salvation. The other 93 theses, a number of them directly criticizing the practice of indulgences, supported these first two.I n addition to his criticisms of indulgences, Luther also reflected popular
sentiment about the “St. Peter’s scandal” in the 95 Theses:
Why does not the pope, whose wealth today is greater than the wealth of the richest Crassus, build
the basilica of St. Peter with his own money rather than with the money of poor believers?
The 95 Theses were quickly distributed throughout Germany and then made their way to Rome. In
1518, Luther was summoned to Augsburg, a city in southern Germany, to defend his opinions before
an imperial diet (assembly). A debate lasting three days between Luther and Cardinal Thomas Cajetan
produced no agreement. Cajetan defended the church’s use of indulgences, but Luther refused to recant and returned to Wittenberg. Next month: Luther the Heretic
(http://www.history.com/topics/martin-luther-and-the-95-theses)
G r a c e Gr a p e v i n e
P age 7
Church Etiquette
Etiquette is defined as “the customary rules for conduct or behavior in polite society.” Church/worship
etiquette is the customary rules for conduct and behavior in a Church of God or the Sanctuary. Sometimes, young and old, need reminders, so we can keep our behavior in check. Monthly, the “Grapevine,”
is going to address one behavior issue.
Holy Week, a Time for Reflection
Holy Week is the week preceding Easter. It begins with Palm Sunday and ends with Holy Saturday, the
day before Easter Sunday.
During Holy Week, Christians commemorate the Passion of Christ, who died on Good Friday in reparation for the sins of humanity and rose on Easter Sunday to give new life to all who believe.
During Holy Week, reflect on the significance of your faith; reflection will lead to a better understanding of your faith.
Think about the significance of your presence on earth. Why are you here? Are you
here just to eat and drink and to make merry and just pass through this world? Absolutely not! You are
here for a purpose. As a Christian, take what you believe seriously, discipline yourself, and be a responsible Christian, as you live the faith everyday and witness to others.
.
Loaves & Fishes, Lutheran Dishes
is Grace's most recent publication (2015) of member recipes.
The Grapevine will be highlighting one recipe this month. Since April 7th is National Coffee
Cake Day, we are highlighting Ronda Lantz's recipe for coffee cake on page 48.
Ronda Lantz's Coffee Cake
3 cans of biscuits (cut into fourths)
½ cup margarine or butter
1 cup sugar (divided)
5—6 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix ½ cup of the sugar and the cinnamon with cut biscuits in a bag; shake well. Put in
bundt pan. Bring margarine, the other ½ cup of sugar and vanilla to a boil. Pour over biscuits.
Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Let set 5 minutes before you invert on a plate. Enjoy!
P age 8
A pr i l 2 0 1 7
GRACE DAY SCHOOL ACTIVITES & BOARD
Grace Lutheran Day School
Here at GLDS we understand the importance of developing a childs spiritual domain.
Every Tuesday the curriculum is dedicated to the bible
story of the week ( using Spark story bible)
On Thursdays Pastor Gentile reinforces the curriculum by including it at chapel.
Members of the Day School Board: Gloria Pelayo-Director, Lisa Mathis– Board President, Pastor Gentile,
Ruth Leopard, San Juana Tezel, Sue Halbert, Jessica Sotello, Destiny Lewter—Parent Representatives,
Melissa Strilka and Jeannette Wohlfarth
The next Board Meeting, Tuesday, April 11th @ 6:30pm
BARBARA’S GRACE TRIVIA
In Memory of Barbara Kilian
More Martin Luther trivia.
Here are the trivia questions for this month. (Answers on page 11)
1. In what year was Martin Luther ordained the priesthood?
2. Who was the Dominican friar sent to Germany by the pope to collect indulgences in 1516?
3. Luther was the first to teach the Doctrine of ______ or righteousness by faith alone through God’s
grace.
4. Who are these people? (More celebrities this month. Men this time.)
A
B
C
D
P age 9
G r a c e Gr a p e v i n e
OUR HOMEBOUND FAMILY
2125 W. Olmos, SA, Tx 78201
1803 San Angelo, SA, Tx 78201
4335 Hilton Head, SA, Tx 78217
4003 Midvale, SA, Tx 78229
1650 Steves, SA, Tx 78210
222 Havanna, SA, Tx 78228
Brookdale, 2457 Loop 337, #107,
Mary Schmid
New Braunfels, Tx 78130
APRIL Birthdays
Leslie Womack (1st)
Jennifer Stuart (5th)
Karlon Thompson (7th)
Tyler Frail (7th)
Jan Sommerville (8th)
Tammy Gentile (8th)
Ashley Fox (13th)
Stephanie Johnson (18th)
Robin Zuercher (18th)
Akeem Buchanan (18th)
David Altmeyer (26th)
Eunice Osei-Wusu (26th)
Micky Hansen (27th)
Manuel Pelayo (29th)
Shirley Fetter (30th)
Barbara Tezel (30th)
OUR CAMPUS
MINISTRIES
(210) 226-9132
(210) 271-9396
(210) 223-4099
1. 1507
2. Johann Tetzel (hmmm,
any descendants at
Grace?)
3. Justification
4.
A. Brad Pitt
B. John Legend
C. Johnny Depp
D. Ashton Kutcher
Maurine Wallace
Emilie Schaefer
Shirley Fetter
Joyce Chamberlain
Winnie Pfiester
Bonnie Rios
P age 1 0
A pr i l 2 0 1 7
IMPORTANT UPDATE ON GRACE'S COLUMBARIUM
Our Church Council has just approved a new element of ministry for Grace: a Columbarium.
Although the idea of a columbarium is new at our church, its origins are deep in the history of Christian
beliefs. From the earliest of time, Christians have buried their dead in crypts, church yards and inside their
churches. A columbarium is a beautiful storage for the cremated remains of our loved ones.
The Columbarium Project has been under study by a subcommittee of the Church Council for about two
years to determine an appropriate location on the property, consider all design elements, evaluate companies offering modular units and write policies to govern the use of the niches to include the costs and management procedures involved in providing a Columbarium Ministry. The committee, with approval from
the Council, now has plans ready for the construction of the Columbarium and the selling of niches to our
membership.
The Columbarium will be located in the Tower Room—as you enter the narthex to the Sanctuary, the Tower Room is on the left. The Tower Room is a perfect location because it is near our altar, and the niches
will surround the stained-glass window on the left wall—a wonderful tribute to our deceased members and
family. The room will be set-up as a place of reflection, meditation, and reverence. Each niche will have a
plaque with the engraved name of the deceased. Directly below the window will be a bench shelf and candles to be used as needed for service or meditation.
Funding of the Columbarium is based solely on the sale of the niches. We need to sell 44 niches to cover
the cost of the first construction phase of 52 niches. These niches will surround each side of the stainglassed window and the area below the window. The space will allow for a total of 132 niches to be added
as needed.
Cost of each niche is $1,500.00; $600.00 of that amount is tax deductible. If you are interested, contact the
church office (Trina at [email protected]) for a packet that explains in detail all of the information you
will need. The architect drawing of the project may be found in the tower room at the location of the Columbarium. Take time to view the information.
If you have questions please contact Ronda Lantz, Craig Johnson, Jeannette Wohlfarth,
Dave McIntosh, or Troy Frail.
G r a c e Gr a p e v i n e
P age 1 1
EASTER EGG HUNT
Please join us for our annual Easter Egg Hunt on Palm Sunday after worship. A light lunch
will be served at Fetter Hall! “Hop on over” for food, fellowship, and fun!
If you would like to donate a dozen plastic candy filled eggs please bring them by the
church office or bring them with you that day. For further information contact Gloria at
226-9132.
Children don’t forget to bring your baskets!
The 3rd Annual
Memorial “Light”
Country Barn Dance & Dinner
(Partial proceeds to benefit Capital Campaign)
A Family-Friendly Event!
Saturday, May 13th
5:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Hosted at the Tezel Farm
(9732 Woodland Hills 78250)
Steak Dinner ($30)
Salad, Baked Potato, Green Beans
and Peach Cobbler
Children’s Dinner ($15)
Hamburgers & Hot Dogs
LIVE Music
“Country Crossroads”
Dust off your Cowboy Hat,
Shine them boots, and Come on down to support a great cause … Yee-haw!
For tickets contact John Tezel, Karen Wright
or Trina Guevara, [email protected]
Grace Lutheran
Church
504 Avenue E
San Antonio, TX 78215
210-226-9131
E-mail: [email protected]
(Insert mailing label here)
COUNCIL PRESIDENT
Dave McIntosh —Although the March
Council Meeting was
cancelled, there are still a
few items to report. First
and foremost, I’m happy
to report that we now
have a signed contract for
the elevator repair and
work should begin soon.
Hopefully, we will not be
without an elevator for
much longer.
The Nominating Committee, headed by Lou Wenzel is seeking candidates
for the following positions: President-Elect,
Evangelism, Lay Ministry, and Parish Education.
I understand that we have
a volunteer to take the
Evangelism position, but
we still need people to
take on the other three
positions. President-Elect
is a one-year term, followed by a one-year term
as President. The other
positions are each a twoyear term. If you have an
important jobs on the
Church Council, please
see . Lou Wenzel. We
will be electing these new
Council members at the
Semi-Annual Congregational Meeting on June 4.
The Human Resources
Committee has updated
the old Personnel Policy
Manual and renamed it
the Human Resources
Policy Manual. The new
manual will be given to
the Council for review
and approval this month.
With any luck, it will be
finalized before our Semi
-Annual Meeting.
The Columbarium Committee has posted information about the Columbarium on the church
website. You can read it
here:
http://www.gracesa.org/re
cent-news/grace-lutherancolumbarium-ministry/
CAM is organizing a
campaign to revitalize
McCullough Avenue
from Grace Lutheran
Church to First Baptist
Church (approximately 4
blocks) and is hosting a
meeting of interested
stakeholders to discuss
how that might take
place. Grace will be represented at that meeting
and we will be reporting
the results in next
month’s Grapevine.
Each Wednesday during
Lent, Pastor Kay has
been leading the 11:00
am and 7:00 pm worship with a series of
interactive sermon/discussions on the
subject of forgiveness.
If you haven’t attended,
you’ve missed an opportunity to do some serious introspection on the
challenges that we face
in this area. I find that
I’m not nearly as forgiving as I like to think that
I am.
The real eye opening
aspect of forgiveness
that Pastor Kay helped
me understand is that
it’s relatively easy to forgive those that I love or
like or even tolerate. It’s
not so easy to forgive
someone that I truly dislike or dare I say, detest.
Her challenge to us to
pray for someone that
we dislike took me out
of my “comfort zone”. I
won’t say that I was entirely successful in finding it in my heart to forgive the person that I
had in mind. However,
the process helped me
understand just how far
I still have to go in my
Christian journey and
perhaps more importantly, just how incredible Jesus’ words on
the cross were when he
said, “Father forgive them,
for they know not what
they do.” Thank you, Pastor Kay for giving me new
insight into what it means
to be truly Christian.