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2018January.Pdf JANUARY 2018 CELEBRATIONS PAGE CELEBRATIONS Celebration Lutheran Church January 2018 From the Pastor It has been seven years since our dear Golden Retriever, Dasher, died at the ripe old age of 14. Several times over the course of his life Dasher “wrote” articles for the monthly newsletter. I came across one the other day, written in 2001 and would like to Sunday share it while we are transitioning between the season of Christmas and Epiphany. Schedule From the Pastor’s Dog, Winter I’ve heard it said, “It is more blessed to release than to retrieve.” I have to admit, I 9:15 am haven’t fully bought into that bit of wisdom. I love to retrieve. Releasing is difficult. I Sunday School love to plunge into the river after a tennis ball, swim back to shore and shake off. I (all ages) love to chase after a baseball through our neighbor’s yard, run back toward the throw- er and triumphantly run right by him without releasing. One day Master Dave waited 10:30 am ten minutes for me to release the ball. I finally relented, cautiously lowering my mouth Worship to the ground and dropping my precious cargo on the grass. As he carefully reached followed by down to get the ball, I made one last attempt to snatch it, but the resounding, “NO!” fellowship kept me at bay. Master Dave tries to convince me that in order to have more fun re- trieving, I have to release. I suppose it’s true, but I still don’t like it. I’m wondering, do you humans have the same difficulty with releasing? Just wondering. MARK YOUR Woof! CALENDAR Dasher January 7 4:30pm Dasher’s insight reminds me of how freedom from our own captivity allows us to par- ticipate more fully in this one precious life that God has given us. When Isaiah pro- Epiphany claims, “he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the broken- Bon-Fire! hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners, etc.” (Isaiah 61:1), he is announcing his blessed participation in God’s kingdom and the exponential January 14 impact the grace of God has on peoples of all circumstances. This liberation would not 4:00pm happen if Isaiah did not release the good news – keeping it only for himself. Rachel Kurtz At Grace The season of Epiphany reveals Jesus as one who releases. Through our weekly scrip- Lutheran ture readings we see how the release of his own vision and compassion for humankind Church enables others to let go of the things they’ve been holding onto in order to follow him. (For example: the calling of the disciples (Mk 1:14-20) January 28 11:45am My prayer for this year is that we gladly retrieve the good news God has thrown to us Annual and then graciously release it for others to hear and to know! Congregation Blessed New Year! Meeting Pastor Dave JANUARY 2018 CELEBRATIONS PAGE 2 Bits & Pieces SPANISH CLASS – Grace Lutheran and Celebration Lutheran churches are partnering together with Isabel Amezola, a local resident who also has roots in Mexico. With a kind and patient heart, Isabel will help learners feel more confident in speaking Spanish in our diverse community. Areas of focus will be grammar and con- versation. Learners will be expected to attend two sessions per week. Suggested donation: $5 per session. Currently, the session schedule is as follows: 7:00pm - Monday evenings at Celebration 7:00pm – Thursday evenings at Grace ANNUAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING – The Annual Meeting of Celebration Lutheran will be on Sunday, January 28th following worship (around 11:45am). We will listen to reports, elect Church Council members, and consider this year’s ministry plan (annual budget). All confirmed members of Celebration are eligible to vote on issues brought to the floor. It is important that all members of CLC be present to support the ministry to which we are committed. NCW PASTOR’S CLUSTER MEETING – Pastors, Deacons, & Spouses will meet at the Grunewald Guild on Tuesday, January 9 at 10am. INSTALLATION OF HOLDEN VILLAGE PASTORS – As Dean of the NCW Cluster, Pastor Dave will preside at the installation of Pastors Bekki & Marcus Lohrmann at Holden Village on January 4th. They will be serving Fullness of God Lutheran Church at Holden for the next couple years. We welcome them into the NCW Cluster MEN’S RETREAT, February 2-4, 2018 “Tools & Strategies for an Inclusive Community” Join the men of Grace Lutheran Church at Tall Timber Ranch near Lake Wenatchee, February 2-4, for recreation, fellowship, worship and learning. Build new friend- ships; reconnect with old ones! The speaker will be Pastor Kristen Kuempel, Bishop of the Eastern Washing- ton/Idaho Synod of the ELCA. For registration information, please call Grace Lutheran (509)663-2189 or vis- it their website: www.glcwen.org Cost: $117 THANK YOU! “Thank you so much for the Christmas greetings, cards, gifts, and blessings! It is an honor to be partners with you in this wonderful ministry and to be the recipient of your generosity!” - Pastor Dave & LeAnn RACHEL KURTZ CONCERT, JANUARY 14TH AT GRACE LUTHERAN Minneapolis based singer/songwriter Rachel Kurtz will be in concert at Grace Lutheran Church, Sunday, January 14th at 4pm. A remarkable vocalist and magnetic stage presence, Kurtz has found acclaim and a national audience of thousands due to her appearances at a series of community service events held in sports arenas across the country. Raising awareness for world hunger, hurricane relief, and multi-cultural reconciliation, Kurtz’s powerhouse voice and heartfelt performances have been electrifying crowds in Atlanta’s Georgia Dome, New Orleans’ Superdome, Texas’ Alamo Dome, and hundreds of other concert venues from coast to coast. Service Care Group #5 ROCKS!. Everyone is always willing and able to help if they're in town. Good attitudes, willingness and dedication make for a great team!! We're looking forward to perhaps adding another few new members considering some of our "old regulars" have moved away. Sincerely - Terry and Cal Johns FROM THE GARDEN We need to clean out the large freezer of tomato juice so we can defrost it. Please help yourself. It is soup time during the cold winter days. -Ray JANUARY 2018 CELEBRATIONS PAGE 3 Bits & Pieces PAINTING THE CHURCH Acting as good stewards of our gifts from God, we must be kept aware of needs pertaining to the church where we worship. That being said, our church building needs a new coat of paint. We, on the Church Council, have looked at our budget for this year and for next year and do not see a place where there is any extra money to pay for this needed repair. For this reason, we are reaching out to the congregation to un- dertake a special giving campaign for the next six months. The cost for the painting and the repair of the sid- ing would be approximately $17,500. These funds would be over and above our normal giving. Can we be prayerful and come together to develop a plan to make sure these funds are available for this project? Care Ministry Start the NEW YEAR right! It brings peace of mind for ourselves and our families when we are able to clarify our funeral arrangements ahead of time. Thanks to the fruits of the “Advanced Care Planning” workshop held at Celebration Church this past fall, we have now prepared a helpful document: Funeral Planning Guide and Worksheet (pictured left). Copies of this guide and worksheet can be found in the church entry- way. Please take a copy home for your personal planning. We offer this document to help you make important arrangements for yourself or a loved one, and encourage you to have a copy kept on file at the church - revisions can be made at any time! Blessings of Peace and Love! Your CARE Team VISITING RIDE TO CHURCH DO YOU KNOW of a person(s) who would like a friendly We have Rider Requests!! We now need willing hello and visit from someone at Celebration? The Care Drivers! If you would be willing to be an occasional Ministry group would like to reach out to others, but may not driver of someone who needs a ride to church please always know the individuals unless we’re informed of them. call the church office: 884-3817 or Susan McCray: 679-7713 and leave a message. You can help us by letting your requests be known to the church office: 884-3817 or [email protected] Stewardship Thank you for your support and pledge to the Ministry of Celebration! Sincerely, The Stewardship Team 2017 Finance Report of the General Operating Fund October 2017 November 2017 2017 YTD 2017 Annual Budget Total Income 17,405 42,169 249,740 275,500 Total Dispersed 24,545 24,674 252,391 275,496 Net Fund Gain (-Loss) (7140) 17495 (2651) Beg. Fund Balance 21,650 14,510 Ending Fund Balance 14,510 32,005 JANUARY 2018 CELEBRATIONS PAGE 4 Meet New Members Let’s get acquainted with Ron and Debbie Garrow. They moved from Seattle, stating that they were motivated by God to come to the Wenatchee Valley and are blessed to have become members of Celebration Lutheran Church. They were extremely impressed with the Wenatchee Valley Cross. Ron was a Public Works Director and Debbie a systems analyst for Weyerhaeuser. Ron’s interest was volunteering for the Red Cross. Debbie did volunteer work for Friend to Friend America and was involved in the church, holding various office positions within the church as well as conducting Bible Studies.
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