Psalm 119:15 The Christogram

I will meditate on Your precepts, August, 2021 And contemplate Your ways. Volume 59, Issue 8

In this issue

Anniversaries 4 New Bible Study Starts Birthdays 4 August 8th From the Pastor 6 The Story of God Mary Martha 7

LWML 7 the Creator Study:

Outreach 8 Our Beginning,

Youth 8 Our Rebellion,

Stewardship 9 and Our Way Back Council 10 See page 6

Christ Lutheran Church clclakeland.org 2715 Lakeland Hills Blvd Lakeland, FL 33805 863-682-7802 Page 2 The Christogram - August, 2021 Serving in August LUTHERAN STAFF August 1 Pastor Elder ...... P.J. Nunez Rev. Christopher Hazzard Lector ...... (cell) 863-732-1322 Ushers ...... Greeters ...... Office Secretary Audio...... Kyle Welch Terry Krum Video ...... Video TD: Levi Hazzard 863-682-7802 GFX: Kris Welch Stream: Joel Nelson Council Officers August 8 Acolyte ...... President ...... John Freer Vice-President ...... Don Racer Elder ...... Secretary ...... Pam West Lector ...... Treasurer ...... Jon Lindstrom Ushers ...... Finance Secretary ...... Diane Bickart Greeters ...... Christian Ed ...... Robin Fox Audio...... Maria Hazzard Andrea Sawyer Video ...... Video TD: Jon Sawyer Sr. Outreach & Missions ..... Rev. Jerry Munz GFX: Levi Hazzard Stewardship ...... Diane Hill Stream: Kris Welch Trustees ...... Rick Joost Youth Group ...... Kris Welch August 15 Elder ...... Lector ...... Board of Elders Ushers ...... Steve West (Head) Greeters ...... Lee Crapo Audio...... Kyle Welch P.J. Nunez Video ...... Video TD: Kris Welch Carlos Orellana GFX: Levi Hazzard Steve Rosane Stream: Jonathan Sawyer Jr./Joel Nelson Fred Sterns August 22 Elder ...... Committee Chairpersons Lector ...... Fellowship Coordinators Ushers ...... Vi Zabel & Belinda Freer Greeters ...... Audio...... Mariah Sawyer Altar Guild Video ...... Video TD: Levi Hazzard Barbara and Alfred Miller GFX: Kris Welch Stream: Joel Nelson Choir Director Connie Timmons August 29 Elder ...... Endowment Fund Lector ...... Paulette Nunez Ushers ......

Greeters ...... Mary-Martha Guild Audio...... Kyle Welch Belinda Freer Video ...... Video TD: Kris Welch GFX: Levi Hazzard E-Mail Addresses Stream: Jonathan Sawyer Jr./ Joel Nelson

Pastor [email protected] ALTAR GUILD SERVICES

Office Cheryl Erwin and Charlene Rosane [email protected]

SATURDAY EVENING WORSHIP @ 5:30 PM Christ Lutheran Mission Statement To proclaim Christ’s saving love, share Elder ...... Lee Crapo the Gospel, and serve God’s people. Lector ...... Rick Smith/Gerie Slaten Audio...... Maria Hazzard/Robin Fox Christ Lutheran Church 2715 Lakeland Hills Blvd Phone: 863-682-7802

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Youth Group Bible Study @ @Mini Golf 9a Bible Study Noon Dave Wiesenaur Orlando Private Com. Memorial Ser. 10a Worship Outreach Book Study @ Meeting @ 1:30 - 2:30 @ 11a Elders Meeting 4:30p 5:30p Youth Group @

6p 5:30p Worship 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Bible Study @ 9a Bible Study Circuit Pastors Quilters @ 10a Book Study @ Mtg @ CLC Noon 4:30p 10a Worship Private Com. Trustee/ Council Mtg @ Volunteer Work- 1:30 - 2:30 5:30p Worship Stewardship Meeting 6:30p day

15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Bible Study @ Quilters @ 10a Book Study @ Noon 9a Bible Study Trustee/ Private Com. 4:30p

10a Worship Volunteer Work- 1:30 - 2:30 5:30p Worship day Congregational Meeting Youth Group @ 6p

22 28 24 25 9a Bible Study 23 26 27 Quilters @ 10a Bible Study @ Book Study @ 10a Worship 9 AM Deadline for Noon 4:30p Trustee/ Paper Pumpkin Newsletter items Private Com. Volunteer Work- Club @ 6:30p 5:30p Worship 1:30 - 2:30 day

29 31 9a Bible Study 30 Quilters @ 10a 10a Worship

Trustee/ New Member Volunteer Work- Reception day

Bulletin announcements are due each Tuesday by 9:00 a.m. Page 4 The Christogram—August, 2021

The Infirmed and The Homebound

Remember to keep these people in your daily Rachel Thomas ...... 8/1 prayers. Emma Block ...... 8/3

Vi Bertsch Rick Smith...... 8/6 Betty Blevins Nell Morgan ...... 8/10 Sen & Dale Campbell Judi Verbeke ...... 8/10 Ken & Joanne Ditton Lee Crapo ...... 8/12 Donita Duncan Audrey Crapo ...... 8/14 Marilyn Gillette Hazel Gust P.J. Nunez ...... 8/22 J.B. Hahn Barbara Miller ...... 8/24 Katherine Hamann Cathy Sterns ...... 8/26 Sally Henning Dawn Kahre ...... 8/27 Al Herman Arleen Smith ...... 8/28 Fran Klug Dorothy Lovelace Jane Roy ...... 8/31 Don & Nancy Matter Nell Morgan Fran Murphy Carol Petraszewski Harry Porch

George Reichart

Lois Smith Norma Tipton Amy Wilson Garrett & Connie Timmons ...... 8/6 (33 yrs.) Robert & Cheryl Langanke ...... 8/10 (58 yrs.) Fred & Lois Foster...... 8/11 (59 yrs.) Tammy & Daniel Raimondo ...... 8/13 (5 yrs.) Richard & Arleen Smith ...... 8/14 (45 yrs.) John & Belinda Freer ...... 8/29 (41 yrs.)

Thank you to Sandy Spanier and Deborah Spanier who served for the month of July. Cheryl Erwin and Charlene Rosane will be serving for the month of August. Thank you for your service to the Lord and Christ Lutheran Church.

If you are a member or an associate member, and your information is missing or incorrect, please notify the church office. The Christogram - August, 2021 Page 5

Baptismal Birthday Blessing DON’T FORGET BAGS FOR (Leader reads:) TALBOT HOUSE —

Loving God, You created all the people of the world, and you know each of us by name. We thank you for (Name) who celebrates the an- Our monthly collections of gently used niversary of his/her . Bless him/her with your love, that he/she may grow in wisdom, knowledge, and grace. May clothing continue. Clothing can be for he/she love his/her always, and be ever faithful to God. Grant this through Christ our Lord. (All:) Amen either men or women. We ask that it be (Place your hands on the person’s head or shoulders.) clean, free of stains and with working May God, in whose presence our ancestors walked, bless you (All:) Amen buttons and zippers. We also collect

May God, who has been your shepherd from birth until now, canned food-meat, vegetables, fruit, keep you. (All :) Amen soups; pasta, rice, cereal, etc. Anything May God, who saves you from all harm, give you peace. (All:) Amen and Amen that you would use when cooking, they

I can use either in the kitchens at Talbot n s Delaney Peterson ...... 8/1 House or in their food pantry. Also, Trevor Peterson ...... 8/1 Emma Block ...... 8/3 paper goods like toilet paper, paper Robbie Lanham ...... 8/9 towels, and napkins along with cleaning Vi Bertsch ...... 8/12 Willie Siedenstrang ...... 8/21 supplies are most welcome. Cleaning Ruth Cassens ...... 8/26 Joyce Blackwell ...... 8/27 supplies and paper goods and personal hygiene items like toothpaste are not covered by SNAP (food stamps). Dona- tions can be left in the mail room in the back of the church in the baskets marked Talbot House. Page 6 The Christogram—August, 2021 From the Pastor…… Lifelong Learners But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writ- ings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ . All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:14-17 ESV) Polk County Public Schools start their semester on August 10th. Fall music and sports camps are in full swing, clothes and school supplies are being purchased, teachers are preparing lesson plans, and there is much excitement (and some dread). We pray for our teachers and school staffs in the knowledge that they provide vital services for the betterment of our society. We pray for the students in the knowledge that the world is a tough place, and knowledge and skills are needed to successfully navigate life. In addition to the learning that takes place in school, children need to hear the life-giving Word of God. Not only that, all of us, no matter our age, are to abide in the freeing Word. For those of us in Christ, we are blessed to engage in a lifelong study of the Word. It is not just head knowledge about the Bible that we receive. Rather, we are transformed as God shapes us and molds us to be more Christlike by the power of the Holy Spirit. St. Paul writes in Romans 12, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Jesus tells us in John 8, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Just as the youth of our community are rededicating themselves to learning, I encourage you to rededicate yourselves to the lifelong task of Bible reading and study. Maybe you would want to participate in Bible study at church. Maybe you want to commit to reading a chapter of a Gospel every day. Maybe you would want to meditate on a short passage from the psalms as part of your daily routine. Maybe you want to start doing a family devotion. However you prefer to get into God’s Word, just do it. You will be blessed. In turn, you will grow in your ability to be a blessing to others. The Story of God the Creator Study: Our Beginning, Our Rebellion, and Our Way Back Starting Sunday, August 8th at 9:00 a.m. (in-person) and Wednesday, August 11th at noon (in- person and on Zoom), we will be starting a new video-based Bible study by Randy Frazee. An optional study guide will be available for a suggested donation of $12. There is a sign-up form on the bulletin board in the sanctuary, or you can contact the church office. Consider inviting a friend! Continued on page 7 The Christogram - August, 2021 Page 7

Continued from Page 6 From the publisher’s description: Throughout the Bible, we find two parallel dramas unfolding. There is the lower story, which de- scribes the events from our human perspective. But there is also an upper story, which reveals how the events unfold from God‘s perspective. The goal of God the Creator is to introduce you to these lower and upper stories as told in the Old Testament books of Genesis through Ruth. As you read these narratives—featuring characters such as Adam, Eve, Abraham, Sarah, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, and Ruth—you will see how God has been weaving our lower story into the greater upper story that he has been writing. Sessions include:  The Beginning of Life as We Know It Genesis 1–11  God Builds a Nation Genesis 12–36  From Slave to Deputy Pharaoh Genesis 37–50  Deliverance Exodus 1–17  Wanderings Exodus 18–Numbers 27  The Battle Begins Joshua 1–24  A Few Good Men . . . and Women Judges 1–21  The Faith of a Foreign Woman Ruth 1–4

Mary Martha We remain on summer hiatus. Our first meeting will be September 8th in the Fellowship Hall. We meet at 9:00 for coffee and light refreshments and then start our business meeting with devotions at 9:30. All ladies of the congregation are welcome! The officers will be in charge of refreshments for the September meeting.

Please check the bulletin board as you enter church for the newest letter from our seminary student, Caleb Wehling. He is entering his second year this fall at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. Christ Lutheran Church participates in the "Adopt a Student" plan with donations of $250 twice a year. The checks are paid to the seminary to help with student expenses.

Looking for Christ Lutheran in social media? Check us out at our website: www.clclakeland.org Feel free to leave comments! We are also on Facebook at: Christ Lutheran Church Lakeland-LCMS. Please like, follow, and share on your Facebook page. You may also leave comments on our Facebook page. Page 8 The Christogram - August, 2021 Outreach The Outreach Committee will resume meeting on August 3rd at 5:30 P.M. in the Fellowship Hall. PLEASE NOTE; We are moving our monthly meetings from the 3rd Tuesday of each month to the 1st Tuesday of the month. This is being done so that needed Council approvals can be done more quickly. Interested in helping with the Christmas Bazaar, Antique Car Show, Lighthouse Children's Christmas & Easter gifts, Souper Bowl Sunday, etc? Come to the meeting! We welcome new members!

August Youth Newsletter It may be summer, but CLC Youth isn’t taking any time off! We are still meeting regularly on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month. Meetings will start at 6pm, and run until 7:30. We’re still learning about our relationship with Christ, having fun, making friends, and of course snacks! The Youth would like to thank the congregation for their amazing support for our July car wash. We raised $485 that will go towards our trip to Houston for the National Gathering. We truly appreciate the continual support you give us, whether it is financial, or whether it is by actually helping us organize and work at the different events. Once again, thank you! On Saturday, August 7th, CLC Youth will be going to The Putting Edge in Orlando with the youth group from Hope Lutheran in Plant City. It will be a fun afternoon and a chance to hang out with a new group of kids, and make some new friends! The Class of ’22 is a big one for our youth group. We have four graduation seniors, Levi Hazzard, Sarah Sicheri, Hunter Stranger-Thorsen, and Kirsten Vogt. Throughout the next year, we will be spotlighting each senior and helping you learn a little bit more about who they are, and were they want to go.

August Calendar 8/4/21 – Youth Group Meeting – 6:00p – 7:30p (Youth Room) 8/7/21 – Mini Golf @ The Putting Edge w/Hope Lutheran Youth 8/18/21 – Youth Group Meeting – 6:00p – 7:30p (Youth Room) Kris Welch 863-398-5937 [email protected] The Christogram—August, 2021 Page 9

Be in a Hurry! Three apprentice devils were coming from hell to earth to serve their time. They were telling Satan before they left what they proposed to do. One said, “I will tell men that there is no God.” “That,” said Satan, “will not do because in their heart of hearts they know there is.” “I will tell men,” said the second, “that there is no hell.” “That,” said Satan, “is still more hopeless for even in life they have experienced the remorse of hell.” “I will tell men,” said the third, “that there is no hurry.” “Good,” said Satan, “tell them that and you will ruin them by the millions.”

In Luke 12:13-21 we read about a wealthy man who had a bumper crop so he went about tearing down his barns to build bigger ones so he would have a place to store his grain. His goal was to retire and sit back, eat, drink, and be merry. He was interested only in himself. In fact the pronoun “I” is used six times. His whole life was turned in on himself. His inner conversations were with himself, not with God. God received no credit for his success as a farmer, nor did he have any interest in sharing his treasures with others.

The story did not end as the man had expected it would. In verse 20 we read, ―But God said to him, ‗Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things that you have prepared, whose will they be?‘ ‖ We discover that his life had ended and someone else would enjoy the fruit of his labor. Jesus closes the parable by saying, ―So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.‖ The Rich Fool certainly believed in Satan’s lie, “there is no hurry,” think- ing that he had plenty of time. The Rich Fool forgot that man’s days are numbered, and time does run out.

In the Parable of the Hidden Treasure in Matthew 13:44, we find a man who with God’s help understood that the material things he currently possessed had no value in comparison to the treasure he discovered in the field. He was in a hurry to give up lesser treasure for greater treasure. In his joy, he sells everything he has for this new treasure. The treasure in the field is heavenly, eternal treasure. He refused to accept Satan’s lie that “there is no hurry” because, we are told, he immediately goes and gives all he has built up in his life so that he might acquire his new treasure.

Because our time and the time of others is in God’s hands, we need to be in a hurry.

Election of Officers for 2021-2022 It seems as if we just did this, but it is that time of year when we begin to think about the budget and elections for next year. Please, prayerfully consider running for a position, OR if you cannot serve, pray that the Lord would touch the heart of someone else to serve. We especially need men to serve as elders. If interested, please talk to Steve West, the head elder. The church cannot exist without leadership, but we have resources to help you learn any new position. Election of officers and budget approval take place at the November election. However, the slate of candidates is to be published at least two weeks in advance of the election . Page 10 The Christogram—August, 2021 Christ Lutheran Church Council Meeting in a Nutshell By Pam West, Council Secretary, July 12th,2021

A synopsis of the committees efforts of the CLC Council for congregational information: President: John Freer: At the congregational meeting in June we discussed adding to council a new Board for Communi- cation. This committee will be responsible for the audio and video systems as well as the internet communications. The meeting went well. We are in the process of getting quotes for a new office copier and service contract to reduce our costs. I will be traveling from July 17 to August 18th, you can contact me by phone or email but some areas I will be in may not have cell service, so please leave a voicemail. I will get back to you as soon as possible. Don Racer will fill in for me in my absence. Vice President: Don Racer: Sexual misconduct policy has been approved and is posted on the bulletin board in the Fellowship Hall. The Endowment Committee wishes to hold a fund drive on October 17th,2021. Permission from council is sought to set aside this date. Date request approved. Long Range Planning Com- mittee is currently working on preparations of Amendments to be in members mailboxes before August 1 deadline for the August Congregational meeting. The District has been contacted for their requirements and protocols concerning amending our Constitution and By-Laws. Treasurer: Jon Lindstrom: Our actual income for the month of June was $22,004 . This was $5,240 less than last year. Our actual expenses for month of June was $19,336 . This was $9,159 less than last year. YTD income is $137,179 and YTD expenses are $151,408. This was the first time this year that our total income is higher than last year. Our total assets in all accounts are $366,595 with dedicated accounts at $196,633 and undedicat- ed funds at $169,961 . No noteworthy income or expense items appeared in the month of June. Financial Secretary: Diane Bickart: We had an increase in monthly contributions for June 2021 compared to 2020 of $2,062. This makes 3 months in a row that contributions have been more than in 2020. Statements of Contributions have been run for the second quarter of 2021. Forty-four envelope holders have $ 00. In the first quarter of the year we had 55 $00. contributors. We also show a positive trend of 11 more envelope giving members. We have used $14,229 of our prior built up reserves, that leaves us with a balance of $169,961 in the cash reserve. Right now things finan- cially appear to be improving.

Continued on page 11 The Christogram—August, 2021 Page 11

Continued from page 10 Pastor Christopher Hazzard: VBS is July 19th – 23rd; Memorial Service for Dave Wiesenaur is August 5th at 11 a.m.; CLC is hosting Circuit Pastors on August 9th at 9 a.m.; Circuit Reformation Service is in Plant City with Speaker Rev. Greg Seltz. Polk County Covid has 13.7 new cases per 100,000. CDC continues to recommend that unvaccinated people continue to wear masks. We do have members who have tested positive for Covid despite being fully vaccinated. Remember to social distance. Pastor Munz has signed a memorandum of understanding and will begin assisting with home visitation.; Carol Ceaglske is looking into organ repair /routine maintenance.; The position to direct our hand bell choir in the fall was offered to a member of our church, but declined. We are still looking for a director for our hand bell choir; Pat Calhoon is substituting on the Clavinova in early August.; There has been an offer of round tables to our church.; Steward- ship recommended that all committees read the book “Becoming a Welcoming Church” by Thom Ranier as they have.; We need to follow youth protection protocols on all events.; There was a sales call for Tampa Bay Rays group tickets left on the church voicemail, any group interested let me know.; I will be taking a few days off in late July, early August.; I am so grateful to God for the people of Christ Lutheran. Christian Education: Robin Fox: No Sunday School currently until fall, Vacation Bible School needs helpers and donations as well as additional children to attend. If you know of any small ones please let their parents know of our VBS. Book Study will resume shortly. Board of Elders; Steve West: Pastor has requested that starting in the fall, Bible Study will be changed on Sunday from 9am to 8:30 am. I met with the Altar Guild this past Sunday and discussed some replacements for various items. We are researching now. We have noticed concrete dust falling on the back side of the Altar, we will be checking into this to see where it is coming from. We need to purchase Pastoral Stoles and will be working with Pastor and the Altar Guild for replacements. With the new camera we are getting we may not need the flowers in the two corners behind the al- tar. If we do need them, we need to address the two stands as well. (The Brass stands have seen better days.) The sacrament containers for the wine are starting to rust, not the container itself but the grid for our small wine cups. This will be addressed in the near future. Stewardship: Diane Hill: Pastor suggested tentatively establishing the new member reception on a quarterly basis, the last Sunday of the Month. The next reception will be held on August 29th,2021.The next Stew- ardship meeting is scheduled for August 8th,2021 after church. Outreach: Pastor Jerry Munz: Carlos has sent a shipment of our donated clothing to Central America. Renewal of our annual contribution to Concordia Seminary “Adopt a Student” program has been approved by Council and will be made in the usual two payments fall and spring. Continued on page 12 Page 12 The Christogram—August, 2021 Continued from page 11 We need to choose an appropriate for our September 12th Council event,; we will also have a portion of our worship that Sunday to include a portion where a few groups share with the congregation what they do. Trustee Report: (Rick Joost) By John Freer: We are installing a monitored security system as well as fire alarms in the Fellowship Hall and Sanctuary. The security company has ordered the equipment and will be installing it soon. Termite inspection was completed and found that a small slow-moving group of dry wood ter- mites infested the Fellowship Hall and Sanctuary. There is only minimal damage. The compa- ny will give us recommendations for treatment. There is a water leak over the kitchen area which needs repair. The trustees will attempt to repair it, if unsuccessful we will call an out- side contractor. We received a quote for $1,600.00 to replace light bulbs in the Sanctuary. We are pursuing additional quotes that hopefully will be less expensive. No float mulch was added to flower beds in front of the church and Fellowship Hall. Repairs were made to rotten wood in the court yard and gutters were cleaned. On Tuesday mornings at 9am volunteers meet to do general repairs and maintenance around the church. Please come join us when you are able, all help is welcomed. Youth Board: Kris Welch: Our first lock-in for the past two years is on July 9th.. There is a fund raiser for the youth group -a carwash - at“Beef O’Brady’s” North side Lakeland . The youth will be assisting with VBS this year. Youth will be doing concessions and a bake sale at the December Christmas Bazaar. Youth meetings are now scheduled for the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of every month at 6pm to 7:30pm.

New Business: Termite inspection approved by Council and they found some light damage by dry wood termites which has been sprayed. Sexual Harassment Policy has been approved by Council. On Guard security systems protection has been approved by Council. Changes to Operating Procedures, by-laws, constitutional amendment for the new Communi- cation Board has been approved by Council. Next Congregational meeting is August 15th and notices and voting issues will be distributed to congregational mailboxes before August 1st by the new Communication Board. Budgets will begin in August for next year with help from Jon Lindstrom’s summaries as always. DUE BY OCTOBER 1ST with preparation for the November Congregational meeting to elect new officers for the council and the budget for next year will include the new Commu- nication Board budget. May God bless and keep all of you safe and in His love, remember WE ARE A WELCOMING CHURCH ! Respectfully submitted, Pam West Pam West, Council Secretary.