American Lutheran Church of Sun City ALC CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES There have been so many challenges since we have been facing the coronavirus. Even though we will not have an opportunity to worship together through May 11, American Lutheran Church will continue to serve God and our community in this time of crisis. Your generous gifts allow us to spread God’s message to our congregation and others in need. There are several ways you can make your contribution: 1. You can place your donation in the secure, clearly marked mailbox just outside the office door. 2. You can also bring your offering to the church parking lot where a representative of the Finance Committee will receive it between 10:00-10:30 on Sunday morning until church reopens. 3. You can mail your offering to the address below: American Lutheran Church, 17200 N. Del Webb Blvd., Sun City, AZ 85373 4. You can give online. Here are four simple steps: 1. Go to our website at www.alcsuncity.org 2. Click on Giving. 3. Click on Giving Online. 4. You will then be on a Secure Website where you may easily complete your contribution information. Please remember our commitments to serve God and Community by praying and worshipping daily, studying God’s Word and serving one another. Blessings to all – Terri Polk, ALC Council President MISSION STATEMENT To proclaim the love of Jesus Christ, invite others to participate in our faith community, and be a blessing to all in word and deed. TABLE OF CONTENTS Message from Pastor Judith Rainforth ................................................................................ 3-4 Message from Pastor Gary Garvey ........................................................................................ 5 Wellness Minute .................................................................................................................... 6 President of the Congregational Council ............................................................................ 7-8 2020 Budget Vs. Actual Spending ......................................................................................... 8 Finance Committee ................................................................................................................ 9 Audit Committee ............................................................................................................... 9-10 Trust Committee .................................................................................................................. 10 Worship and Music ......................................................................................................... 10-11 Committees ..................................................................................................................... 11-12 Women’s Ministries ............................................................................................................. 12 Stephen Ministry ............................................................................................................. 12-13 Featured Article: “Stories of our Stained-Glass Windows Part 5” ...................................... 14 Neighborhood Groups Message ........................................................................................... 14 Message from the Communications and Media Specialist .................................................. 15 Fellowship of Friends Announcement ................................................................................. 16 Hurting?... Somebody Need Care? Let the Church Know! ................................................. 16 Devotions ............................................................................................................................. 16 Important Information Regarding Giving ............................................................................ 16 Gifts and Memorials ............................................................................................................ 17 Directory Changes .......................................................................................................... 18-19 Staff Directory and Emails ................................................................................................... 20 *No calendar is included, because all services and events are cancelled for the month of April due to the coronavirus. 2 A MESSAGE FROM PASTOR JUDITH RAINFORTH Greetings Brothers and Sisters in Christ, We have such talented parishioners at American Lutheran Church, and I am overjoyed when they share their creativity. Recently, Dean L. Strycher has been sharing his poetry with me. The following one struck me as quite thought-provoking during this critical time when coronavirus has devastated our world. FADE AWAY Do you remember the time You smiled and felt safe In the arms that cared And wanted you forever The times you were never in doubt Looking forward to the new light Another day of opportunity Growth and survival Was it to be today Old wounds would disappear Fall to the ground And fade away Time to heal Please take time to reflect on the meaning you may find in this beautiful poetry. I am encouraging all to find the positive in their life each day as they awaken to a new day-to find the power of prayer and the rhythm of prayer in this Lenten journey and beyond. I have also been challenging people to keep a prayer journal as they write their daily prayers and keep track of how they think their prayers are being answered or not and how, perhaps, they are being answered differently than they thought they would be answered. I am praying that this time of having to go online for worship, having to cancel events, not being able to meet in groups of certain sizes, and changing the pace of such a vital church will help us to appreciate all we have been blessed with and not take one person 3 or faith-filled opportunity for granted. I am praying we will be even more generous with our monetary support as we continue to support staff, pay our mortgage, and be responsible for the financial upkeep of a church that has blessed, not only those inside the walls, but those outside the walls for close to 50 years. We do not just want to survive during this difficult time, but we want to continue to thrive. We are carefully screening those who desire to enter our church facility and we encourage you each to stay in your homes as much as possible and find the peace and serenity that comes with opportunities to explore a quieter pace and reach out via phone calls, cards and electronics. Take more time to pray and meditate on the life God has given through his son, Jesus Christ. Julian of Norwich is quoted as saying: “All will be well, and all manner of things will be well.” Please believe this and live with faith-filled hearts and souls. On March 14, the Bishop of our Synod made a necessary decision for protection of all and asked us to discontinue our worship services and gatherings immediately. It was very difficult to know that the services we were all prepared to participate in were not to be. Folded bulletins, flowers, music, scripture, sermon and all that goes with the weekend services were to be put to rest, but we did record the sermon for YouTube and our website, as we read the Gospel and proclaimed the good news. Please follow our YouTube channel and/or website, http://www.alcsuncity.org/sermons_and_bulletins, to watch our Wednesday Evening Lenten Service and our weekend services. With God’s help, we carry on with conference calls and online messages, and are creating live-streaming plans. May God fill us afresh with the Holy Spirit as we continue to glorify him. May we stay healthy while working together to build the Kingdom of God by being his hands and feet as we grow spiritually, so that Jesus can be introduced and followed. To God be the Glory! With love and hope, Pastor Judith 4 A MESSAGE FROM PASTOR GARY GARVEY Blessed by American Lutheran Church of Sun City! You may have heard the Garvey’s are retiring for the third time. I’ve always failed at retirement. Every time I retire, it seems there is a church waiting. Not this time. I love our ALC church staff, and the joy of knowing y’all. I already miss preaching and performing liturgy, so passionate to share the Gospel. I would love to have done more. For the last five years, Di and I have enjoyed American Lutheran Church in worship and fellowship activities. Dianne has been richly blessed, growing spiritually in God’s word with the women at Friday Morning Bible Study, at Casa Garvey Book Club, and by being a Stephen Minister. I’ve enjoyed working closely with Pr. Gary Ulrich, Diane “Sarge” Lewis, Lori Kellar, and now Toni Molck in Care Ministries. All while praying you through hospitals, assisted living or nursing homes, your homes and more also. As the years progress, we have become aware of the need to spend more time with children and grandchildren. Additionally, a missionary at heart, we want to re-engage some short- term, local United States and international missions. We’ll engage in some personal travels too. I started at the Luther Seminary 43 years ago, having had a very ambitious life before. Since then I’ve been blessed with many amazing ministry adventures. All inclusive of 27 years of leadership in Federal Ecumenical Ministries worldwide, including Iraqi Coalitions. As Senior Pastor, I have led and loved ministries in six worship centers in the lake country. As a Visitation Pastor at ALC, we stayed here the longest. Yes, we are blessed to have had this journey with you. We are truly feeling