Pastor Paul’s Pen
Rev.
Paul F. Gysan
Each and every
day is a day of “Thanksgiving” to God.
Psalm 100 summons us to praise God.
“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord
with gladness; come into his presence with singing. Know that the Lord is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are
his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his steadfast love
endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”
While Thursday November 22 has been set aside as a “National Day of Thanksgiving,” we as Christians should remember that God set aside a weekly Sabbath day to gather in “the courts” of the Lord with thanksgiving. But on Tuesday evening, November 20 at 7:00pm, we will have a special “Thanksgiving Service” followed by a pie auction. We welcome Jon Haug, a fourth year seminary student at Gettysburg Seminary as our preacher this evening!
Meaningful moments of Thanksgiving will be felt as we gather the weekend of November 4 and give thanks for all the saints, and especially those who died this past year: Drew Eggleton, Lizbeth Gupta, Beth Tozer, Joe Rymal, Larry Simmons, Janet Lutz. For all these saints, who let the light of Christ shine through them touching our hearts on our earthly journey we give thanks, as well as others near to us who have died this past year.
Psalm 100 says, “enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name.” Thanksgiving and praise should be on our hearts for God has blessed us on our journey with saintly people, and there is that inner joy we feel knowing that God has prepared an eternal home for them.
While living in our earthly homes, we dare not take for granted our blessings. While our SWATT (Seniors With Available Time & Talents) will be working at New Windsor, Maryland, helping in the warehouse, helping package goods to be sent to people in need, others will be collecting food at the Northpoint Giant, working on a Habitat House, and walking to raise money for the homeless.
People of all ages will be involved, for the Psalmist said, “make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.” Every generation needs to be involved. We need to remember that God and others have blessed us in so many ways.
While visiting Alex Haley’s house in Tennessee some years ago, I noted that he had a picture of turtle on top of a fence post. Someone asked, “why is that there? Alex said, “every time I begin to feel proud of myself, I look at the turtle on top of the fence post and remember that he didn’t get there on his own. He had help!”
We need to remember that the “Lord is God, it is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.” God helps us daily! That brings us joy, and we want to proclaim that in what we say and do. We are to “worship” (serve) the Lord with gladness.
How do we serve the Lord? By feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, providing homes for the homeless…And Jesus says, “in as much as you have done it unto the least of these, you have done it unto me.”
Your monetary offerings and mine enable the Gospel to be preached in deed, and if needed, in words. In this newsletter you’ll read about the blessings our Campaign has brought via benevolent gifts to others, and the lowering of our debt – enabling more money for other ministry. If you haven’t made a pledge yet for 2008 to help us achieve our visionary budget, you will be receiving a letter in the mail. Prayerfully give this some thought. For God created us, taking every bone and joint, welding them together with sinews and muscles and covered them with skin. God gave us eyes to see and brains to think. God gave us fingers to pick things up and feet on which we walk. We are God’s sheep, and we need to let God be our shepherd, leading us to give as Jesus gave himself for our sins on the cross!
Thanksgiving is not one day a year, but a soul that is daily filled with joy for God’s gracious love! That joy brings us to worship, sends us forth to serve, and connects us with others, as we will welcome Pastor Briaan Mbazuvara from Hosianna Parish, in Walvis Bay, Namibia. He will be with us from Thanksgiving Day to November 29, preaching at the weekend services and speaking at an all inclusive Sunday School at 9:45am on November 25. Don’t miss this exciting Pastor! You’ll be filled with thanksgiving knowing him and the ministry we support in Namibia.
While the temple in Jerusalem no longer exists where the people of Israel “came into the presence of God” we know that God’s presence is with us – at worship, service, study, fellowship – at work , at school and at home. God is with us every moment of our lives, and this is reason for every day to be a day of “thanksliving.”
PSPS
Pastor Scott’s Post Scripts
HIGH
RISK!
Many of you may have noticed the little green badge I’ve been wearing on my stole the last few weeks with the words on it, ‘I took the first step!’ This badge is from the ELCA Board of Pensions which governs our ever changing Health Benefits, something I think many of us are very familiar with.
Starting in 2008, the ELCA is moving towards a ‘Wellness Plan’ instead of a ‘traditional health insurance plan’ focusing a lot more on health, wellness, and prevention, rather than just triaging and major medical insurance. Part of that process is that every pastor, rostered leader of the ELCA, and lay professionals on ELCA Benefits has to take a wellness survey.
I had the shock of my life on Monday, October 1st as my wellness survey came back to me with the rating of ‘HIGH RISK!’ I couldn’t believe it. According to the survey several things weren’t quite right in my life style, I wasn’t taking care of the gift that God has given to me in my physical body. For the first time in my life, I have been faced with the fact that some things in my lifestyle were beginning to set-off alarms and pointing me down a road I thought I would never travel on.
In the days since as I have enrolled in several different online tutorials how to work on those areas that contributed to my ‘HIGH RISK’ rating, I have wondered what it really means to take care of something…literally once again deepening the definition of stewardship in my daily everyday life.
Stewardship for so many of us can be that time every fall when the church wants money. That’s a rating of ‘HIGH RISK.’ We can’t think about stewardship that way, because that’s what will happen…something will give way eventually. Stewardship is really about what we do on a daily basis...how do you and I take care of what has been given to each of us…not just yearly, but each and every day.
To me now, stewardship has a more practical component…not just my time, talent, monetary wealth, and all that I have…but also my very physical body that works each and every day. As we need to take care of our bodies, so to do we need to take care of what’s been given to us in the rest of our lives…on a regular basis.
With Thanksgiving and Christmas coming, we enter the time of year giving ‘thanks’ for what we have been given, and then literally we celebrate God becoming human in Jesus Christ…that’s right…human with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, aches and pains and all. It’s actually a time of year we think about our bodies a lot…how many have ever said, ‘I ate too much.’
As for me as one of your pastors, I’ve realized that some of my habits were starting to become habits of someone who I said I would never be. This fall and winter, I am going to be a better steward with what I have been given in my body…more regular exercise, some better eating choices, and more regular meals…as well as some better sleeping habits.
What are things in your lives that could be at ‘HIGH RISK?’ Where could you have some space to improve on your stewardship? It could be physical stewardship like me, or perhaps it might be a time/scheduling issue (are you trying to do too much in a day/week). Perhaps it could be a monetary-handling challenge, or even a talent issue, where you don’t know where you could give of your skills, interests, or abilities.
The solution I have rediscovered this fall is start at the basics. As I have learned about how I can take care of my body, I have had to take a step back, look at what I am doing, and make one step forward here, and one step forward there…and I do so in faith that Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, gives me the strength and the power to do so. God created you and I and God said, ‘it was good.’
I hope and pray in these seasons to come (Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas), that you might be able to take an area of your life that either is or might be headed towards ‘HIGH RISK’ and with the power of the Holy Spirit in the seasons to come be able to ‘make the first step’ in becoming a better steward of that area…because all that we have belongs to God. And God said, it was good.
President’s Commentary
Allen Wild
We grieve together over the passing in October of Larry Simmons and Janet Lutz, two long-time members of our congregation. May the Lord provide comfort to the Simmons and Lutz families. On behalf of the families and the entire congregation I wish to thank all those who helped with the receptions during the visitation hours and after the funeral services.
On the personal side, I first met Janet Lutz at a Lutheran Brotherhood Branch meeting over 15 years ago. Janet was representing Christ the King and advocating support for a project helping a good cause. My last meeting with Janet was on October 9th at which she was volunteering to help with purchasing the items for our “Grate Patrol” project. From my first meeting until the last, just a few days before her passing, Janet was busy helping those in need. She set the example for all by continuing to volunteer to help and always as a “doer” and not a “talker”.
Many thanks to the membership for your offerings toward the Silver to Gold campaign. As of early October we have paid down the mortgage debt by $169,500. This is already having an impact on our regular monthly mortgage payments of $9,901. In March 2007 only $2,624 went to principle and $7,277 went to pay interest. Now in October, $3,409 went to principle and the interest portion reduced to $6,492. The compounding effect will continue to reduce our total debt eventually freeing more of our offerings to used for more worthy needs.
In October your Council Executive Committee met to decide on disbursements of the “First Fruits”, the 10% from the Silver to Gold campaign. The three initial recipient organizations were selected based on their immediate time sensitive need. All are in keeping with the categories described in our campaign material. The available $18,000 in funds is being distributed as follows: First - $10,000 is being sent to Christus Victor Lutheran Church in Prince William County. This is the oldest mission congregation in our synod still without their own building. They have an opportunity to purchase a very nice Baptist facility from a congregation moving to a new larger building. Our gift will help them close the gap between the funds they have raised and that necessary for the purchase. Second - $5,000 is being sent to the Lutheran Camping Corporation of Central Pennsylvania to help with the purchase of a 221 acre farm, adjacent to Camp Nawakwa that will enable the Lutheran family program to grow. Third - $3,000 is being sent to The CRUDEM Foundation to support a medical facility in Haiti serving the some of the poorest people in the world. In summary, your offerings are going to help local, national and international needs. Members of the congregation are welcome to submit suggestions to the council Executive Committee for future quarterly disbursements of First Fruits. The committee consists of our Pastors, Council President, Vice President and Secretary with inputs from our Treasurer and a representative of the Campaign Follow-up Committee.
The Sound B e t w e e n
Diagnosis: Entitlement
By: Kara Haug
As humans we have this need to name and diagnose behaviors that seem damaging or out of the ordinary. Psychologists have the DSM-IV that classifies character traits and emotional responses into categories directing us towards a complex or disorder. For the past seven years I would say, I’ve been witnessing an increase in a complex primarily taken on by American people. This complex is limiting our growth, destroying intimacy, deconstructing connectedness, and deepening the wedge between us and God. This complex is the sense of entitlement.
I feel more and more that our country is revolving around the singular me instead of the united “we”. I see this in our interactions with each other, the way we classify our time spent, in our television programs, our attitudes towards people different than us, and especially in the way we drive.
The other day Jon and I were at the stop light at Springvale and Route 7. There was a truck next to us pulling a trailer with a variety of lawn supplies. I had noticed that his gas cap was opened, so I motioned to the man to roll down his window and I told him. He jumped out of his car and walked to the gas can in the back on the trailer, “No,” I said, “The gas cap on your truck.” At that point anyone could see that we were interacting and I was helping this man out, but as our interaction was about to come to a close the light turned green and within a second the car behind us honked their horn. The man quickly thanked us while Jon threw his hands up in disgust to the driver behind us. Was it necessary to honk at us as it was obvious that we were helping out another person? Often you hear a horn beep when the light turns green but clearly the neurotransmitters are still processing the information from synapse to receptors as the brain tells the foot to remove itself from the break to press on the gas. In other words, give it some time. What is so important that people need to go that quickly? If a person is late that is their own fault not the car in front of them. I also see people inching up on the person in front of them or swerving in and out of lanes risking an accident, just because they are impatient. It really irritates me that people are willing to risk lives just to save a few seconds of time. What makes their lives more important then others?
Beyond this, why are some of our youth believing that just because they are American they are better and deserve more than the rest of the world? Pastor Gysan spoke in one of his sermons that we are living in houses protected by gates and fences, symbolizing the self rather than community. Why are we shutting out our neighbors and a sense of connectedness by choosing to appease ourselves?
Why are we filling our lives with material goods and processions, driving us more and more in debt when those things can quickly become destroyed as they were in the gulf and for those in southern California now? Why if our life feels good and is comfortable every thing is okay? We choose in those times to pay attention to only our world instead of realizing that the rest of the world still suffers and is stricken by poverty, heart ache and war. I could list off more and more of these questions, because of the multiple ways I see our country shift the importance of we onto the self. When I think of how to answer these questions, my mind heads back to the Garden of Eden.
We refer to the fall of humankind when Adam and Eve took a taste from the forbidden tree, the tree God warned them to stay away from. Why did they do it? Could the source of original sin be the sense of entitlement? Do we as Adam and Eve want the knowledge of God and power? Do we feel like we deserve to have what God intended for us not to know? Tasting that tree Adam and Eve saw and felt more than they intended. It is almost as if they grew up to quickly becoming adult-like before they were ready for that maturity. The reality of life and its hardships became their truth.
Throughout the Old Testament we see how humans mess up and try to rule in selfish ways that in the end really upsets God. God ends up not really understanding humanity and often destroys it. This sense of entitlement drives us farther and farther away from God and God’s righteousness. We needed and still need to be free of this and to help us God became incarnate in Jesus. Jesus was a good example of not being entitled. He spent his time doing for others, being with those who are different, loving and helping those around him, speaking truth in love, and spending necessary alone time praying to God.
It is scary to know that the world is too big for us to comprehend. It is bewildering that God’s love extends over to all corners of the world. We can feel out of control, but the more we seek control and power while forgetting about others, the more we end up losing as a whole. God shows us the things we yearn to know in time and time is relative.
Increasingly our country is being taught to revolve around fear. Fear of our neighbors, our own habits, the what ifs, our time, and more. We have forgotten how to trust or simply ask for help. As in the way we drive and conduct our lives we become the white rabbit running around frantically trying to keep up with time, the world, and unlivable expectations. Along the way we are missing each other and the clues in life that matter. It is hard to trust God, our first parents couldn’t do it very well and we don’t know how to either. We need to try though. We need to remember that all of us are created from one being and we each are loved by that being. In letting go of what the world tell us is important or too scary will help us grow and love one another. It will help us in not closing our walls, ourselves, and save us from falling down the rabbit’s hole.
Kingdom Kindred
Matthew Miller was on the ABC special entitled the “World’s Richest People.” Matthew works in NYC for Forbes magazine, and did a great job sharing info about the Billionaires. He even figured out how much money Oprah Winfrey makes each minute…The Hawkins family was on Fox 10 pm news featuring the story about how their son Nick saved his brother Ben’s life with the Heimlich maneuver which he learned in the boy scouts…Tyler Wegmeyer is working in Kansas for John Deere tractor…Congratulations to Petra (nee Schwab) and Keld Jullsgard on the birth of a son on 9/22, Viggo (pronounced Vee-go) Frederick Jullsgard. Viggo will be baptized here the Sunday after Christmas. Of course Grandparents Sindy and Charles are thrilled. Petra describes her labor as “12 hours manageable, 6 hours bearable, and 6 hours she wants to forget forever”…Doug Rissing reports from Mary Washington that “he was in a Frisbee tournament in Richmond, intramural soccer, club dodge ball, and hopefully flag football…Junior Scott Dulany is in Europe studying at Miami University’s Dolibois European Center. Besides his studies he’s had time to skydive in the Alps, Bastogne, Bruges, and was in Munich for the Oktoberfest. He also had a chance to visit Prague. He lives with a host family in another town, but has a lot of American kids around and all the classes are in English, except his French language class…Matt Fergusson reports from William & Mary that his senior year is going well. He is on the exec board of 3 organizations and has a fairly heavy course load. He already has a job offer following graduation and is shopping around at some of the other consulting firms. He has built a web site for one of the organizations he is in (http://masonweb.wm.edu/financeacademy/)… Amanda McCarty is at Indiana University and just finished a great water skiing season, and is part of a group that is planning a 36 hour dance-a-thon to raise money for a children’s hospital. Last year they raised $900,000, second in the nation for such an event. Penn State raised $1 million…Many thanks to Mitch Neaves, who saw a need (Bradford pear tree split) in our parking lot, called a friend (Judge Stu Davis), and cut and removed it providing parking space for services the next day…Kelly Pilka is on the Langley field hockey team which is undefeated. Could it be in part that her coach has presidential ties?…
Prayer
Concerns
Kay
Teach, Martha Gaibler, Adam & Ruth Meidinger, Virginia Whitman, Frank
Whitesell, Conny Kleissas, Richard Schumaker, John Kraft, Betty Cordovana, Tom
Harris, Robert Herres, Mary & David Gibson, The Canady Family & Erin
Peterson Family, Janey Rice, Gail Magley, Patricia Mort, Hilton Patterson, Fred
Vanhala, Charles Reges, Abby Piper, Anna Walker, Jonathan Reading, Monica
Sullenberger, John Kornetka & Bo Mausteller, Danny Friedheim, Evelyn
Miller, Joni Wallace, John Corey, Roy
Miller, William Heikkila, Evelyn Fagley, The Nestington
Family, Nate Holeman, Anita Cox, Dick Christenson, Scott Durig.
Grieving
– Lynne Simmons & Family, at the death of Larry; The family of Bob Hyland (Sweet’s friend);
Janis & Larry Swanson, at the death of Amanda, (niece of Jody & Eric
Pilka); The family of Beth Christenson
(Carolyn Saba’s cousin); Rob & Hank
Lutz & families at the death of Janet;
Marlene Hantho & family at the death of her father, Ron Campbell.
Military Personnel – Stacy Caum, Chris Nogle, PFC Erik Hood, Maj. Andrew Phillips, Steve
Beckwith, Jonathan Reading, Chad Isabelle, Nate Seymour, Sgt. John Heikkenin.
A
note from the Simmons Family…
The Holy Spirit was at work in Great Falls as our friends and family prepared for Larry Simmons’ Home Going.
There was a powerful demonstration of God’s abundance of His great love by:
· Calls of sympathy to our family
· Our Village Green School family
· Reaching out with “what can I do?”
· Food, food and bigger food
· Cards with heartfelt printed and personalized messages of Hope
· Hugs filled with God’s grasp of “I’m here for you”
· Holy Spirit filled Visitation, Burial and Celebration
· Details attended to by many family and friends
· Music that rocked with the Holy Spirit
· Family and friends who shared “Slices of Larry’s Life”
· Donations to Christ the King Church and the Great Falls Volunteer Fire Dept.
· Outstanding flowers that reflected the beauty of God’s creation
· Family and friends who participated in the Vigil
· Visits from friends with healing tears of Hope
· Family and friends who dropped what they were doing to do errands
· The prayers for healing for months by an army of prayer warriors
· The pastoral wisdom from Pastors Gysan, Scott, and Hutchinson to reassure us that Larry is in his Heavenly Home!
As we go through the process of grieving and healing to reach the ultimate joy of rejoicing, we ask that you keep our family in your prayers – as we claim His faithfulness to keep Him on the throne of our lives as He directs our life – with the goal of being obedient to His way and word and to keep the light shining.
God Bless you all,
From the Simmons Family,
Lynne, Ian, Cyndi and Harrison
STEPHEN
MINISTRY
Christ the King’s Stephen Ministry equips lay people to provide confidential, one-to-one Christian care to individuals in our congregation and community who are experiencing difficulties and transitions in their lives.
CHAPEL CALL
Stephen Ministers available for prayer after worship
Has there ever been a Sunday morning where you have wanted to remain in the Sanctuary after worship and spend some time in prayer? Or perhaps a Sunday morning where you needed someone to say a special prayer for you and/or with you?
A Stephen Minister will be available after each service Sunday morning (for about 10 minutes or so) by the pulpit for anyone who would like to have someone to pray with.
You can identify the Stephen Minister by their blue name badge.
CHRIST THE KING STEPHEN LEADERS
Pastor Gysan & Pastor Scott, Spiritual Leaders
Susan Boruff, Referrals Coordinator
Joni White, Continuing Education Coordinator
Gale Bobzien, Training Coordinator
Christ the King Stephen Ministers
Stephen Ministers (Active)
Pastor Gysan, Spiritual Leader
Pastor Scott, Spiritual Leader
Gale Bobzien Susan Boruff
JoAnn Durig Kathi Evans
Kim Kennedy Carlton Ruthling
Stephen Ministers (Sabbatical)
Rudy Chatlos Floyd Gaibler
Melanie Miller-Cvilikas
Steve O’Connor Thom Overton
Jeanne
McKinley
Mary Rambo Greta Rymal
Joni White Victoria Wagner
Bill Wagner
Services are held each Saturday evening at 6:00 pm and
Sundays at 8:30am and 11:00am.
November
3 & 4 – All Saints Weekend
We
remember these saints who now live in heaven who died during the last year:
Drew
Eggleton, Lizbeth Gupta, Beth Tozer, Joe Rymal, Larry Simmons,
Janet
Lutz, Elizabeth Mazucca, Greg Cessna, William Kelly.
Please
share with the church office other people you would like to be included in our
prayers.
November
10 & 11 – 24th Sunday After Pentecost
Gather
at 1:00pm at the GF Freedom Memorial (next to the GF Library on Georgetown
Pike)
for
a special Veteran’s Day Service.
November
17 & 18 – 25th Sunday After Pentecost
New
Member Reception at the 11:00am Service
Tuesday
November 20
7:00pm
Thanksgiving Service
Jon
Haug, husband of Kara, will be our guest preacher. Jon is concluding his final year at
Gettysburg Seminary.
Following
the service, gather in Fellowship Hall for some delicious pies,
and
bring your money to participate in a “pie auction” with the monies going toward
our summer workcamp trips.
November
24 & 25 – Christ the King Weekend
On
this final weekend of the Church liturgical year, our guest preacher will be Pastor
Briaan Mbazuvara
who
serves Hosianna Parish in Walvis Bay, Namibia.
The
entire SS will meet in Fellowship Hall at 9:45am to hear
Pastor
Mbazuvara talk more about ministry in Namibia.
“Part
of a disciple’s job description
is to
study Scripture diligently”
Mother’s Day Out News
Greetings from Mother’s Day Out! Excitement has filled the halls of MDO this fall. The children are excited to be in school and are enjoying their friends - both new and old.
The children enjoyed
digging potatoes from Pastor Gysan’s garden.
We have been talking about fall.
The children have been collecting acorns and leaving them for a very
lucky chipmunk who visits the wall outside our classrooms regularly. We have been tasting apples - fresh apples,
dried apples, apple chips, apple cider and apple gummies from
Our Pre-K classes have been hard at work on studying the alphabet. They are currently working on D, E and F.
The themes for November will be Transportation, Thanksgiving and Gingerbread.
The children have been working hard on sharing with their friends at school. As an extension of our sharing theme, we will be supporting a project of the Service Committee. We will be collecting food for Share, a food pantry in McLean.
We are always looking for an extra set of hands. We have lots of craft projects that need “prepped” and always looking for people interested in helping out in that way.
Peace,
Karen Anderson, Director
Rally Day Balloon Loft – 13 Returned
In last month’s newsletter an article appeared listing the names of 9 people whose notes on balloons were returned. Since that time we have heard from four others. Notes were returned to Brian Boruff. His landed in Cockeysville, Md. The other was returned to Alex Long with an enclosed letter which reads, “Dear Alex Long, Peace be with you and your class too. Allow me to congratulate you and your class on such a magnificent peace project. Now allow me to introduce myself.