The Epiphany Star June 2016 · Krista Rumfield graduated on May 22nd from Carthage College in Wisconsin, having majored in Graphic Design with three minors in Studio Art, Communication,

1

The Epiphany Star June 2016

Newsletter of Epiphany Lutheran Church Fort Wayne, Indiana

Dear Epiphany Lutheran Church, Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. Amen. Do you remember the days of summer vacations and sleeping in late? You

would get to stay up later, play outside later, and watch television programs that

were after your bedtime…all because it was “Summer Vacation.” Even as an adult, I

still like the summer season. I like it because I get to be outside and enjoy all of

God’s creation. As a pastor, summertime used to mean a more relaxed schedule of

events…more time to read and plan things out for the rest of the year. However, the

past few years my summertime schedule is busier than the other nine months of the

year. One almost gets the feeling that you need to take a vacation from the summer

schedule of events. Yet, as busy as the schedule gets, spending time with God in

prayer and worship is a priority. It is important to refresh and recharge your batteries

of life. We need a change of pace, but we also need to keep our priorities in line, too.

We live in a community, you and I; it is called Epiphany Lutheran Church. So

what does that mean? It means being a part of something greater than ourselves. A

place where we use the gifts God has given to us. A holy place where our lives can

interact with God and grow. On May 22, we elected some new directors to our

church council and affirmed others: Terry Goodspeed as President, Dave York as

Vice-President, Alicia Davis as Treasurer, Sandi Swanson as Secretary, Dia Herb as

Director of Congregational Life, Deb Crawford as Director of Fellowship, Jane

Dawkins as Director of Outreach, Kurt & Courtney Unrue as Co-Directors of Nurture,

Denny and Sally Mertz as Co-Directors of Property, and Jordan Robinson as the

Youth Representative. I personally want to thank each of them for willingly stepping

up and sharing their gifts. It is a real commitment to be a part of the leadership team.

Each of these members is dependent upon the support of our congregation to work

2

with them. Each of them will be calling upon you to help in many and various ways.

When they come calling, please give generously of your time and abilities. We have

so much to be thankful for in our ministry and mission that we call Epiphany Lutheran

Church. God has richly blessed us in many and various ways.

Enjoy your summer, but also make sure to find ways to share the gifts and

abilities that God has given to you. Use those gifts for the glory of God. Come to

worship. Be in prayer with God. Make your relationship with God a priority in your

life. Your heart and soul will be glad you did.

In Christ, Pastor Richard Hartman

Please feel free to stop in or call for any of your Pastoral needs. Our office hours are as follows:

Pastor: Sunday – Thursday 8:00 am – 2:30 pm Monday evenings Some Saturdays

Amanda: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons 12:30–4:30 pm Other times as needed

Due to unexpected circumstances, these hours may be subject to change.

E-mail Us:

Pastor’s office ................................. [email protected] Pastor’s home ...................................... [email protected] Amanda’s office ........................... [email protected]

WEB SITE: Epiphany Lutheran Church www.epiphanyfw.com

3

We are Christians, called by God, committed to: Sharing the Gospel, Serving others as Christ taught us, and Creating disciples for witness. Epiphany Lutheran Church’s Vision Statement: A Christian family of God committed to sharing the Gospel and serving others, through joyful worship, education and fellowship.

Angels Among Us!

We have members of our congregation who do many things behind the scenes, and we want to take the time to recognize just a few of them in this month’s newsletter.

Thank you, Angels!

Breakfast was prepared for the Annual Meeting Members volunteered to fill vacant Council positions Church Council prepared annual reports for 2015-2016 Constitutional Amendments were approved! Epiphany’s lawn is once again being mowed regularly Campbell’s Labels for Education were collected and sent Faithful for Fifty continued to improve the line of credit Light Bulb Donations are brightening the sanctuary and decreasing energy costs

A couple of extra special thank you’s are needed this month. First, a big “Thank you!” to our anonymous donor for purchasing a much-needed new lawn mower for our church property! This was a major donation, and we appreciate it very much! Also, thank you so much to everyone who donated items, volunteered, baked, or shopped at our recent rummage sale. We raised over $1,700 toward debt reduction! Through this sale, basket drawings, Christmas candy and soup sales, other fund-raisers, and our “Faithful for Fifty” givers, we have reduced the church debt by $10,000 in two years! Thank you to everyone who has made a contribution of any kind to help us be good financial stewards of the gifts given to us by God.

4

Last Month’s Numbers:

Average Attendance: Sunday – 8:00 am 25 Sunday – 10:15 am 50 Monday – 7:00 pm 5

Total Offerings: $10,218.05

Total Bills: $10,601.51 Thank you for your support!

Comfort Ye My People

Our quilting group will meet Sunday, June 12th, at

9:00 am. With recent world events, these quilts are needed more than ever in many places. Anyone can

be a quilter—no special skills are required! We will also have a work day on Thursday, June 16

th (time TBD), to

take inventory and prepare for LWR kit assembly this fall. Please join us and be a blessing to others!

New Directories Have Arrived!

Our long-awaited photo directories are finally here! We are making a few updates and expect to have the new directories in church mailboxes later this week. Please let Amanda in the office know if there are any changes to your address, phone number, or e-mail. Thank you to Sandi Swanson, Kim Robinson, and Rebecca Hartman for their help with this project!

5

Join us for Worship this month! Every Sunday at 8:00 am

and 10:15 am

Every Monday at 7:00 pm

Please join us!

June 5th

3

rd Sunday after Pentecost

1 Kings 17:17-24 Galatians 1:11-24

Luke 7:11-17

June 12th

4

th Sunday after Pentecost

2 Samuel 11:26—12:10, 13-15 Galatians 2:15-21

Luke 7:36—8:3

June 19th

5

th Sunday after Pentecost

Isaiah 65:1-9 Galatians 3:23-29

Luke 8:26-39

June 26th

6

th Sunday after Pentecost 1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21

Galatians 5:1, 13-25 Luke 9:51-62

The Saturday morning Men’s Bible Study will not meet in June or July due to the I-K Synod Assembly and other upcoming events. We will resume our study in the

month of August. Enjoy your summer, and we’ll see you

back in August!

6

Christina Herb graduates this month from Indiana Tech with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. While a student, she made the Dean’s List, and she will be graduating with honors. In the immediate future, she plans to focus on preparations for her upcoming wedding in August (congratulations!). After that, she will be looking for an accounting job in Iowa, where she and her soon-to-be husband plan to live.

Amber Logan graduates June 4th from North Side High School. As a student there,

Amber was active in show choir and dance. Following her graduation, Amber plans to attend Ivy Tech Community College for two years and then transfer to IPFW in order to pursue a degree in music therapy or counseling. She hopes to continue her involvement in both choir and dance at IPFW.

Krista Rumfield graduated on May 22nd

from Carthage College in Wisconsin, having majored in Graphic Design with three minors in Studio Art, Communication, and Public Relations. While a student at Carthage, Krista was an active member of the College Activities Board, having served as president, as well as a Hall Advisor and Residential Assistant for the Resident Life Council. She was inducted into the Alpha Chi National Honor Society, made the Dean’s List all four years, and graduated Magna Cum Laude. Her plans after graduation are to find work in her chosen field.

Congratulations and God’s blessings to all of our graduates!

7

June 6 – 9:15 pm vs. Grace Point June 13 – 7:15 pm vs. Blackhawk June 20 – 7:15 pm vs. Lifeway June 27 – 8:15 pm vs. Brookside

All games are on Monday evenings and are played at Kreager Park. Please join our loyal fans for fun

and fellowship!

Meals on Wheels

Thank you for your continued support of this vital mission in our community. Our congregation donated a total of $163 in the month of May, bringing our total donations to over $6,800! Please let Amanda in the office know if you would like to be added to the list to give $7 a month

to this worthy cause. Thank you for sharing the gifts God has given to you!

Volunteers are needed on Saturday, June 18

th, for a work day around the

church grounds. We will be working from 9 am until 3 pm, and we would love to have you join us for all or part of the day! Please bring gloves and a rake. Questions should be directed to Denny or Sally Mertz. Thanks in advance for your help!

8

Mission Moment June 2016

This month, we are asking for donations to Associated Churches Food

Bank. While we usually ask for food items, this month we would like to

collect the following:

Cleaning Supplies Toilet Paper

Toothpaste Toothbrushes

Shampoo/Conditioner Feminine Hygiene Products

Soap Laundry Detergent

These products are not covered by Food Stamps, and the supply at the

Food Bank is very low. Let's try to fill the blue barrel several times so it

will require a few trips downtown to help out with this need.

On June 16th there will be a work day to straighten out the Mission Room

and take inventory of what we have ready for our Mission Kits. We will

make a list of items we still need for these kits and post it in the narthex.

We will also have handout lists available. If you want to do any shopping

before this, we almost always need mild, bath-size bar soap; hand and

bath towels (dark colors preferred); diaper pins; and diapers (or large

adult t-shirts that we can make into diapers). Also, garage sales in the

early summer are great places to pick up blankets or mattress pads for

our quilts.

Thank you for all the support, donations and time you have given for our

Mission Work. You are a Blessing to so many people.

Written by Sandi Swanson

9

Jodi McKenna Nathaniel Herb Hank Schroeder

Melissa Hartman Connie York Sheryl Goodspeed

Allan Longroy Sue Davis Frederick Osheskie

Victoria Thompson Christopher Musselman

“Happy birthday” to those who celebrate their second birthday during the month of June! Martin Luther said, “When you wash your face remember your

baptism.” Take time to remember and celebrate this month!

June Baptismal Birthdays

Box Tops Collection Continues!

For the past several years, Epiphany has been supporting the Navajo Lutheran Mission School by collecting Campbell’s Labels for Education as well as Box Tops. Once again this year, thanks to your generosity as a congregation, we are sending multiple envelopes to this worthy cause! The Mission School receives these labels from churches around the country, which allows the school to purchase needed items including vans, playground equipment, computers, and other supplies. Please check out the school’s website at www.nelm.org to learn more—just click on “Support the Mission.”

Unfortunately, Campbell’s is discontinuing their label program; however, we continue to collect Box Tops. If you would like to help, place your Box Tops in the basket near the tract rack. Please trim where indicated, as this saves the mission volunteers a lot of time and effort. Thank you for your continued support for this organization!

10

Capt. Mark Herb Don Spohr Need Need

June 5th

LBW Setting 2

June 12th

WOV Setting 5

June 19th

LBW Setting 2

June 26th

Feast of Life (Janzow)

Organist/ Pianist

Sara Davis

Sara Davis

Sara Davis

Amanda Pickett

Assisting Minister

David Dawkins

Dia Herb

Alicia Davis

Rebecca Hartman

Lector 8:00 am

Sue Davis

Deb Crawford

Sue Johnson

Cheryl Ralston

Lector 10:15 am

Steve Haag

Rebecca Hartman

Nina Haag

Melissa Hartman

Acolyte Rachael Pickett

Erin Robinson

Robert Lohman

David Osheskie

Communion Assistant 8:00 am

Charlene Schroeder

Hank Schroeder

Devin Meunier

Anne Lohman

Communion Assistant 10:15 am

Ron Roemer

Jonathan Hartman

Mike Rumfield

Cathy Rumfield

Altar Guild

Amanda Pickett

Alicia Davis

Alicia Davis

Need

Greeter(s) The

Blacks The

Spohrs The

Roemers Sarah Knoch