The Newsletter of Emanuel Lutheran hurch in Hartford New ...

G o d W i t h U s T h e N e w sl e t t e r o f E m a n u el L u t h e r an C h u r c h i n H a r t f o r d

January 2019 C E L E B R A T I N G 1 3 0 Y E A R S I N H A R T F O R D - 1 8 8 9 - 2 0 1 9 Volume 114/No.1

www.emanuelhartford.org www.facebook.com/emanuelhartford

New Beginnings: A Journey with Jesus

Our theme for Epiphany is New Beginnings: A Journey With Jesus

January 6 ................................................... A Celebration of Epiphany and Light for the Journey January 13 ................................ New Beginnings—A Journey With Jesus begins with Baptism January 20 ........................................................................... New Beginnings—The Wedding at Cana January 27 .................................... New Beginnings—Jesus and a ministry of radical welcome (Commemoration of Lydia, Dorcas and Phoebe)

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Contents From the Pastor .................................................................................................................................................................... 3

Questions of Faith ................................................................................................................................................................ 4

Members of the Church Council ..................................................................................................................................... 5

Council Highlights October and November 2018 .................................................................................................... 5

Two Annual Meetings?? .................................................................................................................................................... 7

It’s not too late to make a pledge!.................................................................................................................................. 8

Noisy Offering ....................................................................................................................................................................... 8

First Emanuel Women’s Retreat at Camp Calumet ................................................................................................ 9

Children’s Library News.................................................................................................................................................... 9

Reconciling in Christ—Frequently Asked Questions .......................................................................................... 10

Thrivent Action Teams ................................................................................................................................................... 11

Every Pledge Counts ........................................................................................................................................................ 11

Youth Group Lock In ........................................................................................................................................................ 12

Youth Group Activities .................................................................................................................................................... 12

Worship Ministries for January ................................................................................................................................... 13

Special Emanuel Birthdays in January ...................................................................................................................... 14

Special Emanuel Anniversaries in January ............................................................................................................. 14

Prayer Requests ................................................................................................................................................................ 14

Altar Flower Order Form ............................................................................................................................................... 14

Emanuel’s Calendar of Events...................................................................................................................................... 15

Emanuel Lutheran Church Staff

GOD WITH US (USPS 174-740)

is published monthly by Emanuel Lutheran Church, 311 Capitol Ave., Hartford, CT 06106. Periodicals postage paid at

Hartford, CT.

Postmaster: send address changes to God With Us, 311 Capitol Ave., Hartford, CT 06106

The Reverend Dr. Paula V. Mehmel

Senior Pastor—extension 2

[email protected]

The Reverend Elizabeth Krentz-Wee

Visitation Pastor—extension 3

[email protected]

Jonathan Reuning-Scherer

Director of Music

[email protected]

Jeff Potter

Christian Education

[email protected]

Jane Wunder

Operations Manager—extension 5

[email protected]

Naomi Ngoma

Community Life & Outreach —extension 4

[email protected]

John Franzis

Administrative Assistant—extension 0

[email protected]

Rachid Chelali

Sexton

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From the Pastor

I am not a big fan of New Year’s Resolutions. I

think that’s because they set me up for failure.

All too often they are big and broad and take an

incredible amount of discipline to be successful for

a whole year.

I suspect it is the same reason I really like Lenten

Disciplines. They are time limited to 40 days,

which is enough time to develop a new pattern of

behavior, but not so long that it creates a cycle for

defeat.

However, I still like the idea of setting a goal or a

focus for the New Year—clean slates are opportu-

nities to help us rid ourselves of things that are

toxic and embrace life giving choices.

So this year, I am going to begin doing a “Word of

the Year to Live By.” Mindy Olson mentioned this

on her Facebook page a few months back and I

was immediately intrigued so I asked for more in-

formation. She told me that the idea is to have one

word for the year that you focus on and each day

you work on that word.

For example, if you are struggling to be more open

to new things, you might pick the word "willing"

and every chance you have to do something you

might be reluctant to do, you say "my word is will-

ing. I need to do this."

If your word is, “Step” and a situation comes up

where you can predict how you’d react, you re-

member your word is, “Step” and then you go one

step beyond what you normally do,

Mindy told me that she puts a glass jar on her cof-

fee table with her word on it, taped to the outside.

Then when in a day she intentionally practices

that word, she writes what she did on a paper and

puts it in the glass jar. If it’s where you can see the

word, you remember to practice it.

You can google a list of “word of the year” ideas,

but a here are a few ideas—joy, gift, accept,

strength, discipline, believe, love, deliberate, kind-

ness, elevate, gratitude, patience, simplify, kind-

ness, perspective, contribute, shine, breathe,

brave, relax, focus, just, organize and bloom—the

list is endless.

My plan is to do it from Epiphany (Jan 6) to Epiph-

any. Epiphany is when the Magi arrived in Bethle-

hem with the gifts of gold, frankincense, and

myrrh and the word Epiphany itself means to re-

veal—so it seems completely appropriate to see

this word as a gift that guides me through my jour-

ney during the year. It is a deliberate chance to

open myself up to new revelations about who I am

and how I encounter the world.

I see it as an opportunity to truly be guided by the

Spirit and that openness to guidance became com-

pletely evident to me even as I chose my word.

I prayed about what word to pick and had a word

all picked out, but then, on New Year’s Eve, I had a

vivid dream that made it clear to me that I needed

to change my word. Since I wanted to be open to

the guiding of the Holy Spirit, when I woke up, I

knew in my heart what my word needed to be.

My word that will guide me on this year’s journey

around the sun will be True. I am going to seek to

live an authentic life, be true to myself and my

gifts, speak truth, and focus on the first part of

Phil. 4, which says “Whatever is true, whatever is

honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure,

whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if

there is any excellence and anything worthy of

praise, think about these things. (Phil. 4:8).

When things come up in my life or when conversa-(Continued on page 4)

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tions occur, I will ask—is this true and is it true to

who God has called me to be. Shakespeare said “To

thine own self be true” and this is a chance to be

true to God and to my values.

Even though I said I was planning to start on

Epiphany, January 6, since I didn’t have a previous

word of the year to complete, I had a chance to try

it out on my trip home from Christmas vacation

and see how this word of the year focus works.

Because our plane into Minneapolis from Fargo

was late and Ian and I literally had to run through

the airport to catch our flight, I didn't have a

chance to grab anything to eat, as I had planned. I

knew I needed a little something to tide me over,

so I ordered a Crunch Box with almonds, Slim Jim

and chips with salsa during the flight.

The attendant brought it to me but never charged

me. I then reminded the flight attendant about it

once during the flight, saying I still hadn't paid ,

but still no one came and asked for my credit card.

It went through my mind that they had two chanc-

es to charge me—when they brought it and then

later when I asked again about paying—and since

they never did, I had done due diligence. Then I

thought—no, I need to be true to MY values, so on

the way off of the plane I stopped and said I hadn't

paid. The flight attendant said "Happy New Year—

this time it’s a gift. And thanks for being honest."

So I felt good about doing the right thing and I got

a free snack box. Win/win! It was a great reminder

to stay true!

When I got home, I got out a glass jar, taped the

word “True” on it, stuck it in the middle of my cof-

fee table, and wrote out my first example of stay-

ing true. Mindy shared a photo on Facebook at the

end of the year of all the sheets of paper where she

wrote how she fulfilled her word and I am excited

to do that next year, as well.

Even though this article may be coming out a bit

after Epiphany, I encourage you to chose a word

and use it as a centering place for your prayer life

and your spiritual journey—I truly believe God

can work through this kind of intentionality and

that it will open you up to spiritual growth in new

and exciting ways.

I have a hunch that if you take this Epiphany Jour-

ney, it will be a true revelation.

Peace,

From the Pastor (continued)

L ast fall, Pastor Paula asked members to write

down some of their questions of faith and she

will be using them as a foundation for a monthly

adult education opportunity. Several people asked

questions about what happens when a child dies

before being baptized, who can be sponsors, and

why baptisms shouldn’t be private, so she will re-

spond to these and other questions about baptism.

Join us either on January 20 at 9:15 AM or 11:15

AM in the Church Lounge.

Questions of Faith—What Do Lutherans Believe About Baptism? An Adult Education Opportunity on January 20th.

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Mark Hollertz, President ..................................................................................................... [email protected]

Sarah Parmelee, Vice President...................................................................................... [email protected] Chet Brodnicki, Exec At Large ............................................................................................. [email protected]

Bobbee Canfield, Treasurer ......................................................................................... [email protected] Mindy Olson, Secretary ........................................................................................................... [email protected]

James Flanders ........................................................................................................................ [email protected] Karen Rock .......................................................................................................................... [email protected]

Linnea Bloomquist ....................................................................................................... [email protected]

Eric Carlson .......................................................................................................................... [email protected] Jacob Fulmer .................................................................................................................................. [email protected]

Melissa Johnson ..................................................................................................................mjohnson529@hotmail.com Peter Murphy............................................................................................................................. [email protected]

Deepak Pedada .....................................................................................................................deepak.pedada@gmail.com Gary Troutman.................................................................................................................................... [email protected]

Yvonne Gardner......................................................................................................................... [email protected]

Members of the Church Council

Council Highlights October and November 2018

C ouncil President Mark Hollertz called the

meeting to order and welcomed everyone.

Pastor Paula lead devotions on Stewardship and

Tithing, emphasizing the importance of being de-

liberate and intentional about our gifts.

The minutes from June, July, September and Octo-

ber were reviewed and accepted as amended.

Senior Pastor’s Report

Pastor Paula noted that the interim studies com-

pleted before her call to Emanuel demonstrated

that members want to focus on mission, with the

drive for outreach being especially strong in

members who have joined Emanuel in the last 20

years. Pastor Paula is moving forward in action

with Emanuel ‘s outreach mission.

The draft purpose statement, “Emanuel’s Purpose

Unpacked,” was distributed to Council for review,

prior to it being presented for discussion at the

Annual Meeting. Pastor reminded us that we com-

mitted to be “in the City for Good.” Motion was

approved to accept our purpose statement with a

few minor edits. The purpose statement includes

excellence in worship, authentic relationships,

inclusive welcome, opportunity for outreach and

community engagement.

Pastor stressed the need to make sure visitors to

Emanuel are welcomed, especially during fellow-

ship hour. Highlights of upcoming events:

Bishop’s request for temple talk for Jubilee

2020 – This is an effort to raise funds to help

seminary student debt.

Advent devotions – will focus on World Hun-

ger.

New Member Sunday on Dec 9—We will be

celebrating new Americans in our congrega-

tion, new members and stewardship stories.

A Taste of Emanuel – possibly a March date

for rebooting this fun event.

Pastor will be traveling to Africa beginning

February 10.

(Continued on page 6)

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Thrivent Action Grants—Thrivent members

are eligible to apply for two $250 Action

Thrivent Cards per year. Thrivent makes these

funds available to its members to support good

in the world. It is part of their non-profit giv-

ing. These grants could be used for many dif-

ferent initiatives here at Emanuel. (For more

information, please call the Church Office!)

Treasurer’s Report

Great news is that the Hungerford Street second

floor apartment has been rented. October offering

has not been encouraging and we are now about

$33,000 behind on income.. Our experience in

2018 sets the stage for the budget process for

2019 and the challenge we will face with expenses

and draw on the endowment. A letter will go out

to the congregation apprising them of the financial

situation. A combined committee of Stewardship

and Finance is beginning planning for the 2019

budget.

Youth Update

Naomi Ngoma provided an update on the Food

Pantry which will begin in the new year providing

food once/month on the last Saturday of the

month from 10-12 noon.. A task force has been

formed to handle the details, such as picking up

the food from Food Share, staffing the pantry, pa-

perwork, and welcoming folks who come.

Also, the Yard Goats organization is going to join

us in our mission to help supply the students of

Hartford with a backpack and school supplies. On

August 24th, they will encourage others to bring

backpack/school supplies to the game. Additional-

ly, once every other month, Emanuel may begin to

work with the Immacare men’s shelter up the

street, preparing lunch and serving it after Church.

2019 Stewardship Campaign

The emphasis with this stewardship effort is to

encourage people to go up a step on their giving

percentage.

Use of Facilities by Outside Parties

Youth on Fire is requesting space in the building

twice a week. On a trial basis, they would be using

two Sunday School classrooms at no cost. Their

program focuses on mentoring youth and tutoring.

A motion to move forward with the trial period

was approved by Council, pending final approval

by the Executive Committee. Also, they would like

to use the gym on Dec 19 for a Christmas commu-

nity toy event. This is mission outreach and a path

to making more connections with our community.

Operations Manager Report

Jane Wunder reported that we continue to look for

a first floor tenant for Hungerford Street. We have

continued with meetings regarding our property

at 315 Capitol Avenue. Last meeting was with our

State Representative and the Historic Commission.

They walked through the process of applying for a

demolition permit. The current plan is to develop

the site to help Capitol Towers solve their parking

and traffic problems, in a lease arrangement that

would provide ongoing income to Emanuel. A mo-

tion was made and Council approved moving

ahead with the application process for the demoli-

tion permit.

Reconciling in Christ

Meetings have been happening and a draft state-

ment is in progress. The plan is to present this for

a congregational vote at the annual meeting.

(Continued from page 5)

(Continued on page 7)

Council Highlights October and November 2018 (continued)

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Sandberg Mission

Council approved the committee’s recommenda-

tion to allocate the remaining 2018 Sandberg Mis-

sion Funds as follows: $750 to Mosaic, $750 to

Loaves and Fishes, $750 to Operation Fuel, $250 to

Youth on Fire, and $575 to underwrite preparing

“blessing” care bags for the homeless.

Webster Savings Account

Council approved the request to open new Web-

ster savings accounts to hold the security deposits

for the tenants at Hungerford Street. Per the law,

these funds must be held in a separate savings ac-

count.

(Continued from page 6)

T his year Emanuel’s Annual Meeting of the con-gregation will occur on February 3 and then lat-

er in the month on February 24, another meeting of the congregation is scheduled for the purpose of voting on the 2018/2019 Budget and Capital Plan.

This meeting schedule is the result of juggling sever-al priorities:

Constitutional requirements for an annual

meeting to occur by February 15 at the latest;

Availability of key leaders involved in the im-

portant business of the annual meeting;

Availability of the most complete financial infor-

mation for our budget discussions;

Adequate time for questions and discussion.

At our annual meeting on February 3, as required by the Constitution, we will present staff and com-mittee reports, have elections, and focus on mis-sion, including the discussion and vote on becoming a Reconciling In Christ church. A financial report will be available, per the Constitution, but note that it will be a preliminary report only. At the February 24 meeting, the complete financial reports, including the 2019 budget and capital plan, will be reviewed and voted on by the congregation.

In addition, at this second meeting, the congrega-tion will vote on an amendment to change the By-

laws so that the Annual Congregation Meeting may be held no later than March 1 (rather than February 15). This slight extension in the timing of the annual meeting will allow the financial reports to be as complete as possible now that Emanuel’s ac-counting practices have changed to GAAP. GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Practices) requires that all expenses for a given year, even if bills are received in January or February of the new year, be accounted for in the year incurred. The extension in timing allows most if not all of our invoices to be processed and included in the financial reports to the congregation, giving a clearer and more accu-rate financial picture. We are committed to using the GAAP accounting methods as an industry stand-ard and as the necessary framework for ongoing full audits of Emanuel’s significant resources and budg-ets.

Please plan to be present for both of these very im-portant meetings of the congregation! Our plans are to hold the meetings in Luther Hall which tends to be more comfortable and more conducive to good discussion. Refreshments will be provided and we’ll plan to have some child-friendly activities for those too young to appreciate the business meeting!

Council Highlights October and November 2018 (continued)

Two Annual Meetings??? We wanted you to know…

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It’s not too late to make a pledge!

I f you haven’t done so already, please consider

making a financial commitment to Emanuel for

2019. Knowing the total of pledged financial com-

mitments, Emanuel’s leadership can better plan

the year ahead, serving as good stewards of the

resources available for mission and ministry.

To date, 112 pledges have been received for a to-

tal of $312,338. Last year, a total of 161 giving

units (families or individuals) pledged $352,000.

It’s clear we have a ways to go—and we encour-

age anyone who has not yet pledged to make this

important financial commitment in thanksgiving

to God for the many blessings in our lives.

The 2019 budget, which will be reviewed/

approved by the congregation in February, will

likely require over $250,000 from our base in-

vestment accounts to supplement offering income

in order to meet general operating and ministry

expenses. This is a significant draw on our en-

dowment accounts (10+%), a burden that may

increase depending on final stewardship results.

We are blessed with a generous congregation—

people who give from their hearts, people who

make commitments faithfully each

year. Committing our resources to the church is

an important part of our faith journey and our life

as a congregation. We encourage everyone to en-

thusiastically support our 2019 budget and be a

part of God’s exciting work here at Emanu-

el. We’re counting on everyone! If you’d like a

pledge form, they can be found on the table at the

back of the church, or just call the church office

and a form will be sent to you. If you’d like to

share any stewardship concerns you have, please

don’t hesitate to contact our Stewardship Chair

and Financial Secretary, Lee Sherman, at 860-523

-1702.

Noisy Offering

T his past year, every month our children

learned about faithful giving as they collect-

ed the noisy offering and they learned about shar-

ing as they decided how to distribute the funds—

which totaled $1,578. After the Nativity Service

which they led, they gathered and voted on where

to distribute the funds. The parameters were that

it needed to be connected to the ELCA or a mis-

sion supported by Emanuel and half needed to go

to local outreach and half needed to have a global

focus. The children voted to use $715 to buy a

Family Farm through the ELCA Good Gifts pro-

gram. That $715 will go to purchase a cow, a cou-

ple of goats, a dozen chicks, two pigs, farming

tools, seeds and agricultural training and support

for a family to achieve a fresh start. With new

tools and techniques, crops will grow stronger

than ever. Eggs, milk and meat from the farm ani-

mals provide a lifetime of food to eat and sell on

the market, helping a family escape the cycle of

hunger and poverty – for good. They also voted

to give $431.50 to Lutheran Immigration and Ref-

ugee Service to help with new Americans and im-

migrants and $431.50 to Hands on Hartford to

support the referral program Emanuel has to help

people in our neighborhood in financial need.

They wanted to help the hungry, new Americans

and people in our neighborhood as they fulfilled

our mission to be in the city for good.

9

First (hopefully annual) Emanuel Women’s Retreat at Camp Calumet—March 22-24, 2019—Sign Up Now on Emanuel’s Web Page or on the sign up sheet in the Chapel/Luther Hall

Who: All women of Emanuel are invited

When: March 22-24, 2019

Where: Camp Calumet—we have reserved the Village Cabins and the Micah Room

How much: $200 for a double occupancy room, food, fellowship, program and the cost of transportation if you travel in a group of at least 3. If cost is a concern, let Pastor Paula know—we have scholarship funds available.

What: A chance for women to gather for Bible Study, relaxation, out door recreation (if desired), and rejuvenation.

Theme: Our theme this first year is on prayer.

If you are interested in helping in some way, please let Pastor Paula know. We

will need a travel coordinator and others.

O ur description of Holy Moly books and DVDs

continues this month with Volume 4 of the

Holy Moly Bible Stories DVD collection. “Jesus

Feeds 5,000, Mary and Martha, and Other Bible

Stories” includes 10 more wonderful stories from

the New Testament. This DVD, which is paired

with the books Jesus Feeds 5,000 and Other Bible

Stories and Mary and Martha and Other Bible Sto-

ries, contains the stories of Jesus walking on wa-

ter, the ten outcasts, putting the sick man through

the roof, Jesus feeding the 5,000, and Lazarus. It

also includes the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus and the chil-

dren, the widow’s offering, Mary and Martha and

Zacchaeus.

Volume 1 in the Holy Moly DVD collection is

“Creation, Noah’s Ark, and Other Bible Stories”.

Here you will find the familiar stories of the crea-

tion, Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Sarah and

Rebekah and Isaac. It continues with brothers

Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his brothers, Joseph

interpreting the Pharaoh’s dream and Joseph’s

forgiveness of his brothers. As with all the other

Holy Moly, it pairs with the books Noah’s Ark and

Other Bible Stories and Joseph and His Brothers

and Other Bible Stories.

Children’s Library News

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Reconciling in Christ—Frequently Asked Questions

+ All people are welcome here. Why single out

LGBTQ+ people?

Many LGBTQ people have learned by experience

that they are not welcome in faith communities,

even in those that state, “All are welcome here!” A

general statement of welcome is often heard as

meaning “everybody but me,” so it can take a spe-

cial effort to communicate an authentic welcome

to LGBTQ people.

+ When was the RIC program started and why?

Beginning in 1983, the Reconciling in Christ (RIC)

program recognizes Lutheran congregations, syn-

ods, organizations, colleges, and seminaries that

welcome people of all sexual orientations and

gender identities. Because lesbian, gay, bisexual,

transgender, and queer people of faith are fre-

quently made to feel unwelcome in many Luther-

an settings, the RIC roster provides a list of Lu-

theran communities where people of all sexual

orientations and gender identities can find safe,

nurturing, and affirming settings in which to wor-

ship and learn.

+ How does a Lutheran community become

part of the RIC roster?

The community must make a public, specific indi-

cation of its welcome to people of all sexual orien-

tations and gender identities. Congregations and

worshipping communities typically pass an Affir-

mation of Welcome or Welcome Statement at a

congregational meeting.

+ How will becoming an RIC congregation im-

pact Emanuel Lutheran Church?

In February 2019, Emanuel will vote on the fol-

lowing Welcome Statement at a congregational

meeting. Once passed, the following statement

and image will be published on the Emanuel web-

site, church bulletin, and newsletter, and Emanuel

Lutheran Church will be listed as an RIC church

on the RIC roster.

Welcome Statement

Recognizing that we live in a broken world, Christ

calls us to reconciliation and wholeness. As mem-

bers of Emanuel Lutheran Church and children of

a loving and merciful God, we acknowledge that

this reconciliation extends to people of any gen-

der identity, gender expression, sexual orienta-

tion, age, race, culture, physical or mental ability,

economic circumstances, relationship status, or

any person that has ever experienced pain or op-

pression. Because members of different commu-

nities may have been excluded from the Church in

the past, we wish to make explicit our welcome to

all. It is for this purpose that we affirm that ALL

people are welcome here, just as they are, con-

tributing their individuality to the wholeness of

the Body of Christ.

11

Thrivent Action Teams

D o you have a Thrivent life insurance policy

or any other Thrivent product? Anyone

who has any Thrivent product has the ability to

apply for a Thrivent Action Team, which includes

$250 in seed money for an educational, service, or

fund raising event. Applying for an Action Team

Card is quick and easy. They can be used to sup-

port a whole variety of activities at Emanuel—

providing materials for the Friday Night Program

or SPROUT, food for a Community Luncheon, the

Craft Fair, or a new member event, or pizza for a

Confirmation or youth activity, Any educational

activity can qualify as well as many worship

events. They can be used to expand our mission

and outreach. If you are a Thrivent member and

wish to use your Action Team Funds this year,

please contact Pastor Paula if you would like to

use them to help Emanuel. It costs you nothing

and expands that ministry of Emanuel in effective

stewardship.

In December we used Action Team funds for:

Brass on Christmas Eve

Our New Year’s Eve Celebration

The Christmas Story Candy Bags

The Senior Luncheon

The Sweet and Savory New Member Celebra-

tion youth pizza and activities

Materials for the Youth Room

Our outreach with Youth on Fire

Materials for blessing bags for the Youth Lock

In

Items for our Church Library

Every Pledge Counts!

P ledge Sunday has now passed, but 2019

pledge forms are still gratefully being accept-

ed. Each and every gift helps make Emanuel’s

ministries and programs possible. Emanuel de-

pends on your prayers, your participation in wor-

ship and ministry, and your financial support. Be

an active part of the good work

Emanuel can do by making a

2019 pledge commitment.

Every gift is needed; every

pledge is important.

Christian Stewardship and Re-Gifting

T his is the time of year that the word “re-

gifting” is often used. Re-gifting means giv-

ing a gift to someone else that’s been previously

given to you. For example, when I got a toaster

several years ago from my sister-in-law, I kept it

and gave it as a Christmas gift the following De-

cember to my cousin, because I already had a new

toaster and I thought my cousin would enjoy a

new toaster.

Re-gifting has also been a hot topic recently. A

while back it was reported in the Hartford

Courant that 37% of us participate in re-gifting a

gift given to us by giving it to someone else. 53%

of us say that we re-gift because we believe the

person we give the gift to will enjoy the gift that’s

been given.

(Continued on page 13)

12

Youth Group Lock-In

T his January we will be hosting two all-night

lock ins. One is for the 6 to 8 graders and the

other one for the 9 to 12 graders. Lance, Melissa

and Naomi would like to provide a safe way for

youth to have a fun night filled with various

activities that connects youth to Emanuel’s

mission of being in the city for good and engage

with the Gospel.

We will meet at the church at 5 pm on January

12th for the 6 to 8 graders and January 26th for

the 9 to 12 graders. We will put together Emanuel

blessing bags, have dinner, play Bible bingo and

the Voice, then watch a movie before some games

and then lights out. We ask that youth bring a

sleeping bag and toiletries and that youth leaders

be informed of any allergies or medication.

If your child hasn’t signed up yet, please consider

letting Lance, Melissa or Naomi for planning

purposes. There are sign-up-up sheets and

required consent forms in Luther Hall. If you have

any specific questions about the Lock in, please

contact either Lance, Melissa or Naomi.

Youth Group Events January 12 & 13, 2019 - Youth Ministry "Lock-

in" for 6th - 8th Graders at Emanuel. We'll

gather at the Church at 5:00 PM, we'll be putting

together blessing bags, have dinner and watch a

movie. We'll finish at the 10:00 AM Service on

Sunday morning.

January 26 & 27, 2019 - Youth Ministry "Lock-

in" for 9th - 12th Graders at Emanuel. We'll gather

at the Church at 5:00 PM, we'll be putting together

blessing bags, have dinner and watch a movie.

We'll finish at the 10:00 AM Service on Sunday

morning.

February 10, 2019 - Serving meal at ImmaCare

after 10:00 AM Worship Service

February 24, 2019 - Youth Group Meeting

March 8 - 10, 2019 - Calumet Winter Fling

Weekend

March 24, 2019 - Youth Group Gift Basket

Wrapping Event

March 31, 2019 - Youth Group Gift Basket Raffle

Ticket Sale

April 6, 2019 - New York City with Older Youth

Group trip

April 7, 2019 - Youth Group Gift Basket Raffle

Ticket Sale

April 14, 2019 - Youth Group Gift Basket Raffle

Ticket Drawing

April 21, 2019 - EASTER ( No Youth Group )

May 4 or 5, 2019 - FoodShare Walk Against

Hunger

May 19, 2019 - Emanuel Talent Show

June 2, 2019 - Youth Group Trails Day Hike and

end of school year picnic

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Worship Ministries for January

Would you like to help with Sunday Worship? Please contact our ministry coordinators: Greeters .............................................................................................................................. Eileen Mitchell 860-688-4867 Lectors.................................................................................................................................. Lynn Sherman 860-523-1702 Ushers ........................................................................................................................................ Jim Ashwell 860-667-0264 Assisting Ministers ........................................................................................................ Janice Favreau 860-978-1681

Acolytes & Crucifers Jan 6 Dylan St. John and Colin Akerley Jan 13 Ava Johnson Jan 20 Mebret Farquhar and Amy Cangro Jan 27 Megan Murphy and Brendan Murphy

Assisting Ministers Jan 6 Monica Swanson Jan 13 Mal Doyle Jan 20 Lynn Sherman Jan 27

Greeters Jan 6 Pauline Cochrane and Eileen Mitchell Jan 13 Mark Hollertz and Keren Paquette Jan 20 Lois House and Lorraine McCann Jan 27 Gary and Diane Troutman Communion Preparers 8:00 a.m. Jan 6 Nelson Gottier Jan 13 Xavier Morales Jan 20 Bill Kasmarczyk Jan 27 Monique Jennings

10:00 a.m. Jan 6 Bobbee Canfield Jan 13 Jan 20 Bobbee Canfield Jan 27

Lectors 8:00 a.m. Jan 6 Amy Couch Jan 13 Randy Olson Jan 20 Melissa Akerley Jan 27 Kathy Haller 10:00 a.m. Jan 6 Elsa Koulla Jan 13 Sarah Parmelee Jan 20 Brian Swanson Jan 27 Gary Bloomquist

` Christian Stewardship and Re-Gifting (continued)

So what does re-gifting have to do with Christian

Stewardship? Everything! To me, stewardship

means pledging the material gifts God has given

me and my family to Emanuel to help others and

to support Emanuel’s ministries and programs.

My family’s weekly monetary pledge to Emanuel

is the ultimate and best example I know of for re-

gifting! And our annual pledge to Emanuel is just

a fraction of the incredibly generous gifts God

gives us through our lifetime.

So, if you haven’t yet made a pledge to Emanuel

for 2019, please consider re-gifting the treasures

God has given you and your family to Emanuel

today or this week. Fill out a pledge form now

(call the church office if you need one or visit

Emanuel’s website at www.emanuelhartford.org)

and bring it on Sunday or mail it in.

You’ll be glad you did, and you’ll be participating

in the ultimate form of re-gifting!

Lee Sherman

Financial Secretary

(Continued from page 11)

14

Please remember the following individuals in your prayers.

Peggy Zachariasen † Joy Hackett † Clayton Medling †

Carol Johnson † Karin Gottier

Homebound: Rudy Peterson † Elaine Wilson † Joan Feldmann † Doris Barron †

Burt Hedling † Betty Fairchild † Betty-Lois Benson † Inger Swanson † Beverly Swanson

Altar Flower Order Form

Special Emanuel Birthdays in January Ernest Wignall (January 22), Gail Hazard (January 25), William Swanback (January 28), Elizabeth Anderson (January 29)

P lease make checks payable to Emanuel Lutheran Church and note “Altar Flowers” on the memo line.

Place your check or $45 along with the order form below in the offering plate or mail it to the church

office.

Date for Altar Flowers:

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

In Honor/Memory of:

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Given by:

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Phone Number:___________________________________________________________________________________

Please Contact the Church Office (860-525-0894) if you have any questions.

Special Emanuel Anniversaries in January Inge and Roy Levin (January 6), Eileen and John Wygmans (January 23)

15

God With Us

Emanuel Lutheran Church

311 Capitol Avenue

Hartford, CT 06106

Address Service Requested

Periodical

Postage Paid at Hartford, CT

Emanuel Lutheran Church

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

The Rev. Dr. Paula V. Mehmel, Pastor

Church Office: 860-525-0894