building priorities survey 2019 - resultsjuly 2019 building priorities survey 2019 - results thank...
TRANSCRIPT
July 2019
Building Priorities Survey 2019 - ResultsThank you to all who filled out the Building Renovation Priorities Sur-vey. We received 59 responses. Here is a quick summary of the re-sults:
1.Looking ahead, which of the following options would best serve the mission of St. Stephen’s?
Multi-Stage, Multi-Year: 36 (62.06%)A single Major renovation: 16 (27.58%)Maintain the building as is: 6 (10.3%)
2. With respect to building improvements, what should be our top three priorities?
ADA accessible restrooms on the main level43 (72%)New roof on the existing building 32 (54%)Enlarging and upgrading the kitchen 31 (52%)
3. What is the best way to pay for building renovations and upgrades?46 (78%) responded that we should consider some combination of a major capital cam-
paign, a building loan and mortgage, grants, special appeals and ministry partnerships.
4. Are you willing and able to increase your giving over and above your regular donations for the next three years, if we do a major capital campaign?
Yes: 20 (34.48%)Maybe: 24 (41.37%)
5. Are you willing and able to donate "sweat equity" i.e. hands-on help during the renovation process?
Yes: 25 (44.64%)Maybe: 13 (23.21%)
So what are the next steps? Our Council will assess these results at its quarterly meeting on Thursday, July 18. Richard Wehrs, a consultant with the ELCA Mission Investment Fund, will be present to answer ques-tions and help us map out a plan. We will also be looking to contact a general contractor who can give us more precise estimates of costs.
Pastor Lyle Kleman has also gathered some demographic statistics about our “neighborhood” that will be helpful to the Fundraising Committee as they begin thinking about ministry partner-ships, grants and so forth.
Blessings as you prayerfully reflect on how to carry forward the mission and ministry of St. Stephen’s!
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A Letter From Our New Minister for Faith Life — Marilee Torres
Rewind my life a few decades and I came out of graduate school looking for a position like Minister for Faith Life. I had my degree in religion, I had spent time training in “Clinical Pastoral Education.” I had shaped much of my educational path and I was academically prepared to apply for such a position. That was decades ago. B.B. King is credited with saying “Education is the one thing that no one can take from you.” I do not entirely agree. it is not the ONE thing, but i will claim that education stays with you. Being offered and accepting the position of Minister for Faith Life I kept thinking of St. Stephen's Mis-sion “To know, live and share Christ". I see this opportunity for me to KNOW , LIVE and SHARE .The knowing Christ is never 'done'. I come with some knowledge to share but I also come as an active learner in relationship with the body of Christ . Living Christ is a daily call, it is our joy and challenge to try to follow the teachings and life of the Christ. Robin Lamont wrote the lyrics to the lovely 'Godspell' song which expresses living in Christ
Day by day Oh, Dear Lord
Three things I pray To see thee more clearly Love thee more dearly
Follow thee more nearly Day by day
The sharing part of St. Stephen's Mission is what I hope to do as Minister for Faith Life.
KNOW *about* God and what the Bible has to teach us through Christian Education as we learn and grow to know God as real in life through personal spiritual practice, sharing in community worship and fellow-ship with other children of God LIVE HOW to live well. There is great legitimacy in the clichè 'What would Jesus do?' to be baptized, con-firmed and be within the church family we are followers of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. We are to do our best (grateful to gracious God for forgiving and accepting us in our flawed efforts) to in Jesus footsteps, loving as He loved. SHARE Share by how we live; in choices made, priorities chosen, words spoken showing we are followers of Christ.
In becoming Minister for Faith and Life I am honored and excited to be joining the staff at St. Stephen's. I look forward to helping others get to know more about God; through working with Sunday School teachers and parents of the children as the young begin to hear the stories of God, and reading the Bible, to be active with the confirmation program when kids turn into young men and women with big, deep thoughts and questions when the church needs to a safe, accepting place to express themselves. As Minister for Faith and Life I am part of a team to help hear those questions and issues and provide open heart and ears but also roots in the teachings of the church, to reach out and keep communica-tions and activities to draw young adults to share some time in fellowship through social interactions that still feed the spirit. St. Stephen's is full of saints that inspire me in their witness. I am pleased to join in this body and do what I can to know, live and share Christ. I look forward joining a dynamic group of brothers and sisters sharing and shining the love of God in this place. To know, live and share Christ, I will, with the help of God.
- Marilee
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Friendly Reminder — the church isn’t taking a summer vacation and would appreciate your gifts, even if you’re not here (cough, cough … EFT) If you would like to set up an EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) to ensure the church gets your gift every month, please contact Jenny Weber by email at [email protected] or voice/text at 712-249-6645. You can also give a one-time gift or set up a recurring monthly gift online at
YOUR GENEROSITY BLESSES OUR CHURCH & OUR NEIGHBORS!
Children’s Quarter Campaign for HACAP - Operation BackPack• The quarter tube was filled to the top on Sunday, June 16th. When taken to the bank it
contained $134.74. There were a few other coins in there. An anonymous donor added $65.24 to bring the total to $200!
• In July we will be presenting a check for $200 to HACAP, hopefully at church on a Sunday
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Words from theEndowment Committee:
Think Twice
In a former parish, one of my parishioners admitted he’d gambled away $40 one Satur-day night, $40 he and his family could not afford to lose. He said he felt so guilty that Sunday morning he put an extra $40 in the offering plate to atone for his gambling loss!
While I would not suggest that approach as a way to increase one’s giving to St Stephen’s, nevertheless my former parish-ioner’s actions lead me to urge all of us to think twice before spending our discretionary funds. For example, should we go out to lunch and spend $25 every week, or should we take a week off and contribute that $25 to, say, the St Stephen’s endowment funds? Or, should we spend $100 on a concert ticket, or maybe contribute to the endowment funds on occasion? You get the idea.
Here at St Stephen’s we have, again, a Faith and Life Minister; we are contemplating a ma-jor remodeling/renovation project; we still have to meet our everyday expenses. At the same time we cannot forget the future. I urge you, in light of these real and potential finan-cial obligations, to think twice when you spend your personal discretionary funds; and I urge you to think about ensuring St Stephen’s future by contributing some of those funds to the endowment.
Lyle A Kleman, Chairperson St Stephen’s Endowment Committee
Ashley HartNichole Plagge DeeAnn Hebrink, ex officioPr Ritva Williams, ex officio
Thursday, July 11 6pm
Meet at Bistro3Nineteen 796 11th Street Marion, IA
RSVP and/or to arrange rides or childcare contact Amy Kuhn at [email protected] or
319-270-6365.
Sunday July 14 6-8pm
Bever Park Pool Cost is $2 Per Person
Bring snacks to share! Drinks will be provided
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Practice Discipleship in Daily Life Join us as we explore the seven faith practices that are the foundation for
following Jesus in daily life: Worship, Prayer, Encourage, Study, Give, Invite, Serve.
WORSHIPSunday Worship is at 8:00 and 10:00am during the summer months. …………………………………………………………………………Choir and Cantor rehearsals, Wednesdays at 7:15pm. Join us as we learn liturgies, hymns and anthems for Sunday worship.
STUDYSunday Morning Children’s Time at 9:15am, lower level, is on summer vaca-tion!
Life Long Learning is on summer vaca-tion! But look for special conversation oppor-tunities during the Sunday morning fellowship hour 9am-9:50am. Treats provided. Men’s Coffee & Study Group (Mondays at 8am) at Mr. Beans in Marion.
Women’s Bible Study (Tuesdays at 10am) in the Fellowship Hall will resume on Sep-tember 10 with a study of the book of Isa-iah. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………Wednesday Evening Confirmation Pro-gram for Middle School Youth (6th-8th grades) in Room 9 will resume in September. Contact Pastor Ritva for information.
Lyrical Bible Study is a FaceBook group, focusing on psalms, poems, and songs in the Bible. To join contact Alex Long at [email protected]
S u m m e r C o o k o u t s Wednesdays
J u l y 3 - N o Wednesday Ser-vice! July 10 - 6:00PM C o o k o u t a n d Worship around the tableJuly 17 - 6:30PM Healing PrayerJuly 24 - 6:00PM Cookout and Worship around the tableJuly 31 - 6:30PM Wednesday WorshipAug 7 - 6:00PM Cookout and Worship around the tableAug 14 - 6:30PM Healing PrayerAug 21 - 6:00PM Cookout and Worship around the tableAug 28 - 6:00PM Wednesday Worship
SERVEQuilting Ministry: Contact Barbara Kusler – 319-826-3794 (home).
Hospitality Hosts - Sundays at 9:00am in the Narthex and Fellowship Hall. Each Sunday you have the opportunity to provide refreshments for guests and members. Signup on the clipboard in the Narthex (What Would Jesus Sign Up For board) or a t w w w . s i g n u p g e n i u s . c o m / g o /60b0c4aa9aa2ba3f94-hospitality. Questions? Contact Amy Kuhn at [email protected] or 270-6365.To know, live and share Christ
Our Global Mission PartnersThe Rev. Elineema Mndeme and people of Kisiwani, Pare Diocese, Tanzania (our Companion Congregation) and Bp. Charles Rabson Mjema and staff, Pare Diocese, Tanzania.
The children and staff at the Ebenezer Glenn Or-
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MembersMick ButzMary FlecksingHarriet HemphillMarty JohnsonAnn Kleman
Toni LeeKayla MarnerJudy Nye Joan PetersenMarilee Reinertson-TorresDorothy SchourekSteve ThomasKen Fee
RelativesTrent Rosberg Gertrude Lee Peter OlneyMartha Adamson
FriendsKristian LeitzenBrent PahlTina Carlton
Please contact the office or use a Prayer Request card (in your pew rack) to place your loved one’s name on this list for two weeks and/or request prayer of the pas-toral staff. If your loved one desires a pastoral visit, please contact Pastor Ritva by voice or text at 319-693-2087 or by email at [email protected].
Serving in the military and/or overseasAlex Grafft, Army National Guard Jacob Aune, MarinesJayson Clinton, Army
LORD Hear Our
Prayers
GIVEOpportunities to Sign Up for… Altar Flowers – Sponsoring flowers for the altar is a nice way to honor a loved one’s birthday, anniver-sary, or other special date. Sign up is easy! Go through Signup Genius or check the sign up on the What Would Jesus Sign Up For bulletin board.
The cost is $25. You can place a check in the offer-ing with “flowers” on the memo line, pay at the kiosk in the narthex, or pay online through the website. Take your flowers home after the second service or leave them to be shared with a member who cannot attend services.
Coffee Sponsorships — help provide Fair Trade Coffee for Sunday morning fellowship time. Cost is $10. You can place a check in the offering with “cof-fee” on the memo line, pay at the kiosk in the narthex, or pay online through the website.
Sanctuary Lamp Oil - Keep the sanctuary lamp lit. The cost is $10. You can place a check in the offering with “lamp oil” on the memo line, pay at the kiosk in the narthex, or pay online through the web-site.
Current Special Giving Opportuni-ties…Amazon Smile - Do you shop on Amazon? Do-nate to our church with each of your purchases. In-stead of using the regular Amazon site to make your purchases, go to https://www.smile.amazon.com. Choose St Stephen’s as your charity.
Quarters for ELCA World Hunger - All quarters in the offering plate go to fight hunger throughout the world.
HACAP, Operation BackPack - Help the chil-dren fill the the quarter tube by the pulpit, so kids at
The Core Values of St Stephen’s Lutheran Church Whole Hearted Hospitality Life-changing Sacred Practices
Grateful Service Joyful Witness
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LSI’s Host Homes ProgramEach year, Lutheran Services in Iowa (LSI) empowers hundreds of Iowans with disabilities. There is nogreater joy for us than seeing an individual develop greater independence, find their confi-dence, andthrive in their community. And through our innovative Host Homes program, LSI has found a new wayto lift up our Iowa neighbors.Through the program, adults with disabilities or “mentees” move from a supported communi-ty livingsetting – like a 24-hour, fully staffed home with roommates – into a private family home with a HostHomes “mentor”. LSI collaborates with the individuals we serve and the contracted mentors to ensure each match is the perfect fit and to create a shared living opportunity that is bene-ficial to mentors and mentees.LSI is seeking compassionate and dedicated caregivers to join us in the mission. If you have room inyour heart and in your home, being a Host Homes mentor might be for you! Visit LSIowa.org/HostHomes to learn more. If you are interested in supporting crucial programming like LSI’s Services for People with Disabilities, please contact Deb Whitford, LSI director of philanthropy and church relations, at [email protected] or 563-676-2065.
Our Mission: Lutheran Services in Iowa responds to the love of Jesus Christ through compassionate service. LSI is an affiliated social ministry partner of the Iowa congregations of the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) and a member of LSA (Lutheran Services in America). We proudly serve people of all ages, abilities, religions, sexes, gender identities, national origins, ethnicities, races, and sexual orientations. Learn more at www.LSIowa.org and www.facebook.com/LSI.iowa.
The Best Kind of BondAmanda needed a change. For years, she had received 24-hour care, living in a busy home with three roommates. But she was lashing out and becoming aggressive, and she required multiple psychiatric hospital visits throughout the year to receive mental health treatment. She and her dad, Bruce, knew she needed more one-on-one attention to thrive.They turned to LSI’s new Host Homes program. Through LSI’s Services for People with Disabilities, the program allows adults with disabilities to transition from supported community living to a private family home where they build positive, lasting relationships with a specially selected mentor instead of a team of staff members. Soon, Amanda was matched with Mavis, an LSI Host Homes mentor. On the day Mavis and Amanda first met, they clicked. And a year later, the family hasn’t looked back. Instead of several emergency calls and incidents each year, Amanda has gone over a year without any mental health hospitalization. Mavis has spent the last year collaborating with Amanda to find the best way for her to communicate her emotions. She wants Amanda to know her voice and thoughts are heard. “Mavis has helped in every way,” Bruce says. “She cares, she’s loving, she’s patient, and she’s getting Amanda engaged in art classes and hobbies she loves. I have a happier daughter now.”
June Celebrations
Celebrating our minister while Pastor Ritva is away (June 23 & 30)
We are lucky to be joined by Pastor Lyle Kleman during worship.Congratulations to our new
Minister of Faith Life and her Rite of Beginning,
Marilee Torres! (June 9th)
Cedar Rapids Pride Fest is in July! St. Stephen's has a
booth! What: Pridefest When: July 6, 2019, 11 am-4 p Where: NewBo City Market How you can help: If you would like to help set up, staff, and/or clean up our an-nual tent at CR Pridefest please contact Melanie Ostmo at [email protected] or call/text 319-431-9731. We’ll have a brief organizational meeting on Sunday June 30 at 9:15 in the narthex. (You do NOT have to attend this meeting to help with our tent on July 6.)
Looking Ahead
St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church, ELCA610 31st St. SECedar Rapids, IA 52403-3021
ELECTRONIC SERVICE REQUESTED
Staff DirectoryPastor Rev. Dr. Ritva Williams [email protected] Administrator Sherry Mercil [email protected] Director David Haas [email protected] Accompanist Leslie Hyland [email protected] Keeper Debbie Polk (319) 329-7655Council President DeeAnn Hebrink [email protected] Coordinator David Zorn [email protected]
Sunday Morning Schedule8:00am First Worship Service9:00am Coffee & Fellowship9:15am Learning Hour10:00am Second Worship Ser-vice
Wednesday Evening Sched-ule6:30pm Worship
St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church (ELCA) is a Reconciling in Christ congregation that wel-comes diversity, which enriches, nurtures, and challenges our life and ministry.
Come and join us as we know, live, and share Christ
St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church, ELCA To Know, Live, and Share Christ.
ssluth.com • 319-364-2637