CHRIST THE CHRIST THE CHRIST THE CHRIST THE

SHEPHERD SHEPHERD SHEPHERD SHEPHERD

LUTHERAN LUTHERAN LUTHERAN LUTHERAN

CHURCHCHURCHCHURCHCHURCH

The Shepherd’s VoiceThe Shepherd’s VoiceThe Shepherd’s VoiceThe Shepherd’s Voice

Inside this Issue:

From Our Pastor 1 Notices 2 News & Notes 3 Serving at Worship 4 Calendar 5 Scenes from the 6 Fish Fry

Friends in Deed 7 School Pack Materials

July 2015 Page 1

Muddling Through?Muddling Through?Muddling Through?Muddling Through? According to the dictionary on my phone, the expression "muddle through" actually quali-fies as an intransitive verb, and it means "to achieve a degree of success without much plan-ning or effort." If accurate, that definition might be an apt description for how we manage to maintain from year to year the governance structures mandated by our congregation's con-stitution. So what happens when the constitution says your current council members can't serve an-other consecutive term, and you don't have a long line of volunteers ready to replace them? I guess the answer is you muddle through. But how? If you think I know the answer, I'll tell you right here that I don't. What I've noticed is how we tend to handle problems like this by voting with our feet. For example, there seems to be a trend toward saying "yes" to committee membership and even to taking responsibility for a committee's work. Of course, this is just the flip-side of another trend that's heading in the opposite direction. No one, it seems, is interested in going to council meetings. Full Disclosure: In 2003 just before Jo and I ceased being members of Christ the Shepherd, I came close to becoming a council member at CTS myself. But it never happened. About that same time, our former synod bishop, Dean Nelson, appointed me to become the in-terim pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Glendora. I'm guessing something like that is not likely to happen to anyone reading this article now. Our current council president, Sandy Williams, has worked hard to make our council meet-ings more efficient. Besides that, we now go home earlier than we used to. That's not so hard to do when you start at six instead of seven o'clock. Don't think that council members can't change their ways. This year when our council sec-retary, Garrett Biehle, told us that he couldn't make it to meetings on Tuesday evenings anymore, the council in the blink of an eye changed its meeting day to Monday. The old dispute manager in me says we've got the makings of a negotiation going on around here. To unfreeze our current impasse perhaps we should be open to letting people tell us under what circumstances they'd be willing to serve on the CTS council. Meet on Sundays once a month after church? Meet quarterly instead of every month? How about a quarterly congregational meeting to do what a council would otherwise take care of? Maybe we could try a congregation-wide progressive dinner once in a while. We could take care of some business over appetizers, and a little more during the main course, and finish up with des-sert? When you brainstorm like this, the possibilities multiply fast. Once we came up with a solu-tion that worked for us, maybe all we'd need to do is amend our constitution. How hard could that be? One of your partners in the gospel, Mark Witte

Page 2 The Shepherd’s Voice

Prayer ListPrayer ListPrayer ListPrayer List

For healing: Judy Sonier, John Brooks, Phil

Duncan, Jeff Mellstrom, Sandy Williams, Jer-

rome Duncan, Ethel Grissom, Tom

Wortham, Sylvia Ford, Bernice Smith, Sissy

& Lloyd Thornhill, David Stankov, David

Glover & family, Dick Barnes, Ron Weekly,

Jr., Carlos Paiva, Sherman Banks, Sylvester

Scott, Millie Nobles, George Williams, Phyllis

Taylor, Dan Miller.

For those who mourn: The family of

Diane Marguerite Wilson, the family of

Herman Sonier, the family of Jonathon

Kenion, the family of Sarah Stafford, the

family of Mollie Murphy, the family of

Scott Steen, the family of Tom Creighton.

It’s our custom to have a prayer list in The Shepherd’s Voice. This is a partial list of those for whom we pray. If you have someone you would like on the list , or would like to be taken off the list, please call or e-mail Judy Sonier at the church office.

July BirthdaysJuly BirthdaysJuly BirthdaysJuly Birthdays

7/4 Bill Glenn 7/7 Dawn Horton 7/15 Peter Holden 7/16 Al Schoepke 7/17 Ruth Creighton 7/19 Cece Guiar 7/20 Kyla Evans 7/22 Dick Barnes

Baptismal Birthdays Baptismal Birthdays Baptismal Birthdays Baptismal Birthdays

7/4 Skye Cotton Kyla Evans

ACTS Food PantryACTS Food PantryACTS Food PantryACTS Food Pantry

When you shop for your Food Pantry donations, please consider buying the items that we give out the week that CTS serves: Pasta, Pasta Sauce, Canned Vegetables, Canned Soup w/meat, Canned Fruit, Pea-nut Butter, Jelly.

Page 3 July 2015

Committee Meetings for JulyCommittee Meetings for JulyCommittee Meetings for JulyCommittee Meetings for July

Jul 05 11:45 am Worship Arts Ministry Jul 12 11:45 am Finance 12:15 pm Executive Committee Jul 19 11:45 am Social Ministry Education Jul 20 6:00 pm Church Council Jul 26 11:45 am Evangelism The Property Committee is not scheduled to meet again until September.

Back to School PacksBack to School PacksBack to School PacksBack to School Packs We have been asked to participate in another Friends in Deed project—the annual collection of materials for Back to School packs. Last year, packs went out to students in Asia. This year, they will be distributed locally. The list of items needed can be found on page 7. Friends in Deed is not expecting individuals to go out and purchase a pack and everything that goes in it (although if someone does, his/her generosity will not be rejected). But please consider purchasing several of the items needed. A box will be set up for them in the Narthex.

Special Prayers are RequestedSpecial Prayers are RequestedSpecial Prayers are RequestedSpecial Prayers are Requested Our prayers are requested for the families, friends, and all those whose lives were touched by the victims of the shooting at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston on June 17 (see page 2): Rev. Clementa Pinckney; Cynthia Hurd; Susie Jackson; Ethel Lance; Rev. DePayne Middleton-Doctor; Ty-wanza Sanders; Daniel L. Simmons, Sr; Rev. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton; and Myra Thompson. May we also pray that God touch Dylann Roof, that he may come to understand and offer repentance for what he did.

The Fish Fry Report!The Fish Fry Report!The Fish Fry Report!The Fish Fry Report! The Giant Fish Fry & Bake Sale was a record-breaking event. First, we prepared over 130 meals—more meals than we made tickets for! Sec-ond, we took in $1,752 in ticket sales and bake sale receipts. Third, because all but about $150 in ex-penses were covered by additional donations from the congregation, our net income was $1,606.23. While less measurable in terms of the record books, it seemed that we saw even more new faces join us this time, and more of them stayed around to social-ize and admire/buy the offerings from African Team Ministries and the “garage sale” items offered for the benefit of the youth and WELCA. While the Fish Fry is unquestionably a fundraiser, introducing our-selves to members of the community who don’t know us is equally important.

Undercover AgentsUndercover AgentsUndercover AgentsUndercover Agents Katherine Ellis-Schoepke reports that the congrega-tion was very generous in donating new underwear and socks for women taking advantage of The Women’s Room at Friends in Deed.

ACTS Summer Salad SuppersACTS Summer Salad SuppersACTS Summer Salad SuppersACTS Summer Salad Suppers The salad suppers continue. A potluck vegetarian dinner is served at 6:30 pm. A presentation on the theme “Responding to Those Affected by Imprison-ment” begins at 7:30.

July 9th at First Church of Christ, Scientist July 23rd at Altadena Community Church August 6th at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church

News and NotesNews and NotesNews and NotesNews and Notes

Serving in Worship Serving in Worship Serving in Worship Serving in Worship Page 4 The Shepherd’s Voice

July 2015

July 5 July 12 July 19 July 26

Liturgical Day Pentecost 6 Pentecost 7 Pentecost 8 Pentecost 9

Musician Brian Havey Brian Havey Brian Havey Brian Havey

Deacon Carolyn Spurlock Reta Duncan Garrett Biehle Dolores Scott

Server/ Acolyte

Kandice Horton-Gomez

Robby Holden Lennon Holden Emerald Bailer

Kandice Horton-Gomez

Robby Holden

Lector Al Schoepke Katherine Schoepke Marcia Brown Garrett Biehle

Ushers Valerie Jones

Robert Spurlock Jordan Boye Valerie Jones

Marcia Brown Valerie Jones

Jordan Boye Zetta Robinson

Communion Care

Sandy Williams Rita Mello Esmeralda Bailer Dolores Scott

The Hymns HFG 619 HFG 159 HFG 377

HFG 319 HFG 408 HFG 377

HFG 347 HFG 318 HFG 377

HFG 345 HFG 575 HFG 377

The Lessons

Ezekiel 2:1-5 Psalm 123

2 Cor 12:2-10 Mark 6:1-13

Amos 7:7-15 Psalm 85:8-13 Ephesians 1:3-14 Mark 6:14-29

Jeremiah 23:1-6 Psalm 23

Ephesians 2:11-22 Mark 6:30-34,53-56

2 Kings 4:42-44 Psalm 145:10-18 Ephesians 3:14-21 John 6:1-21

Social Hour

Katherine Schoepke Sandy Williams The Chisums IT COULD BE

YOU!

July 2015 Page 5

July 2015July 2015July 2015July 2015 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 12:00 pm

CA Marathon

4 12:00 pm

CA Marathon

5 2:00 pm

CA Marathon

6 7

8

9 6:30 pm

ACTS Salad Supper

10

11 9:30 am

Food Pantry Team I

12 13 14 11:45am

ACTS Lunch

157

16

17 18

19 20 6:00 pm Church Council

21 22 23 12:00 pm PACT

Meeting 6:30 pm

ACTS Salad Supper

24

25

26 27 28 29 30 6:00 pm AA/CA

Secretaries

31

Sunday Service with Holy Communion, starts at 10:00 am every Sunday, followed by refreshments in the

Social Hall. The schedule for committee meetings can be found on page 3.

The

Page 6 The Shepherd’s Voice

Scenes from the Fish FryScenes from the Fish FryScenes from the Fish FryScenes from the Fish Fry

Back to School Supply List 2015Back to School Supply List 2015Back to School Supply List 2015Back to School Supply List 2015----2016201620162016

Backpacks (should be sturdy enough to handle the rigors that students, especially high school stu-dents, might put them through. Please pick backpack colors other than red or blue.)

3 Ring Binders - 1"- 3" (Prefer with Clear View pocket on front)

Tab Dividers for Binders

College ruled notebook paper

Spiral notebooks

Copy paper (for printing on computer)

Composition Notebooks, hardcover

Pens; red, blue and black

Pencils, including #2 yellow 6-sided for younger grades; mechanical pencils Erasers

Pencil-top Erasers

Zipper pouch for pens and pencils (3 holed to go in binders)

Dry Erase Markers

Colored Markers (NO Sharpies or Permanent Markers)

Highlighters, all colors

Colored Pencils

Sharpener for colored pencils (must hold shavings)

24 Colors Crayons (prefer Crayola Brand)

2 Pocket Folders (prefer poly folders)

Student scissors (such as Fiskar)

Rulers (metric & customary)

3" x 5" index cards

Glue Sticks As you can see, school start-up is an expensive proposition for low income families. Thank you for easing that burden and assuring that all students get an equal start on their critical journey of educa-tion.

Page 7 July 2015

185 W. Altadena Dr. Altadena

Phone: 626-794-7011 Fax: 626-794-7063

E-mail: office@ctsaltadena.org

WorshipWorshipWorshipWorship Sundays: 10:00 a.m. The Eucharist

Nursery Care Available

Our MissionOur MissionOur MissionOur Mission We pledge to embrace our neighbors and spread God's all-inclusive love.

Jesus welcomedJesus welcomedJesus welcomedJesus welcomed everyone He encountered in His day but especially those everyone else re-jected. We at Christ the Shepherd seek to welcome everybody today and especially those who have been rejected elsewhere.

CHRIST THE CHRIST THE CHRIST THE CHRIST THE

SHEPHERD SHEPHERD SHEPHERD SHEPHERD

LUTHERAN LUTHERAN LUTHERAN LUTHERAN

CHURCHCHURCHCHURCHCHURCH

Mark Witte, Pastor Judith Sonier, Office Manager

Sandy Williams, President, Property (‘16)

Peter Holden, Vice President (‘16) William Korn, Treasurer (‘15)

Garrett Biehle, Secretary, Stewardship (‘17) David Chisum, Social Ministry (‘17)

We’re on the Web

www.ctsaltadena.org

Christ the Shepherd Lutheran Church 185 W. Altadena Dr. Altadena, CA 91001

Jeff Mellstrom, Financial Secretary Katherine Ellis-Schoepke, Christian Education (‘16) Valerie Jones, Worship Arts (‘16) Zetta Robinson, Evangelism (‘16) Lennon Holden, Youth