immanuel newsletter · hoffnung, heilung, vergebung und orientierung. ihn zu imitieren, ist gar...

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OCTOBER 2018 IMMANUEL EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH Connecting people with God and with other people to make a difference! 14100 WORTHINGTON ROAD PHILADELPHIA, PA 19116 Phone: 215-464-1540 www.immanuelphilly.org Immanuel Newsletter GOD’S WORK – OUR HANDS Saturday, October 27 9:30 AM – 1:00 PM Trunk-or-Treat Sunday, October 28 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM Soup and Cinema Tuesday, October 30 12 noon – 3:00 PM Table of Contents CONNECTING WITH GOD From Pastor Hahn Pg. 3 Small But Mighty Pg. 4 New Members Pg. 5 Worship Schedule Pg. 5 CONNECTING WITH OTHER PEOPLE German Circle Pg. 6 Movies Pg. 7 BINGO Pg. 7 Trunk or Treat Pg. 7 Immanuel German School Pg. 8 MAKING A DIFFERENCE Social Ministry Thank You Pg. 9 Project Linus Pg. 9 God’s Work. Our Hands. Pg. 10 Social Ministry Awareness Pg. 10 Hurricane Relief Pg. 10 Food Bank Thank You Letter Pg. 11 Calendar Pg. 12

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Page 1: Immanuel Newsletter · Hoffnung, Heilung, Vergebung und Orientierung. Ihn zu imitieren, ist gar keine schlechte Idee. “Small but Mighty!” “Small but mighty” is an expression

OCTOBER 2018

IMMANUEL EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH Connecting people with God and with other people to make a difference! 14100 WORTHINGTON ROAD PHILADELPHIA, PA 19116 Phone: 215-464-1540 www.immanuelphilly.org

Immanuel Newsletter

GOD’S WORK – OUR HANDS

Saturday, October 27

9:30 AM – 1:00 PM

Trunk-or-Treat Sunday, October 28

3:30 PM – 5:00 PM

Soup and Cinema Tuesday, October 30

12 noon – 3:00 PM

Table of Contents

CONNECTING WITH GOD From Pastor Hahn Pg. 3 Small But Mighty Pg. 4 New Members Pg. 5 Worship Schedule Pg. 5

CONNECTING WITH OTHER PEOPLE German Circle Pg. 6 Movies Pg. 7 BINGO Pg. 7 Trunk or Treat Pg. 7 Immanuel German School Pg. 8

MAKING A DIFFERENCE Social Ministry Thank You Pg. 9 Project Linus Pg. 9 God’s Work. Our Hands. Pg. 10 Social Ministry Awareness Pg. 10 Hurricane Relief Pg. 10 Food Bank Thank You Letter Pg. 11 Calendar Pg. 12

Page 2: Immanuel Newsletter · Hoffnung, Heilung, Vergebung und Orientierung. Ihn zu imitieren, ist gar keine schlechte Idee. “Small but Mighty!” “Small but mighty” is an expression

IMMANUEL NEWSLETTER Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church

14100 Worthington Road, Philadelphia, PA 19116 Telephone: 215-464-1540 FAX: 215-677-2433

E-mail: [email protected] Websites: www.immanuelphilly.org and www.HillHappenings.org Facebook: Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church, Philadelphia

Ministers: Members and Friends of the Congregation Pastor: Rev. Norbert F. Hahn, Ph.D. 215-464-1540 [email protected] Secretary: Diane Burgess 215-464-1540 [email protected] Council President: Barbara Hannon 215-637-8478

CHURCH ORGANIZATIONS, MEETING TIMES, LEADERS Bible Study Wednesdays 10:00 AM, 7:00 PM Pastor Hahn Choir As needed Dr. James M. Clements Congregation Council 3rd Monday 7:00 PM Barbara Hannon Christian Event Team 1ST Tuesday 7:00 PM Eileen Szentjobi Finance Team 4th Tuesday 7:00 PM David W. Cook Frauenverein 3rd Wednesday 12:00 Noon Marianne Haug German Circle/Deutscher Kreis 1st Sunday 7:00 PM Ruth Muggler Girl Scouts Wednesdays 7:00 PM Nancy Smith Hand Bell Choir As needed Dr. James M. Clements Immanuel German School Saturdays 9:30 AM Dr. Del Hausman Ladies’ Guild 2nd Tuesday 7:00 PM Barbara Hannon Member Care Team 1ST Tuesday 10:00 AM Judy Friedman Mutual Ministry Team TBA John Scholtz Social Ministry Team 3rd Wednesday 12:30 PM Michele Cook Sunday School Sundays 9:30 AM Eileen Szentjobi Women’s Book Club TBA Judy Friedman Worship Planning Team 2nd Tuesday 10:00 AM Dr. James M. Clements Youth Group TBA Chris Blankenhorn and Eileen Szentjobi

NEWSLETTER EDITORAL STAFF Diane Burgess David W. Cook Pastor Norbert F. Hahn Marianne Haug

Send information or questions to [email protected].

Immanuel Church needs your help in ensuring its future ministry. Please include the church in

your will. You may want to at least tithe (give 10%) of your estate to the Lord. Remember to include the church’s name and address along with the amount of your bequest. Should you wish, Pastor Hahn will provide you with the name of a caring and capable lawyer who can assist you.

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Page 3: Immanuel Newsletter · Hoffnung, Heilung, Vergebung und Orientierung. Ihn zu imitieren, ist gar keine schlechte Idee. “Small but Mighty!” “Small but mighty” is an expression

From Pastor Hahn

“I recently received a death threat,” said one of my colleagues at a recent pastors meeting. When he saw the expression of shock on my face, he quickly added, “It was tongue-in-cheek.”

The pastor went on to explain: “I recently updated my Last Will and Testament to leave a portion of my estate to my church. After I shared that with my congregation, someone made a bad joke by suggesting that by “bumping off” their pastor, the congregation could solve their financial challenges.”

A lively conversation ensued among the pastors. First, it dealt with the issues of bad jokes and their hidden meanings. Then, it covered verbal and physical threats to pastors in general. (Unfortunately, it does happen.) Finally, the conversation addressed the issue of “legacy gifts,” of honoring God by leaving a portion (ideally a tithe, 10%) of one’s estate for the work of God’s Church after one’s death.

This idea of leaving a “legacy gift” was news to some of the younger pastors. Most of the older pastors had already made the proper arrangements.

I myself made such arrangements many years ago. Each of the congregations I have served, including Immanuel, will receive a portion of my estate. But I don’t think it’s enough to consider “bumping me off.”

Would you be willing to prayerfully consider including your church in your Last Will and Testament? It such an easy way to leave a legacy and to honor God.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Hahn

P.S.: I know a very helpful estate lawyer if you would like to pursue this idea. Also, several members of Immanuel have already made the arrangements. They will gladly share with you. ______________________________________

Thank You to everyone who, on September 9 (“God’s Work. Our Hands.”. Sunday) stayed on the church campus following the worship for a bit

of community service. You prepared breakfast bags and meals for homebound seniors and wrote letters to Congress on behalf of hungry people. (Read more on page 10).

Thank You to everyone who came out to make our first ever “Beer Tasting Event” so much fun. We enjoyed tasting a variety of beers, laughed at

funny beer commercials, and learned a lot of interesting trivia about beer. (Did you know that the first professional beer brewers were women?)

Thank You to our small but plucky team of gardeners who tended our “Feed Our Hungry Neighbors Garden” this summer and shared the harvest

with Aid for Friends which provides meals for homebound seniors.

Thank You to everyone who mailed their offering to the church office either because they missed a Sunday or two or because they support our

ministry from a distance.

Thank You to everyone who uses the membership directory to pray each day by name for a page of members and friends.

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Page 4: Immanuel Newsletter · Hoffnung, Heilung, Vergebung und Orientierung. Ihn zu imitieren, ist gar keine schlechte Idee. “Small but Mighty!” “Small but mighty” is an expression

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“Klein, aber Fein! Oder?” “Klein, aber fein!” Den Ausdruck ist gängig in der deutschen Sprache. Er rollt so schön von der Zunge und lässt sich vielerlei anwenden.

“Klein, aber wichig!” ist kein gängier Ausdruck, wohl aber eine manigfache Tatsache. Zum Beispiel, so H. Poganatz, ist die Zunge “nur ein winziger Körperteil, aber gemeinsam mit Lippen und Kehlkopf, verantwortlich für die Sprache.

Wer seine Zunge beherrschen kann, kann den Kurs seines Lebens bestimmen. Wer das Maul eines Pferdes unter Kontrolle hat, kann das ganze Tier lenken. Wer das Ruder eines Schiffes beherrscht, kann seinen Kurs bestimmen.”

Diese praktischen Vergleiche sind natürlich nicht neu. Der Verfasser des Jakobusbriefes hatte sie schon vor langer Zeit vorgestellt (Kapitel 3), um die Macht der Zunge, d.h. die Folgen des menschlichen Redens, zu unterstreichen. Der rechte oder unrechte Gebrauch der Zunge, so Poganatz, “kann über Wohl und Wehe des anderen und uns selbst entscheiden.”

Diesbezüglich lehrte auch der antike Philosoph Sokrates seine Schüler, im Umgang mit gesprochenen oder geschriebenen Worten ein sog. “dreifaches Sieb” zu beachten:

1. Das Sieb der Wahrheit. Bevor man etwas weitergibt, muss es durch dieses Sieb.

2. Das Sieb der Güte. Ist das, was man weitergibt, gut und kommt es aus gütiger Gesinning?

3. Das Sieb der Notwendigkeit. Ist es überhaupt nötig, etwas Bestimmtes weiterzugeben?

Das beste Beispiel für den rechten Gebrauch der Zunge ist Jesus Christus selbst. Seine Worte gaben Hoffnung, Heilung, Vergebung und Orientierung. Aber er redete auch Klartext. Ihn zu imitieren, ist gar keine schlechte Idee.

“Small but Mighty!” “Small but mighty” is an expression that is frequently used in the English language to indicate the power or importance or effect of something small.

For example, H. Poganatz suggests that this expression captures perfectly the significance of the human tongue. “In collaboration with the lips and the voice box, it governs our speech.

“If you can control your tongue, you can determine the direction of your life. If you can control the mouth of a horse, you can direct the horse. If you control the rudder of a boat or ship, you can steer it towards your goal.”

These practical comparisons are not new. About 1900 years ago, the author of the letter of James in the New Testament used them (in chapter 3) to emphasize the consequences of human speech. The right or wrong use of the human tongue in speaking is, according to author Poganatz, “decisive in bestowing blessings or inflicting pain on others and self.”

In a similar vein, the ancient philosopher, Socrates, taught his students to funnel all spoken or written words through “three sieves”:

1. The sieve of truth. Before speaking or sharing information, determine if it is true.

2. The sieve of goodness. Is the information good and comes with a gracious intent?

3. The sieve of necessity. Is it really necessary to share the information?

Of course, the best example of human speech is Jesus Christ. His words offered hope, healing, forgiveness and direction. And he spoke truth. Imitating him is not a bad idea.

Page 5: Immanuel Newsletter · Hoffnung, Heilung, Vergebung und Orientierung. Ihn zu imitieren, ist gar keine schlechte Idee. “Small but Mighty!” “Small but mighty” is an expression

REFORMATION SUNDAY – REMEMBER TO WEAR SOMETHING RED.

From the Worship Planning Team Jim Clements, Chair

Our Holy Communion Practices

As an experiment for the rest of the year, the people of God at Immanuel are invited to two celebrations of the Lord’s Supper:

As we always have, on the first Sunday of every month, we will celebrate Holy Communion at both services with bread and with wine in the common cup as well as with wine and grape juice in individual glasses.

On the third Sunday of the month (or, instead, on a Festival Sunday such as Reformation Sunday), we will celebrate Holy Communion by “Intinction,” using wafers and a divided chalice that holds both wine and grape juice. (“Intinction” refers to the practice of touching the wafer to the wine.)

Members and friends of the congregation are encouraged to respond to these invitations as they feel led by the Holy Spirit.

NEW MEMBERS

On Sunday, September 9, 2018, our church family welcomed as new members: Cindy, Dave and Erika.

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Page 6: Immanuel Newsletter · Hoffnung, Heilung, Vergebung und Orientierung. Ihn zu imitieren, ist gar keine schlechte Idee. “Small but Mighty!” “Small but mighty” is an expression

German Circle

The German Circle will meet on October 7th at

7:00 PM. Please think about making baked goods for the

Sauerkraut Supper. Consider donating things for the bazaar. See you on the 7th of October.

Ruth Muggler

SAUERKRAUT SUPPER

Wednesday, November 7 and Thursday, November 8.

Some people are kind, polite, and thoughtful, Until you try to sit in their pew.

People are funny; they want the

Front of the line,

Middle of the road,

and back of the church.

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Page 7: Immanuel Newsletter · Hoffnung, Heilung, Vergebung und Orientierung. Ihn zu imitieren, ist gar keine schlechte Idee. “Small but Mighty!” “Small but mighty” is an expression

Moses Movie

A group of 13 people attended

the theatre at Neshaminy Mall to see the movie of the Sight and Sound production of Moses. We all enjoyed a nice evening. Hope to gather together again soon!

Soup and Cinema, it’s back again!

Tuesday, October 30th 12 (noon) to 3:00 PM

Join us for soup and a movie

about Martin Luther. Please let us know by Sunday, October 28th.

if you will be attending. Judy Friedman

TRUNK 0R TREAT

Immanuel’s Trunk or Treat will be held on:

Sunday, October 28, 2018 from 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM.

As in the past, we will serve hotdogs and water in addition to treats. A fun time is had by all, especially the children. It is a treat to see how talented our members are when decorating their cars. This event is a community outreach project sponsored by Thrivent Financial.

If you would like to participate, please select from the

following list:

• Decorate your car and provide treats.

• Provide individually wrapped treats.

• Help with refreshments.

• Help direct traffic.

• Help with cleanup.

• Make a donation to help cover expenses.

• Pray for the event.

We are asking that all donations be received by October 21, 2018. Please contact Marion Morris at 215-394-5620 or Judy Friedman at 267-343-3606 to volunteer.

BINGO Night

This free community event will be held on Friday, October 12th

from 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM.

Please invite your family, friends and neighbors to join us

for an evening of BINGO fun!

Light refreshments will be provided. Doors open at 6:30 PM. Hope to see you there!

If you have any questions, please contact

the church office at 215-464-1540. Admission is free, but

we ask that you please bring a canned food item (or items) as a donation for our local food bank.

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Page 8: Immanuel Newsletter · Hoffnung, Heilung, Vergebung und Orientierung. Ihn zu imitieren, ist gar keine schlechte Idee. “Small but Mighty!” “Small but mighty” is an expression

IMMANUEL GERMAN SCHOOL

The Halls are Once Again Alive with the Sound of German.

It’s back to school time for the students and teachers of the Immanuel German School. One hundred-ten students in grades pre-K to 12, their parents and, in some cases, grandparents, and an additional twenty-nine adult learners gathered in Lower Moreland’s cafeteria to hear Dr. Del Hausman’s brief opening remarks.

Following his remarks, Ralf Wiedemann, Honorary

Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany (and father of one of our students) assisted in the presentation of the Deutsches Sprachdiplom Level I to four of our students.

Level II Diplomas had already been present at the

closing ceremony in May. (Level II of the German Language Diploma certifies that the student’s knowledge of German is sufficient to study at a German university.

Of course, an institution as large as our German School is not something that just automatically restarts itself each fall. Del, John, and Jeanette have been busy all summer registering students, hiring new teachers, dealing with the Zentralstelle für das Auslandsschulwesen, and getting things ready for the upcoming school year.

Upcoming Dates: November 10: St. Martinstag November 17: Used Book Fair and Christmas Shop Please remember, it’s never too late to begin learning

German. Also, there’s an adult conversation class if you’d just like a few hours a week of conversation.

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Page 9: Immanuel Newsletter · Hoffnung, Heilung, Vergebung und Orientierung. Ihn zu imitieren, ist gar keine schlechte Idee. “Small but Mighty!” “Small but mighty” is an expression

SOCIAL MINISTRY

Thank You

Thanks to everyone for their support of our projects.

Somerton Food Bank 170 items + 5 cucumbers and 1 zucchini from the Szentjobi garden.

Aid for Friends 24 Dinners 76 Breakfast Bags

Feed Our Hungry Neighbors Garden We have picked: 30 peppers 26 quart bags of green beans + 13 pounds Basil, oregano, sage and parsley

Three members of the congregation pick the vegetables. Ron, from Aid for Friends, has helped with the picking.

All the produce has been shared with Aid for Friends.

Collection for Seafarers - August Focus Hats and scarves 16 Work socks 79 Work gloves 30 Sewing kits 13 Pens 94 Writing paper 18 Calendars 4 Razors 123 Shaving cream 25 Toothbrushes 118 Toothpaste 107 Shampoo 22 Comb 18 Deodorant 29 Nail clippers 8

Saturday, October 27, 2018 9:30 AM-1:00 PM

Please take advantage of this notice and plan to attend this worthwhile project.

We look forward to you participating and helping by sewing on Linus labels or tying a blanket. If you would like to learn to crochet or knit, this is your opportunity as we can help you.

Supplies for learning are furnished. Also, please bring any blankets/quilts you have completed as Linus labels will then be attached. We will have light refreshments. We look forward to having you join us.

Any questions, contact Barbara Hannon or Alma Dallas.

Items collected for Seafarers

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Page 10: Immanuel Newsletter · Hoffnung, Heilung, Vergebung und Orientierung. Ihn zu imitieren, ist gar keine schlechte Idee. “Small but Mighty!” “Small but mighty” is an expression

God’s work. Our hands.

Preparing dinners for “Aid for Friends”

Breakfast bags for “Aid for Friends”

After Worship on Sunday, September 9, 2018, members and friends of Immanuel gathered in the Social Hall to participate in the ELCA nation-wide “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday. Workers prepared 24 dinners of ham, scalloped potatoes and green beans. They also prepared 60 breakfast bags and wrote 8 letters to US Senators about key programs that feed the hungry in our area. Thank you to everyone who participated in this effort and thank you to Thrivent Financial who provided the grant to pay for everything.

October is

Lutheran Social Ministry

Awareness Month

Lutheran Social Ministry Organizations

Ken Crest provides support to more than 12,000 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and autism.

Liberty Lutheran in the past year served more than 50,000 individuals and families facing life-changing situations including survivors of natural disasters.

Lutheran Settlement House has served 18,000 of the most vulnerable in the inner city during 2017.

Silver Springs-Martin Luther School cares for the well-being of children and families through mental health services, special education and foster family care.

Diakon Lutheran Social Ministries operates a dozen senior living and housing communities in Pennsylvania and Maryland serving 63,000 people annually.

Support Hurricane Relief

Thank you for the generous gifts you have already made to Lutheran Disaster Response to help hurricane victims.

If you have not had a chance to make your gift, please make your check payable to Immanuel Lutheran Church (memo line: “Hurricane”) and place them in the offering plate or mail them to the church office.

You can also donate through our website. Just click on the donate button.

One hundred percent (100%) of all donations will be used for direct response.

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Page 11: Immanuel Newsletter · Hoffnung, Heilung, Vergebung und Orientierung. Ihn zu imitieren, ist gar keine schlechte Idee. “Small but Mighty!” “Small but mighty” is an expression

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Page 12: Immanuel Newsletter · Hoffnung, Heilung, Vergebung und Orientierung. Ihn zu imitieren, ist gar keine schlechte Idee. “Small but Mighty!” “Small but mighty” is an expression

IMMANUEL LUTHERAN CHURCH

OCTOBER 2018 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2 12:30 PM Staff Meeting 7:00 PM Christian Event Team

3 10:00 AM Bible Study 7:00 PM Bible Study

4 9:00 AM Member Care Team

9:30 AM Lower Bucks Conference Meeting

5 6 9:30 AM Immanuel German School at LMHS

7 World Wide Communion

Sunday 9:30 AM English Service with Holy Communion 9:30 AM Sunday School 10:30 AM Fellowship 11:00 AM German Service with Holy Communion 7:00 PM German Circle

8 9

1:30 PM Staff Meeting

2:00 PM Worship Planning Team 7:00 PM Ladies’ Guild

10 10:00 AM Bible Study 7:00 PM Bible Study

11

12 7:00 PM Bingo Night

(See pg. 7)

13 9:30 AM Immanuel German School at LMHS

14 Twenty-first Sunday

after Pentecost 9:30 AM English Worship 10:30 AM Fellowship 11:00 AM German Worship

Newsletter Deadline

15 7:00 PM Congregation Council

16 1:30 PM Staff Meeting

17 10:00 AM Bible Study 12:00 Noon Frauenverein 1:00 PM Social Ministry Team 7:00 PM Bible Study

18 9:30 AM Deans Meeting

19 9:30 AM Newsletter Mailing

20 9:30 AM Immanuel German School at LMHS

21 Twenty-second Sunday

after Pentecost 9:30 AM English Worship 10:30 AM Fellowship 11:00 AM German Worship

22

23 1:30 PM Staff Meeting

7:00 PM Finance Team

24 10:00 AM Bible Study 7:00 PM Bible Study

25

26

27 9:30 AM Immanuel German School at LMHS

9:30 AM Project Linus

28 Reformation Sunday

10:30 AM Combined Service with Holy Communion

3:30 PM - 5:00 PM Trunk-or-Treat

29 30 1:30 PM Staff Meeting

12 Noon Soup and Cinema

31 10:00 AM Bible Study 7:00 PM Bible Study

Save the date Sauerkraut Supper

November 7 & 8, 2018

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