Shepherd of the Valley Mission Statement: Grounded in the word of God and centered in Christ, SVLC is an accepting

and caring community sharing God's love, grace and forgiveness with all.

Inside this issue

Pastor’s Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Music Director’s Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

SVLC Quilters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Outreach Division . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Financial Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

SVLC Calendar & Service Corps (insert)

Scents and Consideration . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Parish Announcements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Resurrection Rolls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Just for Kids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Mark Your Calendars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Birthdays & Anniversaries . . . . . . . . . . 11

SVLC Phone Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

May 2019

Shepherd's Staff is published eleven times each year. It is the voice of the congre-gation; your articles, letters, and comments are welcome at any time. Submissions to the newsletter must be signed when received, although names may be withheld

from the newsletter upon request. Submissions are subject to editing for space and clarity. Please submit articles by email or directly to the office.

The deadline for the June 2019 issue is Sunday, May 19th 2019

20097-72 Avenue Langley, BC h V2Y 1S7 Phone: 604-530-1311

Fax: 604-539-8711 email: svlc@shaw.ca website: www.svlc.ca

VOL. #11 ISSUE #5

Tea in the Valley

Saturday, May the 4 th 11:30—2:30 pm In the fellowship hall

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Pastor’s Report Pastor Kristen Steele

John 15:12 “This is my commandment, that you love one

another as I have loved you.”

Romans 12:4-5 “For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same func-

tion, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of

another.” Being a part of a community is both a blessing and a challenge at times. Being a part of a com-munity means that we are called to be aware of the others in our midst. Sometimes that means taking steps to ensure that other people can be fully included in ways that keep them safe and healthy. Over the ten years that I have been here, we have started to take steps to try to be more aware of how we include and exclude others. One of the areas we’ve been working on and continue to work on is around allergies and sen-sitivities. We offer rice cakes at communion so that those with allergies or sensitivities to glu-ten, and those who have celiac disease, can be fully included. Long before I began here, grape juice was introduced as an alternative to wine for children and for those who, for a variety of reasons, cannot have alcohol or wine.

Another area that we’re working on these days is scents and food allergies. Thelma Lysne has written a very informative article in this month’s newsletter (see page 10) regarding the impact of scents on our environment and on the health of many. One piece of information I read recently was that 12 to 16 percent of people now have some type of sensitivity to scents.

In order to be a welcoming, safe and healthy place for all, I want to remind you to please not wear scented products to any event at the church. There are a number of people in the con-gregation who have sensitivities to scents. Some experience significant effects from scents which makes them unable to participate in worship and they are often ill for a day or two following their exposure.

I hope that as you prepare for worship or other church events you will remember to leave scent-ed products on your dresser or bathroom counter and not apply them. Let’s continue to work to-ward being a truly welcoming, safe, and healthy place for all.

3

Music Director’s Report Sylvia Duncan

However, by this time in Beethoven's life he was quite deaf, and one wonders if he ever knew how much this piece of music was appre-ciated. On a side note, the Langley Community Music School is performing Beethoven's 9th Symphony in June of this year, as a part of their 50th year celebrations.

It is an epic piece, one that shouldn't be missed. My son, Stephen, will be singing the baritone solo for this symphony. It will be on Sunday, June 9th, at 7:00 pm at the Church in the Valley, on Fraser Highway.

Many thanks to all the musicians who have continued to support our ministry through worship. We had many volunteers help-ing out on Easter Sun-day, and it was great to have so much music in our service. Thank

you to all those who provided special music on that day.

As we continue through our journey of the time of Easter, keep our hearts and minds on God as we continue to do God's ministry in our congre-gation and in our community.

In peace, Sylvia

One of our dear hymns that we sing frequently is Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee. The words to this familiar hymn were written by Rev. Henry Van Dyke, a Presbyterian minister from Penn-sylvania. He had quite the illustrious career, presiding at the Brick Presbyterian Church in New York City, teaching at Princeton University, lecturing at Sorbonne University in Paris, and filling the position of Minister to the Nether-lands when President Woodrow Wilson ap-pointed him.

It was during a trip to the Berk-shire Mountains in Massachusetts, where he was guest lecturing, that he penned the words to this great hymn. He said that the mountains were an inspiration to him as he was awestruck by the scenery around him. But he also stated that the words must be sung to Beethoven's tune, Hymn of Joy, that had been written for his 9th symphony.

This symphony was first performed in Vienna in the year 1824, and was greeted with much en-thusiasm from the audience.

4

SVLC Quilters

Outreach is collecting new personal care items for the women of Ishtar Transition House. Outreach will assemble Mother's Day gift packages with small-sized bits-and-pieces such as toiletries (shampoo, hair-spray, brushes/combs, tissue packs) and pampering items (make-up, lip balm, hand lotion, lightweight scarves). Please ensure the toiletries are new and sealed, and have not expired. Alternatively, you can give a donation for the purchase of gift cards (Tim Horton's, Starbucks) that will be included in the pack-ages. Please leave your new, sealed items (travel- or mini-size) on the Outreach table in front of the office window in the Narthex until May 5th.

It’s not too late to get your chocolate from the quilters!

Their Purdy's chocolate FUNDRAISER (to raise money for quilt batting)

continues into May.

Outreach Division

The quilters take a break to celebrate a birthday and have

balloon fun!

6

For the average person, breathing in fragrances from perfumes, colognes, hair spray, deodorants and so many other items that have an artificial odor is just a little annoying. But for many people in the 21st century, scents cause an allergic reaction; the reaction may be deadly for others. Let’s start at the beginning: the Gospel lesson on April 7th was John 12:1-8, verse three says “Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume”. Mark 14:3 also refers to the costly perfume nard. “Perfume and incense make the heart glad” (Proverbs 27:9). There are many verses in the Bible referring to the wearing of fragrances. In Biblical times, the conven-ience of bathing regularly was not always an option, so fragrances and oils were used. Historically, “ointment” and “perfume” were made with natural and harmless ingredients such as myrrh, frankin-cense, aloes, and cinnamon - and the above mentioned nard - and therefore did not affect the immune system. In my effort to research scents, I learned that many mil-lions of people around the world suffer from very mild to very serious conditions due to ingredients in per-fumes and scents, and in almost every manufactured product on the market. One very alarming website I visited listed nine ingredi-ents and the serious conditions that can develop from exposure to those ingredients (list follows):

Benzaldehyde: narcotic, lung and eye irritant,

nausea, abdominal pain, may cause kidney

damage.

Benzyl acetate: carcinogen, eye and lung irrita-

tion, coughing.

Benzyl alcohol: headaches, nausea, vomiting,

dizziness, drops in blood pressure, muscle

twitching, convulsions.

Camphor: dizziness, confusion, nausea, muscle

twitching, convulsions.

Ethanol: muscle twitching, fatigue, respiratory irri-

tation (even in low amounts), drowsiness, im-

paired vision.

Ethyl acetate: eye and respiratory irritation.

Limonene: carcinogenic.

Linalool: respiratory disturbances; in animals: de-

pression, central nervous system disorders.

Methylene chloride: banned by the FDA due to

severe toxic effects; however, the ban is not

enforced due to “trade secrets”.

Many people in our congregation suffer from a variety of allergies as a result of the various scents around us daily. My condition, Pulmonary Fibrosis, is due to radiation which results in my needing oxygen 24/7, with some “time off” when I am sitting still. Church is a place that gives me that time when I am sitting down, but with the introduction of a perfume, cologne, or smoke, I require oxygen. The equipment that supplies my oxygen is a bit noisy and I feel it disturbs those around me when it is turned on. Romans 13:9 quotes “Love your neighbour as yourself.” This indicates we should respect the discomfort of others when coming in contact with each other. Respectfully submitted by, Thelma Lysne

Nard is a flowering plant that grows to the height of one metre and has bell-shaped flowers. The underground stems are crushed and distilled into an amber-colored essential oil and is used as per-fume, incense, and herbal medicine.

Scents and Consideration Submitted by Thelma Lysne

Parish Announcements

7

Group #2 for May

COFFEE HOSTS

If your name appears below, please help! Only two people are needed every Sunday. Please add your name on the sign up sheet

in the narthex.

Jones, Koss, Krygsveld, Kunz, Kusch, Loeffler,

Long, Luthi, Lundy, Lysne, MacKay, MacKenzie, Mathiasen, McConnell, Meister, Meyer, Mitchler, Moffatt, Mueller, Mufford, Nel, Nelson, Nimchuk, Oelsner, Parsons, Paterson, Patzer, Pfeifer, Pohl,

Pollock, Portner, Poulsen, Preuss, Quintanilla

Have you Seen a

Book from our library?

The church’s copy of Elmar Pohl’s

book is missing, and has been for

quite some time. If you have it at

home, or know information about

its whereabouts, please let us

know. We would like to have this

important book of memoires safely

returned to its library home.

8

Resurrection Rolls

1 can refrigerated crescent roll dough

8 large marshmallows

Butter, melted

Cinnamon, Sugar (mixed together)

Each triangle shaped section of crescent roll represents the tomb.

Each marshmallow represents the body of Christ.

1. Dip the marshmallow in the butter and roll in cinnamon and sug-ar mixture. This represents the oils and spices Christ’s body was anointed with upon burial.

2. Lay the marshmallow on the dough and carefully wrap it around the marshmallow. Make sure all seams are pinched together well (otherwise the marshmallow will "ooze" out of the seams).

3. Bake according to package directions, then cool.

4. Break open the tomb, and the body of Christ is no longer there!! Celebrate God's love!

9

Adapted from Sermons4Kids: Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." John 20:29 (NIV) Do you find it hard to believe what someone tells you when what they are telling you seems impossible? For example, suppose I said to you, "A paper clip can float in a bowl of water." That doesn't make sense, does it? Experience tells us that if we put a paper clip in water, it will sink. So, if I tell you the paper clip will float, you would find that hard to believe, wouldn't you? Well, let's see if a paper clip will float. This is what you will need: a square of paper towel about half the size of a $5 bill, a small bowl of water, and a paper clip. Put the paper towel on the surface of the wa-ter and then carefully place the paper clip on the piece of paper towel. When the paper towel becomes saturated, it will sink, leaving the pa-per clip floating on the surface of the water. Wow! That's amazing! The paper clip is floating! I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes. It isn't unusual to hear someone say, "I'll have to see it to believe it," is it? On the evening of the first Sunday after Jesus was crucified, his disciples were together in a locked room. They were afraid that those who had crucified Jesus would also want to put them to death. Sud-denly, Jesus appeared there in the locked room with the disciples. It was hard for the disciples to believe, but they saw him and Jesus showed them the wounds in his hands and his side, so they knew it was him. One of the disciples, whose name was Thomas, was not with the oth-ers when Jesus appeared to them. When they told Thomas that they had seen Jesus, he did not believe them. He had seen Jesus crucified and buried, how could he be alive? Thomas said, "Unless I see the wound in his side and put my finger in the holes where the nails were in his hands, I will not believe it!" A week later, the disciples were in the locked room again and this time Thomas was with them. Again, Jesus came and stood among the disci-ples. Jesus, said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." Thomas fell on his knees and answered Jesus, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." You and I have never seen Jesus with our own eyes. The question is, will we be a doubter, or will we be one of those who Jesus said were blessed because they believe, even though they have not seen? Dear Father, help us to believe in our heart those truths we find in your Holy Word, even though we have not seen them with our eyes. Amen.

Just Just 4 4 KidsKids

Copyright © Sermons4Kids, Inc. May be reproduced for Ministry Use

Mark Your Calendars for May Men's breakfast at Ricky's Saturday May 4th at 8:30 am

May Meetings Divisions & Council

1 May Parish Life - tbd 14 May Council Meeting - 7:30 pm

22 May Worship & Music - 10:00 am Tbd - Outreach - 10:00 am Tbd - Properties - 9:00 am

Please inform the church secretary of dates for division meetings, And please submit minutes from division

meetings so they can be distributed to Council.

Division Articles & Announcements Due

for the June Newsletter May 19th

Please leave your submission in the secretary's mailbox, or email to eleanor.svlc@shaw.ca

Ladies Breakfast Break Saturday, May 25 9:30 am (in the conference room)

Seniors' Event 12 pm Glass Blowing Lunch at Jimmy Macs

Men's Bibles & Breakfast

In the Hall

Sat May 18th 8:00 am

Special Potluck Luncheon

Sunday, May 5th

Following Service

Stewardship Division Service Response Forms Due Sunday, May 5th

Quilts Blessing & Sale

on Mother’s Day

Sunday, May 12th

following 10:00 AM worship service

Victoria Day Holiday Monday, May 20th

Office Closed Friday, May 24th

Tea in the Valley Saturday, May the 4 th

11:30—2:30 pm In the fellowship hall

Scrapbooking

Friday May 24th 5-11 pm

Sat May 25th 10 am - 10 pm

Friday, May 31st

Watch for Sign-up Sheet

If your birthday or anniversary has been missed, please inform the church secretary so that it is in-cluded in future newsletters.

Micaela Anderson Gwenneth Baker Justin Bennewith Alex Booth Roslynn Booth Heide Brack-Pohl Stephanie Broda Ryan Chernoff Sean Combs Carmen DeMarzo Richard Duncan Sylvia Duncan Esther Exelby Dennis Friesen

Gordon Giles Kevin Giles

Arnold Gjertsen Marion Gjertsen

Jim Gole Carter Hill

Candice Johnsen Cody Martin

Serena Meister Lily Mitchler

Michael Moore Margaret Mueller

Irene Oelsner

Lilly Anne Poulsen Janet Ruccius

Rod Russell Tom Taylor

Allan Thorpe Lennie Trapp

Jack van Eijnsbergen Ryan van Eijnsbergen

Joe White Ian Wilkins

Thea Windle Leona Wright

Brett Thomas-Vandekerkhove

Meagan & Travis Baker Frank & Laurel Chiarizia

Caroline & Ryan Dyck Jim & Ruby Gole

Ivan & Yvonne Holmgren

May

11

Ruth & Clayton Jones Betty & Eldo Kunz

Paul Loeffler & Tara Wagner Leanne & Wayne Meyer

Christine & Kevin Mitchler Paul & Anita Tardi