Grace Ministries – October 2019

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- Yoked Communities of Faith and Service NON-PROFIT ORG.

c/o Zion Lutheran Church U.S. POSTAGE PAID

41 Whitmarsh Avenue PERMIT#205

Worcester, MA 01606-3296 WORCESTER, MA

NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2019 TIME SENSITIVE

PLEASE DO NOT DELAY

Our lives are formed by Word and

Sacrament, and we gather as the beloved

children of God around the means of grace

where our lives are in Christ.

Grace Ministries – October 2019

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PASTOR’S CORNER MORTALITY Ann and I have been “spinning”, dealing with

treasurer needs on top of the “regular” in the office

recently. As I write this I am a little behind the curve

with my newsletter articles due to keeping on top of

visitation, worship, the new education cycle,

weddings, burials, well, you get the idea!

It was into this cycle of being pastoral that bad news

broke on this particular day as I found out my 56

year old cousin passed away the previous evening.

One of three Scandinavian lasses from a first cousin;

a mom, wife, marathoner, bubbly soul, she was

about the last person I expected bad news about.

So, now I am thinking about mortality; the

unexpectedness of things in life and the need to

make the most of the time we are blessed with.

Not that I haven’t pondered this before. But, as

more people pass away younger than myself or my

age contemplation for the honoring of life as gift;

discovery of abilities, skills, talents and faithfully

employing them for the sake of the Kingdom takes

increased urgency in my mind.

As creations of God our wholeness depends upon

our willing relationship with our Creator; an uplink of

active faith, prayer, worship, Eucharistic

participation, engagement with humanity and

employment of gifts, skills, talents, embodying the

Grace and Mercy that are God.

Emptiness is the result of absence from that full

participation.

But, that was NOT my cousin, nor her sisters.

Devote followers of Jesus’ WAY, engaged solidly with

family, their communities, also having a pastor in

their familial genealogy, faith gives them a “leg to

stand on” in all of life’s circumstances. And now in

this time of loss so too we stand, as do all of you, in

the light of God’s love and tender mercy: never

ending, persistent for eternity.

We may be mere mortals, but our souls are eternal

as is our God and the care lavished upon humanity

unquestionably undeserved but welcome.

Mortality scares many perhaps until the realization

of this dimension of existence being part of a bigger

picture WITH God takes ahold of us and we

remember words attributed to Jesus reminding us of

the many dwellings places set aside for us in heaven.

We are not to worry. We are to breathe, settle into

the Spirit’s embrace and let God be God for us in the

midst of life; life that is blessing, something to

honor, something to embrace and remember when

times get tough, something to revel in as privilege.

By Grace and Mercy the word, mortality, can simply

become a description for the blessedness of life and

not a term inducing fear and dread.

So may it be for us all.

☩ Pastor Andrew

HOMELESS CARE KITS

As we travel around the city and surrounding

towns, most all of us encounter those struggling

with homelessness and joblessness asking for

assistance at many traffic islands.

Below is a listing of items recommended that we

will be asking our community to donate

throughout the year.

Socks, gloves, granola bars, vitamin enhanced

water/sports drinks, combs, large Ziploc

storage bags, blank 4” x 6” card stock, gum,

soap, lotion, nail clippers, hand warmers, trail

mix, toothbrushes, toothpaste

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OCTOBER ANNIVERSARIES

Bethel

Doris & James Belk - 10/02 Kevin & Lisa Ratcliffe - 10/04 Gus& Timberly Frick - 10/06

Don & Ann Hanks - 10/08 Leanne & Thom Carraher - 10/09

Amy-Margaret & Brian Castella no - 10/10 Cate & Bryan Spanos - 10/18

Michelle & Tom Chunis - 10/19 Ken & Carol Gaumond - 10/27

Christine & Michael Gagnon - 10/28

Zion Wendy & Gregory Milton – 10/17

Richard & Tina Henry – 10/30

Dear Friends at Bethel Lutheran Many thanks for your support of the homeless & former offenders we serve! We need your help with our Winter Heat Fund, as each winter we rely on caring friends to keep our homes warm. Sincerely, Dave McMahen Co-Executive Director

HOLY LAND TRAVELOG/POTLUCK

We’re looking to gather at the Auburn campus

Saturday evening, October 5th for 5 PM in Voosen Hall.

Sunday afternoon, October 20th After service in the Palmer Room at Zion.

Slides from my sabbatical in Israel and Jordan will be the topic, including pretty much every religious site you can think of and including Qumran, Petra, Caesarea Maritma, plus a look into the lives of the Palestinian people.

Sign-ups are in the Narthex at both campuses

’

With LIPY-CM we are scheduled to worship with the church without walls and serve the evening meal in Northampton, MA on Sunday afternoon, 10/20

Each parish is asked to prepare a chaffing dish of shepherd’s pie, and make about 15-20 sandwiches placed into individual ziplock-type bags.

We are also collecting scarfs, mittens, warm socks to hand-out so that the homeless community has some comfort as the season’s cold temperatures work their way into our area.

Departure from BETHEL > 3 PM

Return to BETHEL > right around 9 PM

Please let PA know if you will attend; requires 2-3 parents to attend and provide transportation to/from.

CONFIRMATION SERVICE PROJECT CREDIT

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The weekend of September 6th-8th, six youth and three of us adults headed off for Madison, CT in the midst of Hurricane Dorian remnants. However, we arrived to only light mist and wind that cleared the precip out and had great weather! The Synod Youth Gathering always offers the opportunity for our young people to meet new friends and renew relationships, enjoy great live music and hear about God.

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PRAYER LIST Bethel - Arnold Ariansen - Maya Belmonte – Lucy & Tom Brennan – April Bylund - Karen Carlson – Catie Cormier - Shirley Connor – Lori Deso - Jean Dowd – Matt DuHamel – Linda & Dave Fabrizius - Tom Forsberg - Liesl Voosen Fields – Silvia Forgit - Grover Gentry – Hope Grasso - Skip Hagberg - Paul Josephson – Greg Kallfa - Patricia King - Audra Layton - Kay Lemerise - Bill Lewis - Eric Lewis - Kay Malkasion – Susan Marriano - Tracy McLean – David Naugle - Joan Newman – Amanda Parker – Dave Sutton - Sabrina Valastro – Gini Varg - Kay Venning – Pearl Wheeler

Zion - Betty Nielsen - Ruth Swan - Doreen Earley

- Bruce Blomgren - Charlotte Rose Mac Neil - Julia

Engvall - Liesl Voosen Fields - Audra Layton –

Patricia Lynch - Dotty Petralis - Sara Spieght –

Bob Ekstrand – Grover Gentry – Shellie Dyke –

John Berube – Barbara – Harold - Marta Parsons –

Linda Reynolds – Stephen Loconto

Have you engaged with the prayer wall?

We will be running three meal lines at the Worcester campus on Saturday, November 30th;

a) one line of breakfast food (oatmeal,

cinnamon apple),

b) a line of Spanish rice and

c) a line of beans and rice meals.

All these new meal choices derived in consultation with the director of Carty Food Cupboard at Wesley Methodist Church in Worcester (one of our mission partners with youth, largest food pantry in the area and biggest recipient of our meal build) and Pr. Matt Martin and the expanded food choices his organization provides.

Please consider working the lines with us on the 30th! You may begin making donations towards the meal costs at any time; simply make your checks out to ENDHUNGERNE and in the memo line 11/30/19 meal build

See you there

Doris Brick c/o Oakdale Nursing & Rehab. 76 No. Main St., W. Boylston, MA 01583

Jeff Moody c/o Lanessa Extended Care 751 School Street, Webster, MA 01570

Delores Bengtsson, Harold Johnson, Wilson McIlvaine c/o Care One @ Millbury 312 Millbury Street, Millbury, MA 01527

Mildred Lindblad, May Jacobson c/o Knowlwood Nursing Center 87 Briarwood Circle, Worcester, Ma 01606

Dot Reid c/o Lutheran Rehabilitation & Skilled Care Ctr. 20 Harvard Street, Worcester, MA 01609

Shirley Cummins c/o Notra Dame Healthcare 555-559 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605 Henry Hirvi c/o Holy Trinity Nursing & Rehab. 303 Barber Avenue, Worcester, MA 01606

ELDER LUNCH PROGRAM

We are gathering a list of people and have 10 of the 25 right now. If you know anyone in Greendale area that are 60 plus years old have them call the office to sign-up.

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Bethel’s Council Connection

Well, the fall is in full swing, and so is the

Council. We discussed many things at our

recent meeting, some new and some on-going.

One of the items up for discussion was the

church fair, which takes place on November

2nd, along with Pastor Andrew’s Holy Land

Travelogue/Potluck dinner on October 5th and

the meal line to be held on November 30th at

Zion.

Don’t the repainted doors and railing leading up

to the Narthex look great! A big shout-out to the

property team, Rick Hagberg, Garret Peters and

Roy Benoit Jr., who as part of the Bethel

Property team, are working hard to keep things

looking good around Bethel. Some of the other

jobs they performed recently include cleaning

out all of the window wells on the outside of the

church, installing new filters in all the heaters,

and in the near future, installing new digital

thermostats with locking covers where

necessary, to help better control the heat. All

these jobs, and many more, have or will be

completed in the very near future. All of Bethel

is thankful for their hard work in helping to keep

our church looking good and running as

efficiently as possible.

Just a reminder that we are still looking for a few

volunteers to help set up and organize an

Endowment Fund committee. This team will

assist in the long-term planning and organizing

of the various endowment funds that belong to

Bethel. Please speak to either Pastor Andrew or

myself if you have any questions, or would like

to assist.

Thank you,

Preston Sturdevant

Zion’s Council Update We are back everyone!

We need to get back on track with our pledges,

to help with Zion’s bills. Thank You

Fall is going to be very busy for us at Zion, for

example:

Fall Fair - November

Meal line at the end of November

Pastor’s Andrew presentation on his visit

to the Holy Land

Elder Meals Program

Coffee with Council will resume the 1st

Sunday of each month

Homeless Kits - we need water, bars of

soap, toothpaste, chap stick, mouth

wash, gallon storage bags, crackers, etc.

If you enjoy coffee after Sunday Service, we are

looking for volunteers to set up

Whatever else may come our way

If anyone has questions or ideas for other things

that Zion may want to participate in, please

contact me beachhayes@aol.com.

Respectfully:

Donna R. Hayes – Council President – Zion

Lutheran Church, Worcester, MA 01606

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OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS 2019

Zion Don Leombruno – 10/06

Lisa Gagne – 10/07 Michael Blomgren – 10/13

Lynn Wiinikka – 10/15 Dave Spinner – 10/26 Julie Bowen – 10/29

Bethel

Ken Johnson - 10/03 Helen Talbot - 10/04

Gina Benvenuti - 10/04 Brian Castellano - 10/07

Delores Bengtsson - 10/09 Carol Gaumond - 10/10 April Nystrom - 10/14

Ann Hanks - 10/18 Larry Stidsen - 10/18 Ryan Bennett - 10/18

JoAnn Van Dyke - 10/19 Sylvia Forgit - 10/20

Pamela Evers - 10/22 Cathy Bergman - 10/25

Jill Ducat - 10/29 Sally Westermark - 10/31 Miranda Courteau - 10/31

Lynne Guittar - 10/31

RECONCILING IN CHRIST Every person is created equal in God’s sight. It is only

through misunderstanding the breadth and depth of

God’s plan for each person that unequal status can

develop and segregate cultures and natures.

The blessing we can be, matured through

relationship with God, is not altered by that which

our natural orientations determine we should

become. Each of us are of value and cherished by

the One who formed us in our mother’s womb. So,

too, we should cherish and value each other.

Yet misunderstanding for God’s plan for each person

has undermined Godly intent for millennia and it is

only somewhat recently in humanity’s development

that equal status is being pursued for EVERY person

regardless of their orientation.

RECONCILING IN CHRIST congregations boldly

declare that they are a place of welcoming; that they

are sanctuaries of Grace and Mercy for everyone.

Recently our denomination, the ELCA, proclaimed

itself a Sanctuary Denomination (see the article from

Grace Ministries’ September edition.) Sanctuary

pertains to places where one is welcomed,

sheltered, held, respected, lifted-up, honored, loved

as co-equal in the sight of God, whether one is

fleeing persecution from another country or the

misinformed concerning God’s plan here in this

nation.

Being welcoming and declaring so is in adherence to

the will and nature that is God who is Grace and

Mercy.

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We began dialogue within the past year regarding

the Auburn campus of Bethel becoming a

Reconciling in Christ (RIC) parish of the New England

Synod (itself a RIC Synod). In November there will be

a final cottage meeting scheduled to discuss this

topic that is supported 100% by Bethel’s Council in

moving forward to becoming an RIC congregation.

Following that meeting a special congregational

meeting will be called in which a vote to become RIC

will be taken.

We understand that some hearts and minds may still

be wrestling with the LGBTQi topic; surely many

arguments against acceptance of LGBTQi have

hijacked portions of scripture out of context and

historical perspective with which to make points

against equality and welcoming. And some argue

becoming RIC supports one political stance against

another. Yet that is not the case at all.

Jesus stands on the side of justice and mercy which

is not always convenient, nor easy to accept and

adopt by each person due to the sway public opinion

can have. And so we look to God as our guide, Jesus

as our teacher, the Spirit as our encourager for being

Christ-minded in our pursuit of justice, mercy and

grace.

Hello Grace Ministries! We’d like to get the Forward Leadership Team running again, to ensure we have a dedicated team focused on future planning and making sure we are pushing forward in our journey of being Hands and Feet in our communities. The CAT surveys we all took identified a wealth of ideas and desires from the congregations. Raising up and growing those ideas is important to Grace Ministries. If you’d like to be a part of this team, please let me or the church office know. If you were previously on the Forward Team or the Accountability Team and would like to continue, also let me or the office know. We will have our first meeting in October to pick up where we left off. Kind regards, Dave Valleli

Get ready! We are about one month away from

the Harvest Fair, which will be held on Saturday

November 2nd

, 9-2 at Bethel. Donations of

usable second-hand items for the White Elephant

Room will be accepted beginning on Sunday

October 20th

. Please call the church office to

make sure the building is open if you are

dropping off items for the fair. Please note, we

will not be accepting electronics, computers or

televisions. We are looking for volunteers with

larger vehicles who are willing to pick up items

to bring to the church. Please contact Judy

Sampson or Marie Sturdevant if you are

available to help. Volunteers will be needed to

help unpack and set up the White Elephant

Room the week leading up to the fair. If you are

able to help, please contact Carrie Courteau at

508-847-6136. We will be accepting donations

of gently used books at any time. Donations of

home baked goods will be accepted the day

before and the morning of the fair. There will be

sign up sheets in the Narthex at Bethel and Zion

for volunteers to help set up, work the day of the

fair, and clean up at the conclusion of the fair.

All your gifts of time, talent and abilities are

both welcome and appreciated. For more

information, see Judy Sampson or Marie

Sturdevant. See you at the fair!

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OUTREACH/SOCIAL MINISTRY Reaching out to a world in need

BETHEL “And we know that in all things God works for

the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Romans 8:28

Recently, Hurricane Dorian hit the Bahamas with devastating force, leaving in its wake multiple casualties with a growing number of dead, as well as massive destruction to the land and infrastructure. God does not abandon us in despair, but rather He leads us as compassionate witnesses of His love, mercy and grace. ELCA Lutheran Disaster Response stands on the front lines, ready to assist the victims of this and other natural disasters. We can help by praying for the people who have been affected by hurricanes and other natural disasters, asking that God's healing presence give them peace and hope in their time of need. Our Social Ministry Team voted to donate $500 from our funds to this ELCA program. For those wishing to contribute to ELCA Disaster Response, there are envelopes in the pews. We will accept cash donations or checks made out to Bethel Lutheran Church, with ELCA Disaster Response noted on the memo line. All gifts designated for “hurricane response” will be used to help provide immediate and long-term support for those whose lives have been impacted by hurricanes. Our Social Ministry Team wishes to thank all who donated to the Worcester Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Many of us can speak from the experience of being a caregiver or having witnessed a loved one suffer through Alzheimer’s or dementia. This year’s campaign is to “lead the way to Alzheimer’s first survivor.” Since its beginnings in 1980, the Alzheimer's Association is the leading voluntary health

organization in Alzheimer's care, support and research. Through your generosity, our team raised $340. Thank you to Jackie and Vinny Walsh for walking and helping to raise funds and awareness of the impact of this progressive and devastating disease. For the month of October, the Kindness Tree will be filled with tags with suggested gifts for AYFS- grocery store gift cards for Thanksgiving, and items for Dismas House. Thank you for supporting the various causes with your giving through the Kindness Tree. On Sunday October 27th, a team from Bethel will be walking the AYFS Walk for Hunger. All are welcome to join in the walk and help raise funds for our local community in need. On Saturday November 30th, Grace Ministries will be participating in the food packaging event through End Hunger NE at Zion. On Sunday December 15th, we will be preparing and delivering lunches to Worcester City Common for Worcester Fellowship. Please consider becoming involved in any of these opportunities to reach out to our neighbors in need. More information on these and other outreach programs will be announced.

Dismas meals are always held on the last Friday of each month. If a volunteer would like to prepare a meal it can be done in the church kitchen around 4pm. Volunteers are also needed to deliver and share the meal (5:45pm). Dinner is over and hosts usually leave by 6:30.

DISMAS: Fri. Oct. 25th

Fri. Nov. 29th Fri. Dec. 27th

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GRACE MINISTRIES, ELCA – Yoked Communities of Faith and Service

MISSION STATEMENT

"To boldly share God's Love and Grace universally in and through our communities."

VISION STATEMENT

Modeling the welcoming nature of God, we are humbly called and driven by the Spirit to witness, engage and walk with each other authentically, as Jesus’ hands and feet, providing spiritual, emotional and physical nourishment.

Through evolving partnerships with ecumenical and other social service organizations we affirm justice and wholeness under the “agency of Grace” that feed the needs and hope of all.

The Rev. Andrew H. Borden, Pastor pastor_andrew.b@verizon.net

Ann Spinner, Parish Administrator

bethelauburn@verizon.net

Shannon Papandrea, Sexton

Pam Sutton, Kate Valleli, Garret Peters, Thom Carraher – Christian Education Team

Worcester Campus - Zion Lutheran Auburn Campus - Bethel Lutheran 41 Whitmarsh Avenue, 01606 90 Bryn Mawr Avenue, 01501 Office: 508-853-2009 Office: 508-832-3427

The-Community-of-Zion-Lutheran-Worcester.org BethelAuburnELCA.org

Organist – Karen Couturier Principal Organist/Choral Director – Brenda Salvi Choral/Bell Director – Sally Bond Associate Organist/Choral Director – Lois Toeppner, Deacon President – Donna Hayes President – Preston Sturdevant

Forward Leadership Team: Dave Valleli, Roberta Briggs, Stephanie Harms, Adam Hanks and Pastor Accountability Team: Jennifer Courtney, Linda Kikutis Kropp, Donna Hayes, Joan Parker and Janet Johnson

Yoke Council Co Presidents Preston Sturdevant (Bethel) & Donna Hayes (Zion) Secretary – Stephanie Harms (Zion) Marie Sturdevant

(Bethel)

Bethel Congregation Council

EXECUTIVE TEAM: President – Preston Sturdevant Vice President – Dave Sutton Secretary – Marie Sturdevant Kathleen Legg, Leanne Carraher, Doris Belk, Roberta Briggs, Grover Gentry

Functional Units Social Ministry – Marie Sturdevant & Judy Sampson

Finance Team – Lisa Ferreira, Chair Worship & Music Committee – Joan Parker, Chair Property Team – Garrett Peters, Rick Hagberg, Roy Benoit Jr. Altar Guild – Leanne Carraher, Chair

Adult Forum, Roberta Briggs

Preschool Preschool Director – Bev Sampson 508-832-9411 Bethel_preschool_auburn@outlook.com

Teachers, Karen Borden, Shannon Papandrea, Teachers Aide, Kim Capaldi

Zion Congregation Council EXECUTIVE TEAM: President – Donna Hayes - Vice President – William Toombs Secretary – Stephanie Harms

Kristin White, Katherine Lehman, Bruce Blomgren, Don Leombruno

Functional Units Outreach Ministry Team – Ingrid Lawrence/Jean Harger, co-Chairs

Adult Forum – Dave Valleli Altar Guild – Virginia Carlson, Chair

A RECONCILING IN CHRIST SYNOD

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LOOKING FOR A GROUP OF LUTHERANS TO MEET WITH AND SHARE

SOME EXPERIENCES AND HAVE FUN?

AS A SHARED MINISTRY WITH BETHEL/ZION, WHY NOT GIVE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING A TRY?

MEN’S GROUP On Tuesday, October 8

th the Men's Group will gathering for Food and fellowship @ 6PM. Proceeds will

benefit our Camp Calumet Scholarship Fund. Please sign-up in the Narthex or call the church office!

WOMEN’S: DOLs (Dine Out Ladies)

Tuesday, October 8th \ @ 6PM

Table Twelve Kitchen and Bar, 175 West Boylston St., West Boylston

Meet at the restaurant - each person is responsible for the cost of their meal. Sign up in the Narthex or call the Bethel Office.

“BOOKIES” Book Club The Bookies meet again on October 28, 2019 in the Chapel. “The World’s Fastest Man; the extraordinary story of Cyclist Major Taylor”, a biography by Michael Kranish All are Welcome!

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