April
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THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES USO SHOW SATURDAY, MAY 2nd 11a.m. presented by the Young At Heart Senior Theater Group skits, songs and dances to entertain you Suggested donation $12 includes lunch For tickets see a Board Member of the Women of the ELCA Lord's Kitchen In March we celebrated a special time at the Lord’s Kitchen luncheon by sharing a meal with our regular guests and participants of the ELCA’s Third Annual World Hunger Event. After enjoying some delicious food prepared by El Pollo Loco, a talk was given by Mark Carlson (from the Office of Public Policy) on hunger and poverty issues. The luncheon ended with some wonderful gospel music sung by the New City Parish Choir. The gospel singers encourage us to be ready to spread the word. Ending our time together they led us all in enthusiastically singing “Are you ready?..Let’s Go!” With God’s help may we all get ready and, Let’s Go!! - Judy Onstead (Next Lord’s Kitchen luncheon – Saturday, April 11th at 12:30) SUNDAY OF THE PASSION PALM SUNDAY April 5, 2009 9:00 and 10:30 a.m. Palm Sunday is traditionally about making an entrance. We wave palm branches and sing, “Hosanna.” But this Sunday is not just about entrances; Palm Sunday is also the Sunday of the Passion when we tell the story of what happens after Jesus arrives in Jerusalem. It is a Sunday of changing moods. We begin with triumph, move into despair, and end with hope. Join us this Sunday as we enter Holy Week. THE RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD EASTER SUNDAY April 12, 2009 9:00 and 10:30 a.m. ALLELUIA! CHRIST IS RISEN! CHRIST IS RISEN INDEED! Maundy Thursday—Good Friday April 9th and 10th, 2009 7:00 p.m. (each evening) These days are a kind of threshold experience. On Thursday, we take off our shoes. We tell the truth and are forgiven. We share a meal. We watch carefully as illusions are stripped away. We wait and watch. On Friday, we recall the trial, torture, suffering, and crucifixion of Jesus. We give thanks for God’s continuing presence in pain, grief, and death. We pray for the whole world. We adore and bless the one who powerfully triumphs over death. Introducing Your New Church Council Officers... Elections for new officers of your Council were held Tuesday evening and the new officers are: President-Tina Strandskov Vice-President - Rich Paseman Secretary - Judy Onstead Treasurer - Lillian Simons We appreciate the service of the previous officers who served in 2008 and ask for the prayers for the service of the new officers. The church council prayerfully serves as your representatives in working in the interests of the congregation members. Anything any congregant wants mentioned at council meetings can be addressed to any council member and he/she will do his/her best to see that a satisfactory answer or action is produced. Keep your eyes open for the date of installation of your new council and its officers. Health Kits Elsie Roberts reports that we have collected quite a few wide toothed combs, in addition to a few other items which will be collected later. The collection from a few has been gratefully received. We hope to see more participants. This is a congregational effort to help those who have NOTHING. Jean Bernhart has contacted the school children for their efforts in this mission. Thanks to all who help out in this worthy endeavor. Office Assistant Betty’s Corner Are you into extra prayerful worship? Betty, Sunday participant coordinator, observes that more dedicated souls are needed for Sunday services. Can you read? Great!!! Tell Betty. Can you meet and greet in Christ's Love? Great!!! Tell Betty. Can you smile and be available for Sanctuary duties? Great!!! Tell Betty. Betty can she reached at the church offices on Monday and Wednesday mornings; (818) 240-9000. We look forward to seeing new, shining, and welcoming faces. Former Council President Jim Goris’ Closing Message Peace I just wanted to give a big THANK YOU to all the council members who have served over the past 16 months. They have worked hard to begin to make changes in our congregation. Tina, the vice president, who was there when I needed someone to stand in for me while we were out of town; she also filled in for Ruth by providing secretarial responsibility during meetings, and has contributed to your newsletter and weekly bulletins by providing information to our changing seasons in the church calendar. She will continue as your new council president and I know that you will all give her your support. Ruth, our secretary, has worked hard at organizing the church secretarial records and beginning new filing systems for all the documents that are presented to the church council every month. In addition she is working with Audrey in the church office to make sure our church newsletter is published regularly. Lillian, our church treasurer, who has worked diligently at making sure all our bills are taken care of as required. In addition she participates as one of our worship leaders, conducts several Bible studies every month and runs our Food Pantry and Lord’s kitchen. A special thank you to Tom. He has worked diligently to organize and carry out the many needed facilities projects that need attention, over the past year. Thank you, to all the other council members who were always there to give additional support — Pastor, Connie, Al, Tom and Carl, and to our new members Judy and Rich. We have had a lot of spirited conversations and we all know that our work to serve the Lord over this next year will be filled with a lot of excitement. All of these members are continuing to serve. So please continue to talk to all of us and let us know what we can do to better serve this congregation. It also would be great if you might also thank them for their past work, and what changes have been made that you feel have made a difference. Blessings, Jim Some Food for Thought… “Life is like a coin. You can spend it anyway you want. — But you can only spend it once.” - Submitted by Jean Bernhart Food Pantry Thanks to the efforts of congregation members Connie Yeckley, Bill Laurence, Lois DuPont and Clara Anderson and volunteers from the community we have been able to serve over 100 persons each Friday morning. Our volunteers from the community include three people who have applied for food assistance. They have helped unload the food from the car, sort the food so that any perishables are ready to give out the same day. They also assist in translating. Food is more expensive, and we have had to advise people that this is an emergency food program, but emergencies do not go away when you have no job, have a very limited income "eaten up" by high rent payments, or are trying to conserve your limited resources to keep your children in school (especially in high school and junior college). Some homeless people without refrigeration or cooking facilities are served every week, but some with cooking facilities are advised to try to stretch their resources and come less frequently. Vacation season is coming, so we will need more help. If your older children or grandchildren are available this summer, bring them to help at the Food Pantry open Friday mornings from 9a.m. until noon. Please contact Lillian at 323 254-6632 or ltsimons@prodigy.net. We still have fine coffees, teas and cocoa available for sale to help support Lutheran World Relief projects in the United States and the rest of the world. The products come from different countries primarily from small farmer cooperatives which are guaranteed a fair price for the raw beans, teas and cocoa. The families who work in these co-op organizations are able to send their children to schools, participate in the development of clean water projects and improve their housing conditions. Current stock in the trunk includes strong and milder coffees, decaffeinated coffee and tea, cocoa and flavored coffees...all at competitive prices. See Lillian Simons. WE ARE OFF TO A GREAT START!! towards our goal of 100 HEALTH KITS for LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF Enough Band Aids for 80 kits, enough combs for 35 kits, enough wash cloths for 40 kits...but we are really short on hand towels, soap, tooth brushes and nail clippers with file attached. Check this list: Our Goal: at least 100 health kits… each kit will include the following items: One Hand Towel (dark color recommended) One Wash Cloth (dark color recommended One bath-size bar (4-5oz.) of soap, any brand in its original wrapping One adult size Toothbrush One Comb, wide tooth preferred One Metal Nail File or nail clippers with file attached, remove packaging Six Band Aids (or similar brand), ½” to ¾” , secure with rubber band Our congregational unit of the Women of the ELCA will collect and pack the kits for delivery in early October. Bring your donation to the services on Sunday, or into the church or school office on any weekday. If you prefer, to save time, a cash donation will be appreciated and we will shop for you. THANK YOU!! In the month of March we will concentrate on collecting the “hard to find” combs. The Word of God speaks to me. Together, as a community of faith we speak to each other. book of faith “In 2007 the ELCA church wide assembly voted to embrace an initiative called Book of Faith. The bold vision for this five-year initiative is: ‘That the whole church become more fluent in the first language of faith, the language of Scripture, in order that we might live into our calling as a people renewed, enlivened, empowered, and sent by the Word.’” Resources are being developed by Augsburg Fortress to help lay people and Pastors read the Bible and engage in conversations about our faith and the Lutheran perspective. Initially we could meet as often as once a week and start looking at the Bible using four approaches: devotional reading, historical reading, literary reading and Lutheran theological reading. The book “Opening the book of faith…Lutheran insights for Bible Study” has been developed by Diane Jacobson, Mark Allan Powell and Stanley N. Olson as a guide book to prepare for the extended studies to follow. In six to eight one hour sessions we could prepare for meaningful and guided studies of the all powerful Word. Let’s plan now to start soon. Some people have indicated an interest in starting some classes, and dates and times will be decided after Easter. Tina Strandskov and Lillian Simons attended the Foothill Conference meeting on Sunday March 29th at 2p.m. Our Synod is organized by geographical areas into "conferences", and gatherings are held for Pastors, Lay Leaders and all interested persons who want to know more about the plans for our Southwest California Synodical Organization. An introductory booklet is available for your perusal. Quilters Corner by Estelle Segaitz Clara Anderson brought in some beautiful new fabric donated by a friend of hers. Quilters are in the process of preparing that yardage for inclusion in some warm quilts for those who need them, world wide. Watch this box for further quilter news. Anyone who has news that should be included in this publication for congregational communication, please send your email to Audrey at firstglen@sbcglobal.net or give a written article to Audrey when you are near the church offices. Many people who are home bound or away from home need your input to stay in touch. Thank you! Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Thanks to the women (Clara Anderson, Jean Bernhart, Ruth Binzley, Karen Ostash, Elsie Roberts, Estelle Segaitz, Lillian Simons and Evelyn Werklund) who met in March and sewed up the plans for the USO MEMORIES SHOW AND LUNCHEON ON SATURDAY, MAY 2ND More events and a retreat are planned so we will have another BOARD MEETING THURSDAY, APRIL 2ND, 12: 30P.M. IN MEDIA ROOM B Mark your calendars now for the AUTUMN RENEWAL event scheduled at Casa de Maria in Montecito October 16,17 and 18. Registration details will be available soon. Questions about the retreat?? Contact Lillian Simons (323) 254-6632 For A Time Like This The biblical book of Esther with special reader help is available now to help you prepare for the Bible Study Monday Morning, April 20th Bring your March copy of Lutheran Woman Today magazine and the book For A Time Like This which was distributed at the March Bible Study meeting. If you need a free copy please call Lillian (323) 254-6632 Bring your sandwich or salad. Drinks and dessert will be provided by the hostesses. For rideshare and other information contact Jean Bernhart 1-626-300-0571, Ruth 1-818-240-2535, or Lillian 1-323-254-6632 First Lutheran School News by Principal Julie Sanchez Spring Greetings! It’s that time of year again! We’ve opened enrollment to our current students and to those in our local community for the Academic School year of 2009/10. If you know of any families looking for a school home please have them call the school office at (818)244-7319 to schedule a tour and/or receive school information. Each year our wonderful Art Teacher Mrs. Joanna Fodezuk-Garcia enters our students in the City of Glendale’s “I Love My City” poster contest. This event is an opportunity for local schools to participate and learn about ways to keep our city clean. The First Lutheran finalists this year are Christina Suleymanyan in second grade and Helen Kong in 6th grade. In addition to our finalists, our 6th grade class was asked to perform their original song titled, “Make Glendale Shine” at the awards ceremony on April 1st. Many thanks and congratulations are extended to both Teacher Joanna and our talented students! On Saturday, April 25th from 9am -1pm we will host our 2nd Jog-a-Thon event! This year’s event will take place at Glendale Community College. The day will be an opportunity to raise funds for playground equipment, pavement repairs and other much needed projects. Please join us for a time of outdoor fun with refreshments and exercise for all. Our event will begin at 9am with Preschool – 1st graders running, followed by 2nd grade through 5th grade. The final group running will be our Middle School Students. A special thank you is extended to Mrs. Janie Fisher (Lalo’s in 6th grade mom) for coordinating this year’s event. Further recognition goes to Glendale Water and Power who generously provided bottled drinking water for our runners. GO FLS! On the 2nd of April, our Middle School Students visited the Holy Spirit Retreat center in Encino. This outing, led by our 3rd grade teacher Mrs. Biondi was a Lenten experience to study and observe the Stations of the Cross and to reflect on the life and gift of our Lord Jesus Christ. The week of April 23rd – 30th, our 2nd-8th grade students will take our yearly “Stanford 10” Standardized Testing. Upcoming May events include our 1st ever Cinco de Mayo Art Fiesta from 6pm – 8:00 p.m. Dinner, the 4th grade California Mission projects, Art presentations and entertainment will be offered on this evening. Also in May, Outdoor School Trips (El Camino Pines and Catalina Island) will take place for 5-8th grade students. Finally, an all-school musical ~ “Broadway Style,” is scheduled for Friday, May 15th. Please mark your calendars for these future dates ~ we would love to have you join us! Easter Blessings to all as we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May you and your families be filled with joy and peace as we embrace the season of spring and the joy of renewal it promises! In His Service, Julie Sanchez, Principal From our Parish Nurse Elsie Ford... Do you know how to treat a minor cut or scrape? I’ve noticed that many people don’t know the latest recommendations. First, stop the bleeding. Minor cuts and scrapes usually stop bleeding on their own, but if they don’t, apply continual pressure with a clean cloth or bandage. If blood soaks through the cloth, don’t take it off – instead, add another cloth on top of the first one. If the blood spurts out, or if it continues to bleed after constant pressure for 20 to 30 minutes, seek medical help. Also, if the cut is on your face, is more than ¼ inch deep, is gaping open, has jagged edges, or was made by a very dirty object, see your doctor promptly. If you are diabetic and the wound is on your foot, call your doctor right away. Next, clean the wound. First rinse it with cool water. Soap can irritate the wound, so try to keep it out of the wound itself. If there is still dirt in the wound, use tweezers that have been cleaned with isopropyl alcohol to remove it. If you can’t get the dirt out, see your doctor. After cleaning, apply a thin layer of an antibiotic cream. Cover the cut or scrape with a bandage, and change it whenever it becomes dirty or wet, or at least once a day. While the wound heals, watch for signs of infection. These include increased redness, pain, drainage, warmth, and swelling. If any of these develop, see your doctor. If you are diabetic, be especially vigilant for signs of infection. Lastly, be sure you’re current on your tetanus vaccination. A common misconception is that it is better to let a wound heal over with a scab. However, scabs impede healing by creating a barrier between healthy skin cells. They can also be torn, causing re-injury. In addition, scabs can lead to increased discomfort and scars. Another misconception is that a wound should be able to “breathe”. But bandages help maintain a natural moisture balance ideal for healing, and provide extra cushioning and protection from re-injury, as well as preventing exposure to water, dirt, and bacteria. The use of such antiseptics as hydrogen peroxide, isopropyl alcohol, or iodine is no longer recommended. These should be used to disinfect only skin that is intact, not the wound itself. If your wound does not show signs of healing with five days, or if it shows signs of infection at any time, see your doctor! |