The Messenger of Arndt’s Church - May, 2015

Arndt's Lutheran Church1851 Arndt Road, Easton, PA 18040

610-253-3732Email: arndts.lutheranchurch@rcn.com

Website: www.arndtslutheran.org

Regular Worship Services (9/6/14 thru 5/17/15): Saturday 6:00 p.m. / Sunday 8:15 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Summer Worship Services (5/24/15 thru 9/6/15): Saturday 6:00 p.m. / Sunday 9:30 a.m.

Activities for May

Volleyball Tournament - Saturday, May 9thMembers from churches in the Bethlehem/Easton Mission District will gather on Saturday, May 9th, from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon at Arndt's to participate in a Volleyball Tournament. Adults and youth are welcome to play. No need to have a team--just show up that morning at 9:00 and we will form teams to play. Light breakfast refreshments will be available.

Ladies Tea - Saturday, May 9thOur annual Ladies' Tea will be held on Saturday, May 9th, from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. The tea is an enjoyable afternoon of funand fellowship. This year's program, "Plants of the Bible", will be presented by Lori Metz from the Penn State Extensionprogram and will show and explore plants and botanical symbolism in the Bible and other religions. Why do we have white lilies at Easter and evergreen trees at Christmas? This presentation includes important plants and agricultural crops in Biblical times from figs and apples in the Garden of Eden to frankincense, myrrh, lumber and oils still in use today. The cost is $7. All women (members and friends) are invited to attend. There is a sign-up sheet in the narthex.

Quoit Tournament - Saturday, May 16thThe Fourth Annual "Quoits for Andy" quoit tournament will be held on Saturday, May 16, 2015, at the Arndt's Pavilionbeginning at 12:00 noon. There will be food, a basket raffle and great competition. Cost is $15 per person or $30 perteam. Registration is from 11:00 - 11:30 a.m. The tournament benefits the Andrew D. Siegfried Memorial ScholarshipFund, which awards a scholarship of $2500 to a graduating senior from Easton Area High School who is going into business. Log on to quoitsforandy.org for more information or speak to Ruth Ann or Rich Siegfried.

Summer Worship Hours BeginWe will switch to our summer worship hours on Sunday, May 24, 2015, with one service at 9:30 on Sunday mornings. The Saturday communion service remains the same time at 6:00 p.m.

Memorial Day Remembrance ServiceOn Sunday, May 24th, following the 9:30 a.m. worship service, we will gather outside at the flagpole for a short servicehonoring the men and women who have served our nation and who continue to serve today. Our morning services will befollowed by a potluck lunch in the pavilion.

Looking Ahead

Yankee Peddler Day - Saturday, June 6th, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.This outdoor sale on the church grounds is rain or shine and will feature individual vendors selling crafts, antiques,housewares, clothing, etc. Open Arms will be serving a pancake breakfast and a light lunch. A registration form isincluded in this newsletter. Contact Rich Seigfried for more information, 610-252-0586.

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The Pastor's Page

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, be blessedthem. While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried upinto heaven. And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.Luke 24:50-52

Most of us have heard of "The Left Behind" series of books and movies. Left behind? Thetruth is that we have all been left behind by Jesus. The story of the ascension is both alesson in knowing God and an encouragement for mission. Since Jesus ascended intoheaven, we live in the power of the Holy Spirit that God gives those who have been "leftbehind" to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ throughout the world.

In the devotional guide, "Living in God's Amazing Grace", the author talks about a humoroussixteenth century wood carving showing the ascension of Jesus. The awe-struck disciples areat the bottom of the carving and two dangling feet--their last view of Jesus--hangs downfrom the top. Telling the story of Jesus can be playful as well as serious. The account of theascension reminds us that we have been left behind in a very human world to do Jesus' work,and we need a good sense of humor as well as deep faith to get the job done.

When Jesus ascended into heaven the church became the body of Christ for the world. Weneed many different kinds of people in the church with many different gifts to continue theministry of Jesus, and the job of all of us is to identify and use the gifts that God has placedin our congregation.

Sometimes those gifts shine brightly and at other times not so much. But the key is that eachcongregation is filled with gifted people who can help to fill the gap that Jesus left. Theministry of our congregation at Arndt's is shaped by the gifts of the people as well as theneeds of the community. We become the church most fully when we discover and use all thegifts that God has sent to each of us......because each of us is a part of the story. We haveall been left behind as messengers of God's grace to share with the world. Blessings,

Pastor Jean

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Arndt's Administrative Items

Interesting Items from Council

From the April Council Meeting: + Work was completed on the two metal doors that were rusting. Thank you to Debbie Sigafoos for

donating the materials and to the workmen from General Supply who donated their time to installthem.

+ Property Committee is looking for volunteers to paint the new doors. See Bruce Sandt.+ The leadership workshop for council members and staff will be held at the next council meeting on

May 13th beginning at 6:00 p.m.+ There was discussion regarding Eagle Scout projects for two scouts from our congregation.

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March, 2015

Total Operating Income $13,155.15Total Operating Expenses Unavailable

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Second Sunday, Second OfferingThe next Second Sunday, Second Offering collection will be received on Sunday, May 10, 2015,

and will benefit Third Street Alliance in Easton.

Altar Flowers/Altar Food Box/Worship Bulletins SponsorshipsYou may sponsor our weekly, traditional altar flower vases or an altar food box for $35. You may purchaseyour own $35 worth of food for the food box and bring it in to place on the altar or you may write a check to thechurch and our volunteers will purchase the food for you. Worship bulletins may be sponsored for $15. Allsponsorships include your personal dedication message. Place completed forms in the offering plate or mailthem to the church office--forms are on the bulletin board in the coatroom area.

Save the Date

The Arndt's Lutheran Church Annual Golf Outing will take place on Friday, August 21, 2015, atWedgewood Golf Course, Coopersburg, PA. For more information contact Jim Bialker at jbialker@yahoo.comor 610-360-4686.

Arndt's Fall Rummage Sale will be held on Saturday, September 19th. Try this technique to simplify yourlife: If you have not used or worn an item for a year, donate it to the rummage sale. Set your items aside for theSeptember 19th sale. Jewelry draws a lot of interest. What other treasures is it time for you to share withsomeone else?

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May Prayer Calendar

You are asked to pray for the member listed on each day of the month. All of the members of our churchfamily will be lifted in prayer many times throughout the year. Members are listed alphabetically. Ifsomeone is missed, please contact the secretary in the church office.

May 01 - Ed and Natalie Nicholas, Joseph and ValerieMay 02 - Carole NoeMay 03 - Yvonne and Mike OsmunMay 04 - Darlene and Carl Pagano, CJ and CeciliaMay 05 - Karen PalmerMay 06- Bob and Donna PellenMay 07 - Bob Pellen, Sr.May 08 - Cindy and Tom Pursel, Katie and ShannonMay 09 - Mackie, Punia and Sahima RasulMay 10 - Joyce ReshMay 11 - Chris and Colleen Rex, Zach and AddisonMay 12 - Melodie and Bill Ritter, Jenna and JoshMay 13 - Larry and Pat RondinelliMay 14 - Dave and Joseph RoseMay 15 - Lori RoweMay 16- Dale, Jean and Robert RuschmanMay 17 - Becky RuschmanMay 18 - Kevin and Tammy Russell, Samantha, Sarah and StephanieMay 19 - Jeffrey and Sandy Ruth, Kylie and LiamMay 20 - Richard, Brita and Jennifer SamMay 21- Bruce and Debbie SandtMay 22 - Adam and Suzanne Sawchak, Benjamin Olivia and QuintinMay 23 - Vicky SchaferMay 24 - Michael and Patti SchallockMay 25 - Myk and Susie SchallockMay 26 - Robert SchallockMay 27 - Stacy and Eric Schumacher, Tre, Aniya and TheiaMay 28 - Jim and Shirley SeifertMay 29 - Adam, Ashley and Evan SelmasskaMay 30 - Carl and Ellen Selmasska, Jill, Julie, Dan and MattMay 31 - Carl and Esther Shafer

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Arndt's Church Activities

Book ClubBook Club will meet on Monday, May 18, 2015, at 7:00 p.m., at the church. We will be discussing "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline. All are welcome.

Children's Sunday SchoolThe last week of Sunday School classes will be Sunday, May 17th.

Adult Sunday SchoolAdult Sunday School meets Sundays at 9:00 a.m. All are welcome.

Confirmation ClassConfirmation class will meet on Saturday, May 16th, 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Open Arms Senior ConnectionOpen Arms meets at the church on Tuesday and Thursday, 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Pick up an Open Arms newsletter in the narthex or ask to be put on our newsletter mailing list and have one delivered to your home.

Arndt's Bible StudyBible Study will meet every Tuesday night in May at 7:00 p.m. at the church.

Arndt's Preschool - May News This has been a fun year and it is coming to an end for the senior class. We will be graduating 12 students this year. Theywill be moving on to Kindergarten in the fall. We will miss them. For the month of May we will be making a mother's daypresent. We will look at which animal lives on a farm and which animal lives in the wild. We will talk about spring and allthe changes it brings us. An end of the school year celebration--having a play day outside--is planned if the weatherpermits.

Arndt’s Preschool teachers, Mrs. Horton, Mrs. Chapman, Mrs. Dougherty and Mrs. Artz

Arndt's VBS-2015 - "The Way to the Manger"

“The Way to the Manger”

Arndt’s Lutheran Church’s Vacation Bible School – 2015June 22-26 9:00 AM – Noon

Ages 3 years by 1/1/15, and upRegistration fee of $12.00 per child, $30 maximum per family

Arndt’s is planning an exciting and educational Vacation Bible School, and you’re invited! This year’s theme is, “The Way to theManger”, and will feature stories, music and crafts relating to the Biblical stories of the very first Christmas. We hope childrenwill learn to appreciate the true meaning of Christmas.

Please join us for a fun week of Bible stories, crafts, songs and fun!Call: 610-253-3732 or pick up registrations at the church

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Worship at Arndt's Sunday, May 3, 2015 – Fifth Sunday of Easter - Holy CommunionThis Sunday's image of how the risen Christ shares his life with us is the image of the vine. Christ thevine and we the branches arealive ineach other, in the mystery of mutual abiding that we read of in the gospel and the first letter of John. Baptism makes us a partof Christ's living and life-giving self and makes us alive with Christ's life. As the vine brings food to the branches, Christ feeds us athis table. We are sent out to bear fruit for the life of the world.

Sunday, May 10, 2015 – Sixth Sunday of Easter - Service of the WordThis Sunday's image of the life the risen Christ shares with us is the image of friendship. We are called to serve others as Jesus cameto serve; but for John's gospel, the image of servanthood is too hierarchical, too distant, to capture the essence of life with Christ. Friendship captures the love, the joy, the deep mutuality of the relationship into which Christ invites us. The Greeks believed that truefriends are willing to die for each other. This is the mutual love of Christian communityi commanded by Christ and enabled by theSpirit.

Sunday, May 17, 2015 – Seventh Sunday of Easter - Holy CommunionThe gospel for Easter's seventh Sunday is always taken from the long prayer Jesus prays for his followers in John's gospel on thenight before his death, and always includes Jesus' desire that his followers will be one as he and the Father are one. This oneness isnot mere doctrinal agreement or institutional unity, but mutual abiding, interpenetrating life, mutual love and joy. This oneness is thework of the Spirit whom we have received but also await. Come, Holy Spirit!

Sunday, May 24, 2015 – Day of Pentecost - Holy CommunionOn the fiftieth day of Easter we celebrate the Spirit, through whom and in whom the people of God are created and re-created.Pentecost is sometimes called the church's birthday, but might more appropriately be called its baptism day, since the gift of the Spiritis the fullness of baptism. Ezekiel's vision shows the Spirit resurrecting and re-creating not just individuals but a whole people.Romans makes it clear that God is in the process of re-creating the entire cosmos; yet the Spirit is also at work in the most intimateand personal way, praying in us "with sighs too deep for words"when we do not know how to pray.

Sunday, May 31, 2015 – The Holy Trinity - Holy CommunionWhen we say God is the triune God, we are saying something about who God is beyond, before and after the universe: that there iscommunity within God. Our experience of this is reflected in Paul's words today. When we pray to Glod as Jesus prayed to his Abba(an everyday, intimate parental address), the Spirit prays within us, creating between us and God the same relationship Jesus has withthe one who sent him.

Continuous Fundraising Opportunities at Arndt's

S.O.A.P. Gift Card Program from Great Lake ScripsKeep your inventory fully stocked with all of your favorite retailers so you have them on hand when you need them forshopping, dining, home improvement, health & beauty, etc. And of course, gift cards are great for gift giving. Anotheroption is for families to have their own ShopWithScrip accounts. Great Lakes Scrip Center’s direct delivery products canhelp your family get a head start on shopping without having to wait for physical gift cards. The direct delivery optionsavailable to you include ScripNow eCards, delivered to your email within minutes, Reload, which adds funds to cards youalready have overnight, and ReloadNow, which allows you to reload your cards in just a few minutes. These products, allavailable on ShopWithScrip.com, are especially convenient for individuals who are frequent users of the Internet. If youare interested in setting up your own account, go to https://www.glscrip.com/index.aspx to enroll now. Enter the codeA7EAF982364L to link your account to Arndt’s so the church will get the profit earned. When you’re finished with theenrollment process, contact our Scrip coordinator, Carole Brown (484-505-0647), so she can activate your account. Scripproducts are a great way to pay for all of your purchases while earning money for the church at the same time!

RADA Cutlery RADA Cutlery products are reasonably priced, well constructed--and made in America! We have many items in stock(please see the poster in the narthex) and there are many other knives and items available in the RADA catalog. This is agreat fundraiser for Arndt's because it is something that everyone can use and it gives the church a return of 40% profit. Contact Joan Kocher at 610-515-0908 or Karen Beverly 610-252-2338 for purchasing information

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Community Service

Safe Harbor Lunch - The next date for the Safe Harbor mac and cheese lunch will be Monday, May 11, 2015.

Safe Harbor Dinner - The next date for the Safe Harbor evening meal is Thursday, May 28, 2015.

Signup sheets are on the bulletin board in the narthex. Thank you to everyone who participates.

Arndt’s AnnouncementsPlease submit any special information you may want to share with the rest of the congregation to the

"Arndt's Announcements” page of The Messenger.

Baptisms

On Saturday, April 18, 2018, we welcomed Elin Reem Courtright, daughter of Kristie Smestad and Benjamin Courtright,through the sacrament of Holy Baptism.

Funerals

Margaret P. Kelly was raised to eternal life on Friday, April 10, 2015. Services were held on Thursday, April 16, 2015.

Thank you to . . . .

The congregation for supporting the Second Sunday, Second Offering to support the Heifer project.

Susie Schallock for coordinating the annual Spaghetti Dinner and to everyone who helped in any way.

Thank you from . . . .

Shirley Wilson. Thank you for all the cards, prayers and expressions of sympathy following my mother's death.

Joan Kocher. Thank you so much for the cards, visits and prayers over the past several years when my mother washomebound and more recently, the expressions of sympathy and kindness following her death.

Janet Exley. Thank you for the prayers, cards, and visits from Pastor Jean. They were greatly appreciated.

ProJeCt of Easton, Inc.'s Board of Directors, staff and all the people who benefit from our programs. Thank youfor your donation of various food items to the Interfaith Food Pantry. It is only through the generous support of ourcommunity that we are able to offer the services we provide to the public through the Interfaith Food Pantry and theASSIST program at no cost. Your support makes a difference to those in need.

Janice D. Komisor, Executive Director

Events in Our CommunitySaturday, May 16, 2015, Bike for World Hunger at the Bob Rodale Fitness and Cycling Park, Mosser Road,Breinigsville, 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Registration begins at 8:30 am, at the Picnic Pavilion. Parking is provided on site. Theevent begins at 9:00 am with a prayer by Bishop Zeiser. Every participant MUST have an individual registration andsigned release to participate. Participants under 18 must have a parent or guardian signature. Bike for World Hunger is anannual event sponsored by the Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod to raise money for the ELCA World Hunger Appeal. Toparticipate, you can ride a bike, walk, run or rollerblade. Participants secure sponsors to raise money for the ELCA WorldHunger Appeal. The Bob Rodale Fitness and Cycling Park is a 71-acre tract of land with a 1.3 mile long, 24-foot wideasphalt track with a 0,6 mile inner flat loop and a .75 mile innter hill loop for bicyling, rollerblading and jogging. Thepark requires helmets for bikers and rollerbladers. For more information, check with the church office or log onto http://nepsynod.org/event/bike-for-world-hunger.

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