The Messenger

The Newsletter of Christ Lutheran ChurchWoodcliff Lake, New Jersey

The Church: Proudly Proclaiming Christ since A.D. 33

February 2014

Published byChrist Lutheran Church RETURN32 Pascack Road SERVICEWoodcliff Lake, NJ 07677 REQUESTED

Dated Material – Please Deliver Promptly

Ministers: the people of God at Christ Lutheran ChurchDirector of Music: Argine Safari

Director of Youth Choirs: David ScanceMusician: Fred Messner

Administrative Assistant: Doris Crousewww.clc4u.com – 201-391-4224 – clc4u2@verizon.net

DEADLINE FOR THE MARCH 2014 MESSENGER IS FEBRUARY 10TH.

Nonprofit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDParamus, NJ

Permit No. 596

Dear Folks at Christ Lutheran,Although I have been serving as your Vice Pastor since November of this past year, allow me to more formally introduce myself to you. I am Pastor Wesley Smith, and it is my privilege to serve you during your pastoral vacancy. I had the

opportunity to serve you once before in the capacity as Vice Pastor and I am pleased to be with you again.

One of my primary responsibilities is visiting members of Christ Lutheran who are in the hospital or in assisted living. Doris is always prompt and reliable in the church office to contact me whenever she learns of a member in the hospital, so if there is someone you wish me to visit, please let Doris know and I will follow through.

I trust that your New Year has started well and that it will continue to go well all year long. I pray that God will grant Christ Lutheran and all its members His considerable and abundant blessings. I will leave you with a thought for how you go through the year to come. When I was a young person growing up in church, our music director loved to sing (almost every Sunday it seemed) a song called “Take the Name of Jesus With You.” My suggestion for the year ahead at Christ Lutheran as you pray for God’s will in your church and in your lives is that you take that song seriously and take the name of Jesus, and his message of salvation to all people, with you everywhere you go. – Faithfully yours.

Council President Announces Our 55th Annual Meeting

Christ Lutheran Church began at an organizational meeting at the Woodcliff Lake School on May 7, 1959. The first Congregational Meeting of our church was held at a Congregational Dinner at the Horn & Hardart Co. restaurant at the Garden State Plaza in Paramus, NJ on

June 5, 1959. Our first President, Mr. Ed Flotten, chaired the meeting.Our 55th Annual Meeting will be held on Sunday, February 9, 2014, immediately following the 10:30 AM worship service. The 9:00 AM worship service and Sunday school will follow their normal schedules. All members are encouraged to attend this important business meeting of our church. Child care will be provided.

Yours in Christ, Don Rudie

The Care CommitteeOur Advent emphasis is now over and our treasurer, Florence Leonard, has submitted the final figures. The Love Tree raised $425.00 and the Blanket Fund $92.00. The Committee, as well as those who will be receiving the benefit of these funds, extends a sincere thank you to all who contributed.

The ground hog has already given us his prediction. Will it be a continuation of winter? Or are we looking forward to spring and all that it promises, including a glorious April 20 and the arrival of Easter Sunday.

You have been reminded repeatedly of families struggling in this economy. It has been 5 years. Conditions have not changed for many families. There are still families where the head of the household is still looking for work and a weekly salary to provide for the family’s needs.

Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, March 5th. This year at Christ Lutheran our Lenten Hunger Appeal will run for 6 weeks during Lent beginning March 9th

through and including April 13th, Palm Sunday. As we do each year we ask for your food donations to be dropped in the narthex for delivery and distribution by The Center For Food Action to needy families in the area. Supermarket gift cards and checks are always appreciated to purchase food items for special dietary needs, as well as regular food items. Watch the Sunday bulletins for a list of suggested food items. Your checks may be made payable to the Care Committee designated for the Lenten Hunger Appeal.

Our Bake and Bagel sales will be held each Sunday in Lent. Join us at that time for fellowship and the delicious refreshments.

The ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) continues its battle to fight hunger here and around the world. As part of our Lenten Hunger Appeal we will be raising funds to help the ELCA continue this battle. Please make your checks payable to the Care Committee designated for ELCA World Hunger Appeal.

There you have it -- a lot of choices. Make the most of them and help make our Lenten Hunger Appeal meaningful. It’s our opportunity to help those less fortunate than we are.

Mae Hulburt

The Good News of Worship Sharing of the Peace

The operative word here is PEACE. The good news is that this is a wonderful time to quietly greet your fellow worshipers by saying "peace" or "peace be with you". However, the Worship Committee has received several comments about the "meet and greet" atmosphere of this part of our service, saying it breaks the mood of quiet and prayerful worship. Socialization is best done after the service during coffee time. Speaking of which . . .

. . . Coffees The Worship Committee is hosting coffee the first Sunday of each month. We invite other groups or individuals to sign up for a Sunday or Sundays. All supplies are provided. Just bring a simple "nosh" (Entemann's or Dunkin Donuts are fine) and plug in the coffee pot. Many of us enjoy talking with our friends after church—a cup of coffee makes it even better.

A signup sheet is on the coffee table. Won't you consider doing a Sunday?

Looking AheadThis year we will have a Pastor for Ash Wednesday and the services of Holy Week, but for the other Wednesday evenings in Lent the Worship Committee would like to try something new for these days. We will have a simple soup and bread meal followed by Bible study. To do this, we need help making soup, leading the Bible study, setup, cleanup and publicity.

If you can help with any of these tasks, please let Doris know as soon as possible, so the Committee will know if this is feasible. Other area churches have had this format for some time with good participation.

Dot Dohrmann,Worship Chair

Christ Lutheran Church WomenHere we are in the midst of winter, dreaming of a warm spring to come . . . and for some of us, those thoughts make us think about the Trash & Treasure & Clothing sale for this year! If you're looking for something to do, how about cleaning out your closets and/or basement and putting things away for the sale? Here are the important dates for you to know:

Trash & Treasure Sale date: Saturday, May 3rd from 8:00 am until 4:00 pmClothing collection begins: Monday, April 7th

T&T household items collection begins: Monday, April 21st Please do not bring anything that isn't clothing until that day. We want the

Opsal wing to look nice for Easter.More details about work days and meals will come in later Messengers.

Thanks!Carla Hoenigmann

Navajo UpdateThanks to you four boxes were sent to the Navajo Lutheran Mission in Arizona. They were filled with 164 winter hats, scarves, mittens, gloves and beautiful baby items. A very special thank you to the Knit 1 Purl 2 group and their friends who crocheted or knitted many of the items.

In order to teach the students about the importance of giving and what Christmas is truly about they have them assemble food items, blankets, hats, scarves, gloves and other necessities for delivery. The students then help to deliver the packages which gives them the opportunity to see the full impact of giving. Then the fun begins—a party! Santa arrives and each child receives a gift.

Your generosity makes all this possible. Thank you for providing many smiles.May the Lord bless each and every one of you in this New Year.

JoAnn Sallo, forChrist Women

“Koinonia” – An Ancient Greek Word Meaning “Fellowship”

“Koinonia” Weekend at Camp

We have once again put the Koinonia Congregational retreat on the schedule for 2014. We have secured rooms in the Conference Center for the weekend of March 21 to 23. The Camp is doing very well under the leadership of new directors who have come to Koinonia with skills, energy and a fresh vision of what Koinonia can offer. The Conference Center looks great and the food has never been better. Are you ready to join us? A $50.00 deposit will secure you a room for the weekend. Please make the check payable to Koinonia. We need to have a good understanding of how many rooms to book, so please see Tom Kearns, Craig Post or Crystal Ramhorst soon. We’ll try to answer any questions you may have. Thanks and hope you will join us for a great weekend. For more information go to http://www.koinoniany.org/about.htm on the web.

Tom, Craig and Crystal

“Koinonia” Night at Christ Lutheran

Do you remember Saturday nights at Koinonia? The food, the puzzle table, the games, the kids playing with Brio trains and Legos, and of course singing along with David Scance on guitar. If you do (or even if you don't) remember you have the opportunity this year to experience it twice. Yes, twice! First, Christ Lutheran will be having a "Koinonia Night in Opsal" on Saturday, March 8 from 7:00 to 10:00 pm. Bring some snacks, games for the kids, come with your slippers, and your singing voice—good or bad. A great time to reconnect and also meet some new friends. Then on March 22 you can do it all again but really at Camp Koinonia this time as our congregation has their annual Koinonia weekend March 21-23. See details in

article on this page above. For any questions please contact Christine Badame, Doris Crouse, David Scance or Crystal Ramhorst.

Ricci Committee Report for 2013 ProceedsVote will be at February Annual Meeting

Good News! Thanks to Dominick Ricci and his generosity, Christ Lutheran Church received $64,734.18 from the Ricci Foundation’s annual distribution. Per the charter of the committee, 10% of this amount ($6,473.42) has already been allocated to mortgage repayment. In addition, monies from closed projects from 2009, 2010 and 2011 (in the amount of $16,998.45) were returned to be reallocated. So $75,259.21 is waiting to be distributed/voted on at the Annual Meeting on February 9th. Please remember that you must be at the meeting to cast a vote.

Please take a few minutes to read about the 20 projects being recommended for the vote. Each one has a short summary, explaining it. If you have any questions, feel free to ask Bill Hoenigmann or anyone else on the Ricci Committee. They are Christine Badame, Heather Henry, Carla Hoenigmann, Tom Kearns, Barbara Meyer, Joanne Miano, Don Rudie, and Mary Zeigler.

At their December meeting Council approved the following recommendations. The Congregation will vote to approve the following projects at the Annual Meeting on February 9th: The Joan D'Alessandro Foundation (for child safety and protection). $1,500.00 A contribution towards the purchase of a vehicle for Partners in Holistic Development in Malawi, East Africa where Debbie Kruegle will be this summer. The vehicle will be used for transporting a team who teach leadership, do community development and bible translation. $2,000.00 A plaque to recognize the service of Pastor Peter Naschke at CLC $400.00 Christmas at Sea. To assemble Christmas gifts for 25 seafarers through ELCA supported Seafarer's International House $1,050.00 Grocery bags for low income senior citizens in Southern NJ through NJ Lutheran Social Ministries $1,500.00 Easter baskets (2014) for children through Lutheran Social Ministries of NJ $600.00 Furnace replacement. Additional contribution toward the replacement of the original furnaces (A boiler room replacement fund of $10,000 was approved in 2012). $20,000.00

Narthex doors. Final contribution toward the replacement of the (outer) Narthex doors. Existing doors are in very bad condition with significant heat loss in winter. New fiberglass doors will also meet current safety codes. $10,000.00 ELCA World Hunger Appeal through NJ Synod. To help feed 96.3 million hungry people worldwide ($4000 was approved in '09 and '12) $4,000.00 Benevolences to fight local hunger: The Center for Food Action (NJ) $1500.00 The Community Food Bank of NJ $1000.00 For a total of $2,500. $2,500.00 Narthex renovation - final payment toward the project, partially funded in 2012. $4,225.00 Music, musicians, singers and sheet music for special services in 2014 and 2015. $3,500.00 Sunday School Plays - Purchase scripts and costumes to give children an opportunity to act out bible stories & lessons $200.00 Matching funds for a Sunday School service project at Ramapo Animal Shelter. Raise awareness (and supplies) for homeless animals in Bergen County. $200.00 Jericho Road dinner. Pay for food for dinner. This project will give children/teens/adults an opportunity to prepare food and eat/talk with residents in transition about their testimonies of how Jesus helped them. $300.00 Additional repayment of mortgage debt beyond the initial 10% distribution. $15,000.00 Refurbishment of communion trays. After 30 years the communion trays are showing some wear and are in need of refurbishment. $1,200.00 A budget to fund Evangelism programs in 2014 including ads in local papers. $2,500.00 Replace exterior door to furnace room, which is rusty and not acceptably secure. $1,000.00 Addition to Emergency Fund which is currently too low. $3,584.21

Bill Hoenigmann

Ricci Committee Chair

You Only Need 5 to 15 Minutes!(And you don’t even have to get out of your pajamas to do it!) Do you have 5 or 10 minutes a week to spare? That is all we need! The Evangelism Committee is looking for volunteers to write letters to people who have recently moved into our area. We would like to send hand written letters telling them about your experience along with a picture of our congregation, and personally invite them to our church. Or, if you don’t want to write about your own experience, we would provide you with a generic letter that you could copy, in your own hand writing. You would need to write the same letter 5-10x month. We need a lot of volunteers, so if you can manage this please, please help! If interested, please sign up in the Narthex or contact Linda Osolin, Crystal Ramhorst or Coryn Thalmann.

Linda Osolin’s email: poolrat63@verizon.net cell phone 201 446 3586Evangelism Committee Needs Your Help for Something Else!!! (This time it would be better if you were dressed)We would like to take a picture of our congregation that we could send along with our hand written invitations to the people who have recently moved into our area. We need as many people and generations as we can possibly get. We hope to take this picture twice. The first time would be inside the church at 10:25 am (right before the 10:30 service) on February 2. The second picture would be taken outside in front of our sign (weather permitting) on Palm Sunday, April 13th. If you are willing, please dress casually and bring your friendliest smile and arrive at the church at 10:15 am on February 2. (There is also a possibility this picture will go in Community Life.)Evangelism Committee Needs Your Help for One More Thing!(I know, we’re really pushing our limits!)Do you have any patterns or ideas for handmade Christmas ornaments that you could share with us? We would like to give away more handmade ornaments next Advent when we go Train Station Caroling (which in case you didn’t hear was a great success and a ton of fun!) While the kids did a GREAT job making ornaments at the Advent Dinner, we thought it might be a good idea for some adults to get started on slightly more intricate ones that we could start making now. After all,

Christmas is only about 320 days away. - Linda Osolin, Chair of Evangelism Committee

Sign Up Now!!!! Yes, NOW! Christ Lutheran Church Youth!

Winter Youth Assembly for High School agesHarvey Cedars, NJ—February 7-9, 2014

It's not too late . . . but the deadline is approaching fast!!! If you haven't signed up and want to go to Harvey Cedars for the weekend, contact Mrs. Dolce now!!! She is going and will coordinate the registration. We are also looking for a male chaperone. The cost for the chaperones is paid in full by the Ricci grant we received and $50 for each kid is also paid for them.When: Friday, February 7th – Sunday, February 9th. We will meet at church at

approximately 3:30 pm on Friday.Where: Harvey Cedars Conference Center, NJWho: 9th grade and upCost: Total cost per kid is $105, and we will pay $50 towards that, making your cost only $55.00RSVP deadline to Mrs. Dolce is NOW (anninadolce@aol.com or call 201-750-1877).

Please pick up the registration form and Covenant from Mrs. Dolce and/or the church office and fill it out, including your t-shirt size and return to Mrs. Dolce by yesterday . . . you get the idea . . . ASAP. She will complete the on line registration for the group.

Carla HoenigmannYouth Committee

From the Church Library—We all make resolutions in the New Year, and by this time have broken them. Maybe we need a little inspiration to keep us focused. This month in the library there is a display of daily devotional books aimed at a variety of people: teens, teachers, women, businessmen and families. A couple of minutes a day reading from one of these books may be just the nudge we need to get back on track. Dot Dohrmann, LibrarianWhat Would Jesus Say?—God loveth a cheerful giver. Just a quick update: To date we have 57 pledges totaling $155,272. That number is 7 members short of last year’s pledging with $12,900 less money. A look at the budget for 2014: the total expenses are $224,800. As you can see we are way behind our goal.

A special thank you to all who pledged, and an invitation to all those who haven't pledged yet, to prayerfully think about it. It is never too late. We are counting on you!!!!!!

Mary Zeigler, forThe Stewardship Committee

We Get Letters—Lutheran Social Ministries of NJ sent their thanks for the four dozen grocery bags and four dozen hygiene kits which were all filled to help serve families, children, seniors, developmentally disabled individuals, the homeless, and those in need of long-term care. (Worship and Missions Committee thanks the Care Committee and Christ Women for enabling this project with their financial contributions.)

The 25 member crew of the merchant vessel, M/V Oberon sent their thanks for the 25 Christmas-at-Sea satchels we sent filled with new warm clothing, a chocolate treat and a Christmas card from Christ Lutheran. These gifts help keep them warm as they sail in the North Atlantic. Worship and Missions Committee is grateful to the Ricci Fund for supporting this project. Seafarers & International House writes: “Your beautiful gift satchels were received by the seafarers with great joy. Peace!” –Chris