CLARION Christ Memorial Lutheran Church

Inside this issue

Children Connections ...... 2

Adult Connections ............ 3

Library ............................... 4

Reliant ..................................6

Life Team……………………….7

Unified Worship……………..8

Reformation Walk…………..8

Mark your calendars

10/1 Life Chain

10/7 Loved+Sent Servant Event

10/8 Unified Worship and Church BBQ

10/19 Book Club

10/21 Men’s Club Barbeque

10/29 Reformation Walk

11/17 Monarch Jewelry Boutique

Sign Up Now for the Loved+Sent Servant Event! Join us on Saturday, October 7 for the fourth annual Loved+Sent Servant Event. Sites are filling up quickly—so sign up now to get your ideal site. LSSE is a one-day mini mission trip when we serve our neighbors all over St. Louis. Invite your family, friends, coworkers, and the kids in your family. This is an ideal opportunity to teach kids what Christian care and service look like. You can choose from more than 30 sites ranging from all-day, to morning or afternoon only. Some sites include labor but many are family friendly. In honor of the five hundredth Reformation anniversary, we want to get 500 volunteers onboard. That means we need everyone, including you! Registration closes on October 6. To see the list of mission sites and register to serve, go to lsse.cmstl.org.

October 2017

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clarion

Christ Memorial Lutheran Church 5252 S. Lindbergh Blvd. Saint Louis, MO 63126 (314) 631-0304

The Clarion is published ten times a year for members, family, and friends of Christ Memorial Lutheran Church.

All copy (in Microsoft Word) is due the second Tuesday of each month. Please attach to an email or deliver an electronic copy to the church office.

Email to:

clarion@cmstl.org

Next deadline: Oct. 10

Susan Senechal, Editor

»connections: sunday school debut

The halls of Christ Memorial were filled with a measureable level of excitement and activity on September 10th with the debut of the new service times and a 10:00 time slot dedicated to Christian Education and Discipleship. Many thanks to the volunteers, teachers, parents and children who participated in the launch of our new times and re-imagined programs. Over 90 children filled the Sunday School rooms with double our teachers/helpers from last year! We were busy making extra copies and finding extra chairs.

This semester, all Sunday School offerings will be donated to Hurricane Relief efforts in both Texas and Florida. We are glad to help our children learn how to give freely and support others in times of need.

If you or your child have not yet registered or been able to participate, there are seats waiting for you and we would love to see you with us in October as children ages 0 -12 and their parent’s track through the book of Genesis.

Our October Schedule:

October 1 Noah and the Flood

October 8 No Sunday School-Unified Service

October 15 God’s Covenant with Abram

October 22 Abraham and Isaac

October 29 Reformation Walk 9:00 – 11:00 (see page 3)

reformation walk

Christ Memorial’s first ever “Reformation Walk” will be Sunday morning, October 29. See the story on page 8.

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»sunday morning connections begin

Exciting changes finally arrived on September 10th with the debut of the new service times and a dedicated time at 10:00am to Christian Education and Discipleship. We are grateful that in our first week of the new schedule over 200 adults were able to “connect” across all of our classes meeting at both 9am and 10am. A big “THANK YOU” to the teachers, both seasoned veterans and first time leaders, who make it possible to offer nine Adult Connections classes each Sunday morning. If you have not yet been able to participate, there is space for you and we would love to see you with us! You can see a full catalog of the Adult Connections offered at both 9am and 10am in our weekly bulletin or on our website at www.cmstl.org/connect/sunday-morning-education. October Schedule:

»wednesdays are active for cm youth There is a lot of activity happening with our youth on Wednesday nights. Junior High Dinner for 5-8 Grade youth and families at 5:30 pm on Wednesday, September 27. The Fall Confirmation Module begins at 6:30 pm on Wednesday, September 27. Also each week 5/6th Grade Midweek meets at 6:30 PM. and Senior High Spolu meets each week at 7 PM.

October 1 Connections 9am & 10am

October 8 No Sunday School-Unified Service

October 15 Connections 9am & 10am

October 22 Connections 9am & 10am

October 29 10am Reformation Presentation By Prof. Ben Haupt in Worship Center

Childcare center falls into action

Our preschoolers will be talking about fall and fire safety throughout the month of October. We will have a visit from the Mehlville fire department.

Christ Memorial Child Care Center will be hosting our Annual Fall Festival for our families on October 26 from 5pm-6:30pm. This is a fun filled evening with games and activities for the children and families.

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»recent library additions

NonFiction

Grace Upon Grace: Spirituality for Today by John Kleinig- The author clarifies that there is no process for becoming spiritual. Instead, God graciously gives to us every spiritual gift that we need, beginning with the very gift of faith in Christ, our Savior. Because God has joined us to Christ, He continually comes to give us life.

Living a Chocolate Life: Savoring God’s Sweet Grace by Deb Burma- Living a Chocolate Life invites women to savor God s rich and endless supply of grace in Christ.

Luther the Reformer: The Story of the Man and His Career by James M. Kittelson- Engaging and described as being very readable.

Nurturing the Leader with Your Child: What Every Parent Needs to Know by Tim Elmore- This work helps parents see the potential in their children and aids them in the development of this potential.

Reading Romans with Luther by R. J. Grunewald- Luther’s commentary on Romans was formulated 500 years ago but his writings are relevant for today’s readers. Luther shows us again and again that grace is a gift from God not something we need to earn.

Children’s Books

Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What do you See? by Bill Martin- Young children will enjoy Baby Bear’s quest to find Mama.

Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert- Celebrate God’s bounty with this bold, colorful picture book about vegetable gardening for the very young. A recipe for vegetable soup tops it all off.

3 d’s book club

Join us in the Family Room at church on the third Thursday of the month for a short devotion, a lively discussion about both Christian and secular books, and a homemade dessert. Please call Robbin Oehler at (314)843-7865 to join. NO COST to participants. Books are checked out to the leader from St. Louis County Library.

October 19 @ 6:30 Discuss Bitter Brew: the Rise and Fall of Anheuser-Busch and American’s King of Beer by William Knoedelseder- The name Budweiser has been burned into the American consciousness as the "king of beers." A jewel of the American Industrial Revolution, in the hands of its founders--the sometimes reckless and always boisterous Busch family of St. Louis, it grew into one of the most fearsome marketing machines in modern times. Bitter Brew paints a fascinating portrait of immense wealth and power accompanied by a barrelful of scandal, heartbreak, tragedy, and untimely death. This vivid narrative captures the Busch saga through five generations. Dessert will be Black Forest Cake to honor the German heritage of St. Louis and the Busch family.

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»in the library (continued from page 4) Llama Llama Gram and Grandpa by Anna Dewdney- It’s an exciting day for Llama Llama; he’s going to visit Gram and Grandpa Llama and spend the night! This is the story of his first overnight stay. Everything went well until he realized he forgot something important, his Fuzzy Llama!

Rainbow Fish to the Rescue! by Marcus Pfister- Rainbow Fish is torn between his newfound friends and a lonely striped fish who is not allowed to join the play group because he lacks a shiny scale. Will Rainbow Fish do the right thing?

»book review House of Living Stones by Katie Schuermann This is the first book in the ‘Anthems of Zion’ trilogy. Schuermann has penned a funny but poignant story set in the small Illinois town of Bradbury. The main characters are the staff, minister and congregation of Zion Lutheran Church. What was so refreshing about Katie Schuermann’s first book in this series is it is true to life with a cornucopia of characters ranging from the cantankerous church secretary, to the dour organist, to the town’s social prima donna. If you have ever lived in a small town or been a member of a small church you will have already meet people with these personality types.

CM Library has available two copies of each of the three titles in the series; House of Living Stones, The Choir Immortal and The Harvest Raise.

Katie Schuermann writing reflects her Midwestern roots and her interest in music. According to CPH’s website she has graduate degrees in music, taught music history and literature at various colleges, sang in various concert halls, theaters, and churches across the Midwest.

»boy scouts say thanks THANK YOU from Boy Scout Troop 584 Philmont Crew 713-D Your generous support helped us get to Philmont for a great adventure! While on trek, the Crew spent time in devotion and prayer and earned Philmont’s Duty to God Award. We truly appreciate your support!!

time for fun, fellowship, and barbeque

One last chance this season for Men’s Club Barbecue.

Mark your calendars for Saturday, October 21 to enjoy some great barbeque sponsored by Christ Memorial Lutheran Church’s Men’s Club. The barbeque lasts from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and is held in the church café. Either dinner or sandwich plates are available, of Pulled Pork, Pork Steaks, Bratwurst, Chicken, Pork Ribs, or Hot Dogs with sides including Baked Beans, Cole Slaw, and Potato Salad.

Proceeds for October benefit the Men’s Club

Thanks for your continued support.

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»reliant goes to college

Reliant Church has a new ministry this fall! My name is Travis Besel (pronounced “Basil”…like the herb) and I am blessed to come on board at Christ Memorial and Reliant to serve as Campus and Urban Missionary. Although I am originally from the Denver area, I have been living in St. Louis for the last 5 years and was teaching at Word of Life Lutheran School. However, this last spring, Pastor Jeff and Pastor Bobby caught wind that I was stepping away from teaching and wanting to do something new in ministry. So they decided that this fall Reliant could use me in a more intentional effort to do ministry on SLU’s campus.

The goal for Reliant College Ministry is simply this: bring Jesus to students. College is a tough time for a lot of students when it comes to their faith. There are questions and doubts to wrestle with, not to mention the increasing influences of a secular society and campus culture. So to help students through this formative time in their lives, we are going to them to meet them where they are right now. We are going onto campus to spend time with them, build friendships with them, and cultivate community among Christians and non-Christians alike in order to share the love of Christ! If you would like to hear more about Reliant College Ministry, our goals, or what we are doing right now feel free to contact me, I would love to talk about it with you!

In Christ, Travis Besel Travis.besel@cmstl.org

»thrivent shreds and recycles

Thank you to all that participated in the electronics and shredding day event on August 19th. We had more participants than other years. We collected a full truck load of electronics. And we tripled the amount of shredding from previous years. We count that as a success for keeping these things out of the landfills and protecting your privacy.

6000+ Pounds of shredded paper

11,615 Electronics

27 Thrivent certificates to the BBQ

187 participants

attendance report

august 2017 Week One 696

Week Two 706

Week Three 750

Week Four 793

Average per Week 736

august 2016

Week One 723

Week Two 695

Week Three 695

Week Four 677

Average per Week 698

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»life team events continue

On Sunday September 10th, the Life Team visited the residents of Lemay Care Center. We will be returning on Saturday, October 7 with the Serve St Louis initiative. We would love for you to join us. You are also invited to join the Life Chain on Sunday October 1. The Life Chain is a silent, prayerful demonstration. This is a time when people all over the nation spend an hour praying to end abortion. Many churches in our area participate in this silent protest. We will be meeting on Lindbergh in front of Outback Steakhouse at 1:45pm with the chain starting at 2:00pm and ending at 3:00pm. Signs will be provided. The Life Team is proud to announce, just in time for Christmas, Monarch Jewelry Christmas Boutique! This event will be on Friday November 17th from 5:30pm - 8:00pm. Monarch Jewelry is a ministry that brings awareness and help to women caught in sex trafficking. There is a safe house in St. Louis and all proceeds from the sale of the jewelry stay here in St Louis for this safe house. Monarch Jewelry is part of Crisis International. There will also be a speaker from Crisis International.To show support for this ministry, all you have to do is just come and shop. Monarch Jewelry uses old jewelry and repurposes it by making new and very unique jewelry. In advance of this party we will be holding a jewelry drive on the weekends of October 28th and November 4th. If you have any old jewelry or broken jewelry you don’t want anymore, consider donating during the jewelry drive. Then, come see how it is transformed. For further information about Monarch jewelry you can check out their website atmonarchjewelry.org

»cmp thank you!

Thank you to the cast and crew of CMP’s Meet Me in St. Louis for their creativity, hard work and dedication to the production. Meet Me in St. Louis was very well received by the St. Louis community and by the members of Christ Memorial. Many thanks to the staff and members of Christ Memorial for your support of this ministry. Through your support, kind words, welcoming nature, attendance and by inviting others to attend you become a part of this ministry as you build relationships with the people you invite and also enable development of relationships with members of the cast and crew in a safe, loving and supportive environment. Thank you!

stewardship update

Current Fiscal Year July 1, 2017 through August 31, 2017 spending YTD Actual Spending

$238,205

Actual Giving

$211,144

Budget Giving

$222,566 giving YTD 2016-2017 $206,896 2017-2018 $211,144

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Connect with Your Youth Ministry

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Hashtag - #cmstly

»Unified Worship and BBQ Picnic October 8th

On October 8th, we will worship with one unified service at 9:30AM at our Lindbergh campus. All five services, and two campuses, will meet at ONE time and ONE place. Mark your calendar, or you’ll be showing up to worship at the wrong time. This follows our annual Loved+Sent Servant Event on October 7th.

This year's unified worship will be followed by a BBQ picnic. Immediately after the service, stay for BBQ from our Men's Club along with children's activities and giveaway prizes.

»what is a reformation walk On October 29th, we celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. In order to help our children and families learn more about Martin Luther and the story of the church, we are hosting a Reformation Walk experience in the classrooms from 9:00 – 11:00 that Sunday! The drama of the Reformation comes to life with our Reformation Walk! During the walk, participants of all ages move through stations learning about the Reformation, receiving a sticker as they visit each location on their "map." At the Reformation Walk, participants will travel to stations like these . . .

Learn about Luther's Ninety-Five Theses

Take a crash course in German from Ursula Cotta

See John Tetzel sell indulgences

Create and learn about the meaning behind Luther's seal

Sing hymns of praise with the music cantor

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