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May Shalom 2008
University Lutheran Church and Student CenterMay 2008
914 Elm Ave., Norman, OK 73072
Centerpoint: Victory!
Jesus said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the
earth.” —Acts 1:8.
At the recent Synod Assembly in Tulsa (April 17-19), there was a lot of discussion about what it means to be a “missional” church. That is, a church that is committed to carrying out the mission that Jesus gave his disciples just prior to his Ascension. In my sermon on the Sunday after the Assembly, (April 20, see www.ulcsc.org/sermons) I spoke about the difference between being a “missional” church and a “consumer” church. That is, one that provides religious goods and services to those who
come to receive them.
I am convinced that the future of the Lutheran Church in general and of University Lutheran in particular lies in the direction of the missional model rather than the consumer model of church life. But, what will such a church look like? Here are just a few characteristics:
A missional church is rooted in prayer and God’s Word. We cannot carry out Christ’s mission in the world unless we have a deep and abiding relationship with the God who has claimed us and
called us. Everything we do as a church should be surrounded with prayer and
informed by our study of the scriptures.
A missional church nurtures discipleship rather than membership. Being a part of a church community means nothing less than being a follower of Jesus Christ. This means more than just belonging to an organization. It means being part of a movement. As disciples, we commit ourselves to growing in faith, love and devotion, always seeking to model our lives after our Lord’s.
A missional church is community oriented. The church takes seriously its context for ministry. In our case, the context is both the University of Oklahoma campus and the growing city of Norman. A Missional Church does not focus solely on meeting the needs of its members. Instead, it trains, nurtures and supports disciples who are sent out to meet the needs of the community.
A missional church believes God is already at work in the world and in people’s lives. We go out in mission looking for ways to partner with God in God’s work. As we go out, we expect to meet God in the people we encounter. As we go out, we learn about ourselves and grow in faith even as we share the hope that is in us.
www.ulcsc.org ulc@ulcsc.org
A missional church is engaged in needs-based evangelism. The goal of this kind of evangelism is not to get new people in the pews to help us keep the doors open. This kind of evangelism is different than marketing, or advertising or recruiting. It is about taking the Good News of Jesus onto the campus, and into the streets of Norman. It is about embodying the love of Jesus Christ in word and in deed in and through many of the things we are already doing, so that others can see that love at work in their own lives. As they do, we invite them to join us in living out that love as disciples.
This vision of what the church could be excites me! I hope that we can talk and pray together about how we can become more missional in our approach to ministry. In the months ahead, we’ll be talking about how to give this vision concrete shape. One thing’s for sure – it will take more than the pastor, or DCE, or council or committees to make this a reality. It will take every one of us who claims to be a disciple of Jesus Christ to hear the call of the Spirit and to truly be Christ’s witnesses, to Norman, and Oklahoma and to the ends of the earth.
Peace,
Pastor Mike
To read your bible in a year, means reading approximately three chapters a day. Here is the schedule for May:
Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
Sunday Amos 1-3 Isaiah 1-3 Isaiah 20-22 Nahum
Monday Amos 4-6 Isaiah 4-6 Isaiah 23-25 Habakkuk
Tuesday Amos 7-9 Isaiah 7-9 Isaiah 26-29 Zephaniah
Wednesday Micah 1-4 Isaiah 10-12 Isaiah 30-32 Jeremiah 1-3
Thursday Micah 5-7 Isaiah 13-16 Isaiah 33-35 Jeremiah 4-6
Friday Obadiah Isaiah 17-19 Isaiah 36-39 Jeremiah 7-9
Saturday Acts 2:1-211 Genesis 1:1-2:4a Isaiah 49:8-16a Deuteronomy 11:18-21, 26-28 Corinthians 12:3b-13 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 Romans 1:16-17; 3:22b-31 John 7:37-39 Matthew 28:16-20 Matthew 6:24-34 Matthew 7:21-29
On Sunday, May 18 Hannah Lobban, Ian Roberts, Katie Bienhoff and Yahn Olson will affirm their baptism. This is an important step in their lives of faith! As they affirm their baptism, we can renew our commitment to the life of faith. In the service they are asked make the following promise:
“You have made public profession of our faith. Do you intend to continue in the covenant God made with you in Holy Baptism: to live among God’s faithful people, to hear his Word and share in his supper, to proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed, to serve all people, following the example of our Lord Jesus, and to strive for justice and peace in all the
earth?”
Please pray for our confirmands as they wrap up their studies, and then join them in celebrating this milestone! There will be a reception as part of the Sunday Morning breakfast on that day. Congratulations and God’s blessings to Hannah, Ian, Katie and Yahn!
Patience (Galatians 5:22-23) How many people know what a “labor of love” is? I have two concepts when I consider that phrase; working with diligence on something difficult and working on something with great care. What is God’s labor of love?
A psalmist asks God, “what are mortals that you are mindful of us?” Certainly we seem insignificant when compared alongside God. We fall short when we compare ourselves to Christ. We even fail to measure up when we compare ourselves to the “heroes” of the bible; Paul, Mary, Moses, Abraham, etc. Thankfully, we aren’t expected to measure up. God works with great patience to change the world through us. Through all of our stubbornness, anger, resentment and pride, God goes about the diligent, patient work of using us and drawing us closer to him, all the while showing us his love and great care. What is God’s labor of love? We are! And thank God that he has the patience to deal with us. Likewise, thank God the he can inspire us to have a little more patience, work with a little more diligence, show a little more care with our brothers and sisters.
Chris Lee
Pastor Michael K. Girlinghouse Cell phone 405/313-7268
Director of Christian Education
Chris Lee
Director of Music
Sammie Olkinetzky
Organist
Cindy Pullin
Secretary
Marti Hunnicutt
Accountant
Debbie Downey
Alem Gidey
Bob Metz
May 22
shalom@ulcsc.org
In Africa south of the Sahara Desert today, one in three people suffers from hunger. The AIDS epidemic makes hunger much worse. More than 25 million Africans have been infected with HIV and AIDS is killing 6,500 Africans every day leaving many orphans in its wake. Sounds hopeless, doesn’t it? Bread for the World doesn’t think so. They have been working for over 50 years to win poverty-focused development assistance around the world and at home from our tax dollars. They do this by lobbying our senators and representatives.
We will be writing letters to our congressmen on Sunday, May 18, between services. A table will be set up with the necessary paper, envelopes, stamps, and sample letters for your use. We will have a DVD playing that tells the story of a young woman from Zambia.
“If you want to get the Congresswoman’s ear, write her a letter. If you really want to get her attention, write a letter to the editor.”
-A Congressional Chief of Staff, 2007
Social Ministry Committee
If you have a submission for the Shalom, please e-mail them to: shalom@ulcsc.org. We can accept any Microsoft Office 2003, or 2007 document, or Adobe. For questions, comments or suggestions, contact Heidi Somers at shalom@ulcsc.org or call me at cell xxx-xxxx.
I can also be reached by email at hsomers@classicnet.net, Hidela@aol.com, or my blackberry at hsomers@tbip.net
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Small Group Mingle, Loving Childcare Stewardship Update!
Well, the location based small groups have not gone as well as we had hoped. With peoples schedules and other commitments, many of the groups have not met and many people have not been called. So, we will try something new! On May 14 from 6-730pm, we invite everyone in the congregation who is interested in being part of a small group to join us for a potluck meal and a chance to mix with other congregation members who are interested. Depending on the number of people who are interested, we could have 3 or 4 groups form with different meeting times and hopefully everyone can find somewhere they fit. If you cannot attend this time but are interested in a small group, give your information and possible meeting times to Chris Lee. People already involved in CARE groups are certainly welcome to be a part of small groups as well. If you have any questions, talk to Chris Lee.
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Baccalaureate is a yearly event for the graduating seniors planned by seniors and hosted by various churches in Norman. It is traditionally held the Sunday before graduation, May 18 this year. If you are interested in helping to plan this years baccalaureate, talk to Chris Lee. It is scheduled for 8pm at McFarlin UMC? Seniors, wear your graduation robes(no hats).
ULC is looking for additional help in the church nursery for either the early service or late service. This could be a paid position. You can work as often or as little as you like. Please consider helping ULC staff with this important aspect of our ministry. If interested, please speak with either Chris or Kirsten Lee.
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Thank you to everyone who planned, served, attended or supported the youth spaghetti supper. We raised nearly $300 at the supper and the following Sunday!
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Soul Planning
All young adults (ages 18-29) are
invited to join the SOUL Peer
Ministers in planning our SOUL
program for the fall. We will
meet from 6-10 PM on Wednes
day, June 4 in the Triplex. We’ll
start with dinner and bible study,
and then talk about what shape
SOUL will take next year.
Everything will be on the table!
New ideas are welcome, needed
and encouraged! If you can
come, email
(pastormike@ulcsc.org) or text
(405-xxx-xxxx) Pastor Mike.
May10 Join Hands Day, 9-2 May11 Last day of Sunday School
Mothers Day May14 Small Group Mingle, 6-730 May18 Confirmation
Baccalaureate May26 Blue Lane Derby June1 Join Hands Day, 2-6
As we head into the summer months, everyone is encouraged to keep up with their gifts and pledges to the church. As you can see below, our gifts and pledges are behind what we had planned to receive. The good news is that our expenses are behind budget. Here is a brief accounting of our stewardship through the end of March:
Gifts and Pledges to Date: $70,100.83 Gifts and Pledges Budgeted: $84,909.24 Difference: $-14,808.41
Expenses to Date: $82,788.49 Expenses Budgeted: 88,934.16 Difference: $6,145.67
One way to keep current with your gifts to the church, even when you are away from home, is to enroll in Thrivent’s Simply Giving program. Simply Giving® is an automated giving program designed to help you conveniently and consistently contribute to our congregation. Through Simply Giving®, your gifts are made through a pre-authorized withdrawal from your bank account or credit card. You determine the frequency of your automatic gift—weekly, semi-monthly or monthly—the option is yours. Your gift is deposited into the church’s bank account on the same day it is withdrawn from your account—at no cost to you or University Lutheran. Learn more at: http://www.thrivent.com/fraternal/churchcommunity/ simplygiving.html
We appreciate and thank all those who support the mission and ministry of University Lutheran!
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Sunday Schedule 8:30am Contemporary Worship Service 9:30am Build-Your-Own Breakfast 9:55am Sunday School for All Ages 11:00am Traditional Worship Service
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Permit No. 14
Norman, OK
benches from the forms used to make our concrete pillars. Nothing goes to waste in the third world!
Between now and June 9 we plan to raise $6,000 to pay for the materials to build a chapel. Imagine, with this modest amount of money we can provide an important worship structure for the village. Once again, we will have a $1600 matching grant from Thrivent so that brings our needed total down to $4400.
Tickets for the dinner can be pur
chased on Sundays in the Narthex
Tanzania Construction
Team
University Lutheran will once again anchor a Synod construction team to Tanzania in June. Paul Kleine, Duane and Jane Winegardner, and Pastor Mike from ULCSC will join two others on the trip June 9-28, 2008. While in Tanzania the team will work alongside our Massai brothers and sisters to build a church, worship, and visit sites where water wells have been installed.
On Saturday, May 17 there will be a very special dinner to raise funds to provide building materials for their trip. The funds will go for another
chapel to provide a house of worship for one of Herb Hafermann’s 114 preaching stations. Currently, the new congregation with which we will be working is worshipping under the trees. The construction of a chapel will provide them a focus for their worship as well as a place to provide kindergarten instruction and a way to keep their village structure intact. After we are gone the local congregation will complete the walls, pour a
concrete floor and build the altar and or by talking to one of the team members. If you cannot
| 05:56 | 22* | |||||
| 08:30 | 68 | 58 | 81 | 134* | 67 | 81 |
| 11:00 | 90 | 101 | 102 | 152* | 71 | 103 |
chase stock.
Thank-you for your support of this important ministry!
1 -Abby Busking14 -Kara Harrison Stephanie Johnson - Norman, OK17 - Phil Carlson
2 -Sara Maddock18 - Ursula Purcell - Germany 5 -Amanda Heersink Jane Winegardner - St. Louis, MO 7 -Gwenevere Dominique Black Glunt 19 - Edda Miner - Honensalza, Germany
Moore, OK20 - George Droescher - Bogota’, Columbia 8 -David Alvis 22 - Dillon Downey 10 -Fred Eliason 24 - Andrew Somers
2 - Stan and Carole Eliason
9 - Bill and Arlis Scott
13 - Cindy and Mike Pullin
17 - Holly and Art Lantagne
21 - Andy and Jan Feldt
26 - Sandra and Donald Longcrier
27 - David and Kathy Gastgeb
| 11 -Mark Kleine | 25 - Elizabeth Hailey Hanttula – Norman, OK |
| Duane Winegardner - Toledo, OH | 26 - Richard Massie |
| 13 -Meg Brady Carr | 27 - Michael Lewis - Del Rio, TX |
| Ilea Stoltenberg | 31 - Margrit Spears |
May 11 – Festival of Pentecost
Acts 2:1-21
1 Corinthians 12:3b-13
John 7:37-39
The youth will be leading us as we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit.
May 18 – Trinity Sunday
Genesis 1:1-2:4a
2 Corinthians 13:11-13
Matthew 28:16-20
As we remember that we were baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, we rejoice as four of our young people affirm their faith in the Triune God.
May 25 – Second Sunday after Pentecost
Isaiah 49:8-16a
1 Corinthians 4:1-5
Matthew 6:24-34
There is plenty in life that can cause us to worry. Jesus encourages us to set our worries aside and to trust in God.
June 1 – Third Sunday After Pentecost
Deuteronomy 11:18-21, 26-28 Romans 1:16-17; 3:22b-31 Matthew 7:21-29
Lutheran Christianity focuses heavily on salvation by grace, through faith. But what is the role of our good works? Why is it important and even necessary for us to act upon God’s Word once we have heard it?
Join Hands Day is a Thrivent sponsored, youth planned service event that usually takes place the first Saturday of May at the conclusion of National Volunteer Week. This year, the youth of the 3 congregations in our chapter are hoping to do 2 projects, one in Norman and one in Moore. The 2 events will happen May 10, 9am-2pm and June 1, 2-6pm. The youth plan the event but we really encourage everyone in the congregation to come out and help us make a difference. For the May 10 project, we will be installing an outside sitting patio for the residents of East Main Place. All the tools are provides so bring yourself and some dirty clothes prepared to work! The June 1 project will take place at the Senior Center in Moore.