This Sunday, September 8, We Return to Life Together!

It's Rally Sunday on September 8, so we return from our summer break for Life Together! Come for fellowship, learning, and good eats! Our gathering includes all ages!

To celebrate the new year, please bring:

• something to share in our breakfast potluck, and
• a non-perishable breakfast item to share with the Salem Food Pantry.

We start serving breakfast at 8:45 AM in the fellowship hall downstairs. By 9:05 we're in classes for Sunday School, Confirmation, and Adult Forum.

We hope to see you as we enjoy Life Together!

Youth Group (grades 6-12 and friends!) Sunday, September 8

2pm-4pm!

Sunday, September 8 at 2pm youth group will meet at College Lutheran. We will have a brief parents meeting, review the calendar, and welcome our newest members. The youth will then head to Brandon Oaks to play some games and make crafts (and friends!) with the residents! Pick up will be at Brandon Oaks at 4pm.

Take Note

By Susan E. Short

Tuesday greetings! A special thank you to all of our Summer musicians for sharing their gifts and talents. From guitars, voices, tambourines, and instruments, we have enjoyed a variety of ensembles and orchestrations throughout the Summer. Whether you are a former master chorale vocalist, someone who sings while walking the dog in the morning, or joins in the singing from the church pew on Sundays, we would like to extend an invitation to you to join the choir. We gather for rehearsals on Sundays at 9:15 a.m. in the choir room. All voices and talents are welcome. If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to me or any choir member.

Sunday is Rally Day. We’ll transition from our Summer liturgy from With One Voice to setting one of the Lutheran Book of Worship. I look forward to seeing and singing along with all of you during worship this Sunday!

Looking ahead:

The hymns for Sunday include:

• Earth and All Stars! (LBW #558);
• Healer of Our Every Ill (WOV #783);
• Seek Ye First (WOV #783); and,
• Loving Spirit (WOV #683).

The LBW is the Lutheran Book of Worship (Green Hymnal) and the WOV is With One Voice (Blue Hymnal).

Looking in-depth:

Our recessional is Go in Peace and Serve the Lord (Worship and Praise, #46). The choir introduced and the congregation sang this as a closing hymn several weeks ago. We thought we would include it again during this week’s service while the tune is fresh in our minds and on our hearts. We end our services on Sunday (sometimes even before the closing hymn) with the assisting minister saying “Go in peace and serve the Lord,” and our collective response as a congregation is “Thanks be to God.” I came across a reflection found in the Living the Mass: How One Hour a Week Can Change Your Life by Fr. Dominic Grassi and Joe Paprocki that I’d like to share with you.  

When we are sent forth to “go in peace to love and serve the Lord,” our only response must be a resounding “Thanks be to God.” When we say these words, we are doing more than thanking God for what we have experienced in the past hour or so. Likewise, we are not thanking God that church is over, as relieved parents of a two-year-old who just made it through the liturgy with Cheerios, picture books, and a minimum of trips to the bathroom might be inclined to do. When we say, “Thanks be to God,” we are thanking God for the faith that brought us to church and for all those with whom we have shared that faith: from the saints to our deceased loved ones, all of whom we have remembered during the service. For two thousand years, people of faith have gathered to celebrate the Eucharist. We continue to do so today, united with them all.

Most important, when we say, “Thanks be to God,” we are showing gratitude for the trust that God places in us to be Christ’s loving presence in the world. We call ourselves Christians. Christ lives and works in and through us, the people of God. We are happy to be called to the Lord’s Supper, which prepares us to “go in peace to love and serve the Lord.” When we say, “Thanks be to God,” we are thanking God profoundly and joyfully and that we can leave church with renewed power to make God’s love and peace real in our individual circles of influence. It’s as if we are runners at the starting line after months of training, waiting for the race to finally begin. Everything has led up to this moment. Now we will give it our best effort. We’ll see what we can do, and we’ll be ready for whatever comes our way. We are free to do what we were truly created to do: love and serve the Lord, our God.

Perhaps we will hear our children lead our response on Sunday at the conclusion of our service, “Go in peace and serve the Lord.” And we will respond boldly and with great gratitude “Thanks be to God.” I look forward to joining you for worship on Sunday as we celebrate the 16th Sunday after Pentecost. Soli Deo gloria – SES.

Come and enjoy fellowship and friendly competition at Olde Salem Brewing Company this Tuesday (tonight!).

The game starts at 6:30 PM, and Pastor Drebes buys the first round of beverages. Non-alcoholic choices are available if beer isn't your favorite.

Grief Share Groups

Hello. My name is Cynthia Bowen and my Mom, Judy, died July 3, 2023 three months after she was diagnosed with metastatic gallbladder cancer. That’s how I introduced myself in January when I started attending GriefShare, a national faith based grief and loss support group here in Salem. I wanted to talk to you about it this morning because new groups are starting at two local congregations in September.

When, not if, you lose someone you love - a parent, a child, a spouse, a sibling, or a friend - you are changed forever. I have had several family members, including my Dad, participate in a Griefshare group so I thought I would give it a try as I worked to process my loss. I learned from other participants just how common death is and the many and various ways it can happen. Sometimes suddenly, and sometimes after a short or extended illness. The circumstances affect loved ones left behind very differently. Finally, and most importantly, I was reminded time and again that I am not alone on my grief journey. In seeking help for myself, I in turn helped my family, my colleagues, and my students.

 

It doesn’t matter if your loss was this past year or years ago. The groups meet once weekly and you are provided a workbook with helpful resources and journaling prompts. Salem Church of Christ and Bethel Baptist will host groups beginning September 3rd and September 9th. I am happy to answer any questions you may have or you can search online for more information or to sign-up for a group at Griefshare.org. Thank you. 

Attention All Teachers in Our Congregation!

As the new school year begins, our Social Justice and Outreach Ministries Committee is focusing on supporting the dedicated teachers among us. We recognize that many educators face financial challenges in providing essential supplies for their classrooms, especially in times of inflation and budget cuts.

To assist with these needs, we are reaching out to offer our support. If you are a teacher, we would love to know how we can help make your upcoming school year a bit easier. Once you have an understanding of what you need, please reach out to us.

You can contact the church office directly by calling 540-389-4963, emailing office1@collegelutheran.org, or letting Garry Lautenschlager, our committee chairman, know that you are a teacher for the coming year. We are here to support both you and your students and would be thrilled to hear from you!

Thank you for your dedication and hard work. We look forward to assisting you in any way we can.

SAVE THE DATE COLLEGE LUTHERAN BLOOD DRIVE

Save the date for our College Lutheran Blood Drive on Saturday, September 28th from 9 to 1 pm. More information to come!

Don't Forget: Submit Your Picture for the CLC Photo Directory!

It's time for an updated photo directory of members and friends of CLC! Luckily, our existing membership record platform allows us to update and print directories as needed--we just need your photos to make it happen! CLC member Jon Osborn has graciously volunteered to coordinate this effort. Please email a JPG or TIF picture of your household members to 

jonosborns@gmail.com

Some things to remember:

• Try to have one photo with all members of your household.
• if available, and in addition to the Family Photo, please include individual photos of household members. If individual photos are not available, the Family Photo will work just fine.
• Avoid submitting a photo where someone is wearing sunglasses or otherwise would be difficult to see.
• If you do not have a digital photo, we can scan physical photos in the church office.

Thanks for helping us update our directory!

Wednesday Bible Study:

The Revised Common Lectionary

Our long-running Wednesday Bible Study led by Pastor Drebes meets at 11:15 AM in Stoutamire Chapel.

Starting this week, our Bible Study will focus on the upcoming lessons assigned for reading on Sunday mornings. To access the readings ahead of time, visit the Vanderbilt University Revised Common Lectionary Page.

Also on Wednesdays, we celebrate a brief service of Holy Communion at 12:15 PM. We hope to see you at one or both of these midweek gatherings!

Men's Spiritual Formation Group

Please join us for fellowship and spiritual studies, meeting on Tuesdays at 7:00 PM during Lent beginning on February 20. We will meet at the home of PK Hundley, near the church. For directions and more information, please contact the church office at (540) 389-4963, or Keith Hartman at hartmankeithe@gmail.com

Supporting Carolina Bowen, Young Adult in Global Mission

Carolina Bowen is now serving with the Young Adults in Global Mission ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. We look forward to hearing from her as she spends this year in Cambodia!

If you would like to support Carolina's ministry, gifts can be given to College Lutheran Church with a memo line designating the gift to support Carolina Bowen. To give an online gift, visit www.elca.org/yagm/give and be sure to select "Carolina Bowen" in the dropdown menu.

CLC Card Ministry

Want to send a note to a fellow CLC member? This ministry is a great way to let others know that you are thinking about them and praying for them. Especially when someone is in the hospital, it can be difficult to send them a card. This is one way we can keep connected with one another.

How it works:

• Bring in a card of your own or use one provided on the table next to the mailbox.
• Place in the CLC Card Ministry Mailbox in All Saints Hall
• Our Parish Administrator will address, provide postage, and send cards

It's that easy!

And we thank Ashley Roop for painting the mailbox!

On Tuesday evenings from 4 to 6 PM, The CLC parking lot will be a drop-off point for Riverstone Organic Farm. Customers of Riverstone will be able to pick up boxes of produce that they have ordered through the farm's website. For more information about Riverstone Farm in Floyd, VA, click here.

Interested in fresh produce? Signing up ahead of time is necessary. Click here to sign up!

Announcements

Altar Flower Sponsors Needed for Worship Services

The 2024 Flower Chart is in the hallway for signup. Please contact Barbara Brandtner at 540-797-1886, if you would like to provide flowers for the altar.

Ushers Needed for Sunday Worship Services

Ushers are needed for Sunday Worship Services. Please see Joel Barfield or email joel.barfield@gmail.com.

Nursery Volunteers Needed

College Lutheran Church recognizes the importance of providing our parents with the opportunity for quiet worship, as well as, introducing our little ones to the love and care of a Christian community. In order to offer this service, we are seeking volunteers to watch over our littlest members during our 10 am service Sunday mornings. To volunteer, please contact Kellie Rice at kellierice5@aol.com or 540-797-2973. 

Catch up on past worship services

Did you miss a recent worship service? Want to hear that choir anthem one more time? Our video archives are kept on two different websites:

• Click here to visit our YouTube page.
• Click here to visit our Facebook page.

Resources for Daily Devotionals

Do you need some guidance in daily prayer? Consider downloading the D365 App! It's free, and very helpful. Click here to download it to your phone or tablet: https://d365.org/

Do you want a copy of the Living Lutheran magazine or the devotional Christ in Our Home? Let Parish Administrator Sandi Roop know! Just contact her at office1@collegelutheran.org or (540) 389-4963.

Are you interested in keeping up with the lectionary (assigned scripture readings for worship)? This calendar of scripture readings is available at a special website run by Vanderbilt Divinity Library. The site includes art for each day of the church year, and is accessible here: https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/