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NEWS & EVENTS
July 3, 2024
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Lutheran Summer Music: July Mission of the Month
The Mission of the Month for July is Lutheran Summer Music - the nations premier faith-based music academy for high school students, otherwise known as the Trinity-Baker family’s home away from home for the month of July. We know that music is important to our congregation and many of our youth have had the opportunity to experience growing in their faith through attending Lutheran Summer Music. This year it will be held at Valparaiso University. Nathan Baker-Trinity is chaplain, Thomas and Luke are attending as students. The academy runs June 30-July 28. Recitals and concerts can be live-streamed. Please visit the website: lsmacademy.org to learn more about and support this ministry through your monthly mission giving.
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Hymn of the Day for Seventh Sunday after Pentecost - 7/7/24
“How Clear Is Our Vocation, Lord” ELW 580
In the first half of todays’ gospel, Jesus teaches in Nazareth, his hometown. Everyone is “astounded” the gospel says. They ask, where his wisdom comes from and what about his deeds of “power”. They don’t accept him because he is just a simple carpenter, son of Mary and one of many brothers and sisters. Thus, they were offended by him. Ironic, that even in the place where people supposedly knew him best, his old friends and neighbors suspected and questioned him in disbelief. In the second half of today’s gospel, Jesus sent disciples out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits. They are to not worry if they are not accepted in their ministering to the people, but shake off the dust that is on their feet from that place and move on. And so they did just that!
Today we sing “How Clear Is Our Vocation, Lord” by Fred Pratt Green (1903-2000). The Reverend Fred Pratt Green was a British Methodist minister and hymnodist. He was born in Roby, Lancashire, England. He was ordained as a Methodist minister in 1928 and served parishes in the north and south of England until 1969. In 1980, he was asked by Erik Routley and Russel Schulz-Widmar to write a hymn on vocation using the hymn tune REPTON.
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What is “VOCATION”? Part of the work of people in their late-teens and 20-somethings is to find their way in the world. Hopefully, this means to not just get some training and find some job, but rather to find their own individual vocation; vocation being an occupation to which they are especially drawn or for which they are suited, by some innate affinity. The “Holy Grail” of that quest is to find their purpose in this world; the very reason(s) why God created them; and how they can make a living to exist in society using that purpose. I believe God put me into this world to help children find a truer sense of themselves, their self worth and confidence, and fulfillment through music. It is exciting to watch a young adult find their own purpose and to watch them blossom in that purpose just the same as a rose bud opens to full bloom in the summer sun!
The text of this hymn in our own voices, puts us in that same position of the disciples
ministering to the world through our own vocations. Each at our own speed, discovered what those vocations are, realizing God’s call to us into the world to help in some way. Stanza 1- How CLEAR is our vocation Lord, when once we heed (realize) your call.” …..God “will not let us fall.”
In stanza 2; as the disciples may have felt when their work was not accepted in some places, “But if, forgetful, we should find your yoke is hard to bear; if worldly pressures fray the mind and love itself cannot unwind its tangled skein of care; our inward life repair.” Stanza 3 reminds us of other saints before us throughout history who have encountered the same hindrances and surmounted them. We are grateful to those saints for their faithful example. Finally, in stanza 4, we are reminded whether working together or alone, in old or new tasks, to take God’s love as our example and move on; ”to live according to your word and daily learn, refreshed, restored, that you are Lord of all and will not let us fall.”
Peace!
Deacon Gary Butler
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Garden Update
Many Thanks to the folks who have getting the garden “under control”: Deb and Joel McDermott for planting the potato patch, Steve Hasse, Matt and Nick Miller for creating the “hoop house”. Various weed pullers, brick layers and planters. The garden is starting to look like a real garden again.
Last week Deb and Nancy harvested 3 large bags of arugula, spinach and lettuce and delivered to Keystone food bank - they were thrilled with the fresh produce. Potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, parsley, cabbage, beets, beans, cucumber, zucchini, carrots, cilantro, basil, thyme, tarragon and asparagus has been planter. Salad greens will cycle in again later.
Produce will be delivered to either Keystone or Every Meal as the harvest continues. What can you do in the meantime? There is still a lot of grass and weeds that want to take over and digging it out will be helpful. Most of the the vegetables are marked so you can tell what not to dig out. Nancy or Matt will be in the garden most Monday and Tuesday mornings if you have questions, there are compost bags and trowels, shovels, etc. in the garden for anyone to use and we’ll try to leave gloves in an area where they will stay dry.
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LCR Gardens Need Watering Volunteers!
The flower gardens around the church will need to be watered during the summer. A Sign Up Genius site is set up for folks to sign up for a week of watering and as the summer progresses some weeding and harvesting might be needed. Once you’ve signed up you’ll be contacted about watering, weeding and harvesting needs. Thanks!
The signup genius can be accessed at this link between June 24 and each week until mid September.
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Second Fair Trade Coffee Bar of the Summer!
What?: The Outreach Committee is hosting Fair Trade coffee bars once per month again this summer.
When?: Please join us on Sunday, July 14 for the second coffee bar of the summer. We’ll feature Fair Trade coffee and savory snacks.
What Cause Are We Supporting?: We will be accepting free will offerings at each coffee bar to benefit Lutheran Disaster Response – Middle East Crisis.
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Due to escalating conflict in Gaza and Israel, a severe humanitarian crisis is rapidly unfolding in the Holy Land. The ELCA has a longstanding relationship with partners in the region, including the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land and Augusta Victoria Hospital. Lutheran Disaster Response has a history of providing support for our partners and will be prepared to answer calls for assistance when the time comes. Gifts to the Middle East Crisis fund will be used entirely to provide long-lasting support to those whose lives have been impacted by disasters in the region.
If you are unable to attend the coffee bar on July 14, you can donate at any time by clicking this button to be directed to the LCR donation page. Once there, specify "Coffee Bar" where prompted.
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