Grace Lutheran Church E-Notes
February 2016
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
Dear Family of God at Grace,
If you look at our calendar of events for February we are a very busy place. It is a
true blessing that there are so many activities and events for you to attend here at
Grace. Yet dear friends, let us not be defined but our schedule. What I mean to say
is this, let us not be labeled, "THE BUSY CHURCH" simply for the sake of busy-ness.
I was at my dentist's office years ago and the dental tech asked me, "What is Grace
Church all about?" I began to tell here about all of our activities. "Well, we have
Worship on Sunday, Bible Class on Wednesday, a meal, Wednesday Worship, Choir
Concert on the 24th, and this on this day, and so on and so on!" She left to get the
dentist and I was left alone with my explanation of what Grace is all about. I
thought, "Wait a minute! I told her what we do but I didn't tell her what we are
about!" When she came back I said, "I didn't answer your question. Grace is about
Jesus. You see we are sinners at Grace, every one of us! We sin in thought, word,
and deed. We sin against our families and friends. We sin against fellow
members. Grace is about a family of sinners, forgiven in the blood of Jesus
Christ. Grace is about the One who knew no sin and yet became sin for all of
us. Grace is about Jesus!"
It's wonderful that we have all these activities: concerts, dinners, fund raisers, and all
that stuff! Yet Grace Lutheran is about Jesus! I can tell you with all the stuff we
have going on and with all the new stuff we are starting - how about a new mission
church, we may not always agree. We may not see eye to eye on how things
should be done. Some things may be done differently than the way you want them
done or the way you would do them. There are time frames and endless amounts
of details that may cause some tension. But guess what, that's stuff and stuff does
not define us. We are defined by sin on the one hand and the Savior Jesus on the
other! We are sinner / saints!
So, as sinner / saints, enjoy all the activities and events we have planned this
month. Let me highlight two wonderful events. Lent begins with Ash Wednesday
on February 10th. On the 28th of February we have Installation of our new
Associate Pastor, Rev. Mark Eisold at 4 PM.
May God bless you not with the busy-ness of activities but with the forgiveness in
the Christ!
In His Service,
Pastor Lingsch
"A Word from Your Mission Developer"
"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time
to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is
planted;" Ecclesiastes 3:1
God's word tells us that there is a season for everything under heaven. Most
often we think of the four seasons of the year, followed by the dry season and wet
season, the seasons of life, the dry times and times of abundance in that scheme, and
so on. With time and experience, most of God's people understand the importance
of seasons - and the necessity of things happening according to their season.
Right now south Florida is suffering from overabundant rains in the dry
season, which coincides with the season of winter. This spells trouble for humans,
animals, the environment, and the delicate growing season for many
crops. Likewise, to have a dry season during the summer would be equally
devastating. For the hot, sunny days of summer must be accompanied by rain. If
not, the grass dies. Bushes and trees die. Fish in ponds and lakes die. Snakes and
alligators are displaced, and end up in residential areas. Wildfires happen and risk
property and lives.
The importance of things happening in their season is about much, much more
than just "order", familiarity, or convenience.
Among the seasons of life there is an order as well. More than experience,
Scripture makes us wise to this and encourages us to follow for our blessing. As
much as we consider the seasons of life, we often fail to count the season of
gestation. This is the nine months of a baby's formation in the mother's womb
where it develops fully before entering the world. This season is vital to the future
of the baby. Both the mother and unborn baby must be kept health and strong
during this period. In fact, anything unhealthy must be cast away. Even the things,
which might be permissible when not pregnant, can be damaging for a developing
baby. Even though the birth is much anticipated by all, nobody wants the baby to
be born premature. The birth process brings both mother and baby closer to death
than almost any other natural event over the course of life. While still fully
dependent on it's mother, the baby's body is developed to breathe on its own, grow
and mature in a hostile environment with germs, light, loud noises, and physical
contact with other people and things.
Of all of the seasons of life, if this season is not brought to full term before
birth, ALL of the other seasons will be impacted from moderately to
severely. Longevity of life itself may be cut short due to inherent problems
developed upon early entry into the world that healthy people call "home".
Starting a new church is much the same. There are seasons. There is a mother,
and there is a child. There is a birth. There is also a gestation period; and it must
not be compromised for any reason. While modern medical technology helps
premature babies develop outside of the womb, there is no help for churches, which
begin independent function - such as worship - prematurely.
For this reason, I will follow a simple plan for 9 months after my
installation: assess the community of the Naples/Golden Gate area, reach all
unbelievers and unchurched people wherever they are to be found, gather them
around the Word and Sacraments at Grace Lutheran Church of Naples every
Sunday, and build a Christian community around the word of God and fun, family
events outside of the church during the week.
I expect to worship at Grace with my family every Sunday that I am not
visiting another congregation in our circuit to promote our work with Christ for His
Mission. Though I am a highly experienced "mission developer", I am wise enough
to visit with and learn from other growing LCMS congregations, their leaders, and
our District officials along the way. This time will pass by exceedingly fast. I need
your prayers, your trust, your patience, and your encouragement. From some of
you I will also ask for your assistance in outreach and organizing events.
So, what season are we in right now? You know what it is. Before, during
and after every great endeavor, the Child of God PRAYS. There is no better time to
pray fervently and seek God's face than right now - before the rubber hits the
road. Pray for Pastor Keith Lingsch and his family. Pray for me and my family; for
our adjustment to the United States, to Naples, joy and fulfillment in our work, and
for peace, patience, and persistence at Grace. Pray that together and as a healthy
body of Christ, we may reach and transform MANY with the proclamation of the
Gospel
for their new life and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. The LORD Almighty is
with us. The God of Jacob is our Fortress.
Your Brother in Christ,
Pastor Mark Eisold
7th: Youth Night for all middle and high school youth. We will be Bowling at Beacon
Bowl from 5-7pm, cost is $8.50 per person and includes pizza and soda. Meet at
Beacon Bowl & RSVP to Kami Jo no later than February 2nd.
10th: Ash Wednesday - Imposition of ashes at 7:00am & noon. Service with Holy
Communion and Ashes at 6:30pm. Sanctuary.
14th: Valentine Bake Sale! Pick up a sweet treat for your sweet tooth or
sweetheart! Our youth will be selling goodies after 1st and 2nd service as a fundraiser
for our National Youth Gathering Trip.
14th: Beingets! Our youth are getting in the New Orleans mood as we gear up for
our Mardi Gras dinner and trip to New Orleans, LA! We are excited to host the
Fellowship Hour and along with our usual goodies, the youth will be working in the
kitchen to serve up Beignets for the congregation to enjoy!
14th: Scrapbooking - Noon - Fellowship Hall. Bring your pictures and crop with us!
20th: MARDI GRAS DINNER IS BACK! Our youth are so excited to be attending the
National Youth Gathering in New Orleans, LA again like we did in 2010. We are eager
to serve up some Jambalaya & Kings Cake along with fun entertainment and a silent
auction. The event is 6pm and tickets are $10 a person or $30 a family, get your spot
now by contacting dce@graceofnaples.com or purchasing a ticket from our youth.
Don't miss out on this fantastic event for our 17 youth attending NYG 2016!
21st: Paul Soulec Hymn Festival - 1:00 pm - Sanctuary. Paul is the organist from
St. Johns in Seward NE. Come join Grace Chorale, Brass, and our High School Youth
Choir as Mr. Soulec presents some of our favorite hymns for us to sing!
24th: Concordia St. Louis Seminary Choir - 6:30 pm - Sanctuary. This will take
the place of our regular Wednesday mid-week Lenten service. Come join the choir for
our usual Lenten Soup and Sandwich dinner at 5:15, followed by the concert. If you
are able to house two of these young seminarians, please contact Jonathan at the
church office!
28th: Luncheon for our Prayer Warriors! - Noon - Fellowship Hall. Please speak
with Margie Feuser if you wish to attend.
28th: Installation of Pastor Eisold - 4:00 pm in our Sanctuary. Pastor Eisold will
leading the former Messiah Lutheran Church in Golden Gate.
Coming in March!
March
March
March
March
4th: Marriage, Life & Religious Liberty Seminar
5th: Concordia Bronxville Tour Choir!
8th, Concordia Chicago Tour Choir
12th: WOG Rummage Sale