Mission Statement

            “Gathered in Christ, we are called to bring light to our community.”

JANUARY 2012 NEWSLETTER  

From the Pastor

Dear Friends in Christ,  

January first marks my fifth anniversary at Gloria Dei.  I can't believe how quickly the time has gone.  I am so thankful to be called to this church and this community.  Gloria Dei has brought a lot of "light to our community" (our mission statement) and continues to seek out more ways to serve our members, the community, and the world.  With Jeranna's family and the Coquille Indian Tribe close by, we feel extremely blessed and lifted up.  Our children are growing up in an environment where they feel incredibly loved.  Thank you for a wonderful five years.   

Anniversaries are like milestones.  They are meant to be passed by as we reach out for the greater goals-of advancing Christ's Kingdom and seeking out our heavenly calling.  I feel that we are just starting to get things rolling at Gloria Dei.  We have so many gifts and talents that aren't being fully lifted up.  Part of that is my fault and part of that is your fault.  One of my goals coming in was to be like a miner... mining the gifts of the people and the congregation.  We have found many precious stones and

metals during these five years. And there are still a lot of hidden gems out there. My goal for every member is to follow Bonhoeffer's idea in the book "Life Together": every member of the fellowship should have at least one job... one thing they have passion for and go for it. That was the idea behind the mission pods I introduced early on.

One of a Pastor's greatest joys is watching young people's faith grow from seeds into fruit. I see that happening in our church. Another joy is observing people who have gifts for public ministry. I see this in our church and want to encourage them to consider the ministry. Although each of us have a call to ministry in our baptism.

The internship program brings me great joy as well. You all have done a wonderful job of welcoming our interns and encouraging them in their callings. Pretty soon we will have three pastors in the ELCA forever linked to Gloria Dei in Coos Bay, OR. Because of the internship program, on Christmas Day I got to sit in the pew with my family and experience God's presence and grace as our Intern, Youngshim Mason, led worship with a wonderful presence. I was thanking God for all the blessings around us. Wouldn't you agree that the internship program brings new life and purpose to our congregation? Thank you for your current and future support.

Our congregation has a lot to offer visitors and people who have been unchurched or dechurched. Our message of saved by grace through faith on account of Christ alone is a welcome message for many. We are a mainline church that has a lot going on. Our public face includes our choir and music program, logos players, prayer shawl knitters, WELCA school bags and health kits, and a building that is open to all kinds of public groups and events. In addition we have young families and a Sunday School. I feel the youth in our congregation are deepening their discipleship and leave with a good foundation.

We have things that are broken in the church, too. You can't take a collection of sinners and expect perfection. Help us to fix some of those things. Come and talk to the church council in the listening posts they plan to commence in the new year. Come and talk to me about disappointments and hopes. If I have hurt you in any way, I am sorry. Please let me know and let us work toward reconciliation.

Recently, I felt bad that we didn't advertise our Christmas services properly. We had people showing up at the wrong times that were members and new to the church. This should not have happened. We tried but it was too late. We could have people working on this. I feel that we can communicate better with our members and the public via email and social networking. By cutting out bulk mailing of the newsletter, we lost an important way to communicate. This was a mistake. Stay tuned on this front. I would like to see us have help with our ushering. We have relied on a few faithful people to do most of the ushering. I hope to have usher training and have families share the load. I can imagine families ushering together... a very positive memory from my childhood.

Another thing on my mind for the future is deepening our discipleship. This comes through learning. Learning leads to mission and mission leads to learning (a famous Wartburg Seminary quote). The Reformation was sparked by people reading the Bible in their homes and interpreting it for themselves. The scriptures continue to reform the church and us as individuals. I look to form small groups or home groups where Bible study and worship can happen organically. Some of you are doing this already. I hope to see men's and women's retreats happen. This could involve mission trips.

We have the perfect opportunity to begin our learning together when Dr. Craig Nessan from Wartburg Seminary visits Gloria Dei to present his new book "Shalom Church". He will also do an internship site visit. His new book lifts up the need for churches to make social ministry a priority in their mission. This will continue our Shane Claiborne conversation from a Lutheran perspective. Craig Nessan commands the room and has presented his research and books all over the world. This will be on Thursday, January 19, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the fellowship hall.

I look forward to serving with you into the future. Thanks for all that you are!

-- Pastor Jon

WELCA NEWS

We will resume meeting again on January 12 at noon as usual in the social hall. Everyone is invited whether they have been attending previously or not. We will begin working on our health and school projects. Janice Bowman will lead the lesson from the Women's book. Those of you who requested it will be receiving the newsletter as usual.

FROM OUR INTERN

A school year starts in early March in Korea, so Korean students have long winter breaks. I do not know nowadays, but when I was in school, I had a lot of homework to do. Each winter break had different assignments, but there were several common ones. One of them was to make a wish list for a coming year, and made a schedule for winter breaks. When we were done with planning the schedule we needed to show our parents, and needed to have their signature.

Even though I was just a kid, I care passionately about your time on breaks; thus, I came up with huge plans for each winter break schedule. Whenever I showed it to my parents to have their signature, they asked me if I was able to do all those things. I always told them that I could do it, but eventually I had to reduce my winter plans. Furthermore, I was not able to accomplish all that I planned. Most times, I barely did my homework, since I was busy playing or I was interrupted by something. Lucky or not, we did not have to evaluate ourselves, and my teachers just checked homework.

While I was in school, I did not understand of the value of the planning for the future; however, as I got older, I very much appreciated it. I learned that to have a plan and to follow the plan are two different things. Making and following a plan requires self discipline, persistence, and the will to succeed. Thus, all most every year whenever Christmas is over, I have evaluated myself, and I have thought and prayed about my upcoming year. And by the 1st week of January, I have made the plan for that year, but I could not overcome my anxieties, nervousness, fears, and worries about the New Year, and I regretted many different things about the past year.

2012 is before us. I am overwhelmed by the idea of a new beginning. I am not sure how to manage or balance well between the things past and the new things to come. However, I know that everything is in God's hands, and I just need to ask God to "create a clean heart and put a new and right spirit with me" for preparing and living fully a new year. I pray for you all to learn to live properly according to each season and time.

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;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to throw away;
A time to tear, and a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate;
A time for war, and a time for peace.

-- Intern Youngshim Mason

ENDOWMENT FUND UPDATE

This is an update concerning the activities of the Gloria Dei Endowment Committee. The purpose of the endowment fund is to enhance the work of the church by establishing and supporting ministries and stewardship opportunities additional to and apart from the general operation of the congregation. The Endowment Committee investigates ways in which the fund income can best be used and presents this information to the congregation at the annual meeting.

The most recent use of Endowment Committee Funds is the expenditure of $7500 for Youngshim's internship here at Gloria Dei. Other expenditures include funds to youth camping experiences at Camp Myrtlewood, The Maslow Project and Books to the troops. These types of significant and extraordinary expenses are an important contribution to the ongoing ministry of the church but would be difficult to make from the normal operating funds of the church.

The Endowment Fund Committee may receive funds through gifts, memorials and bequests from any individual or other organization and the gift may be made in cash or other form acceptable to the donor. All endowment funds and property are kept separate and distinct from the funds and property otherwise belonging to the church. Only the income may be used as the bylaws of the Endowment Fund prohibit expenditures of the corpus of the fund.

The Endowment Committee encourages members of the congregation to submit ideas for the appropriate use of income from the Endowment Fund.

Respectfully,
The Endowment Committee

LOGOS PLAYERS ANNOUNCE AUDITIONS

Our spring production, "Spit Fire Grill", is a small cast folk-musical set in the backwoods of Wisconsin. Musical styles include folk ballads and bluegrass. The story takes place in and around a café run by a feisty older woman (50-75). A younger woman with a suspicious past (Doris Smith will play this role) comes to the café looking for work. Other characters include the snoopy postmistress (45-65), a terribly shy young woman (25-30) and her husband (25-30), plus the local deputy (30-40). One other non-speaking male role (50-ish) will be cast later.

Acting auditions will be held on Monday, January 16th at 7pm in the Fireside Room. Actors will read scenes from the script. Musical auditions will be held the next evening, Tuesday, January 17th, also in the Fireside Room. You may bring a prepared song with cd or sheet music, but it is not necessary. All singer/actors must be able to sing written harmonies with the rest of the group.

"Spit Fire Grill" brings these troubled folks together, and through comedy, conflict and sharing, a message of hope and inspiration emerges. The show is set for TWO weekends: March 23, 24. 25 (matinee) and the following weekend, March 30 and 31. Rehearsals are scheduled for Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings, but not everyone will need to come all three nights each week. (Until the final two weeks of rehearsal, most actors will average two nights/week.)

SPECIAL NOTE: Thanks to Doris Smith, her "band" will play for the show!

If you sing, we'll teach you to act. Please show up for auditions and find out what all the excitement is about! Becky Bell-Greenstreet and David Jordan will direct this production.

CRAIG NESSAN LECTURE

You are invited to an evening lecture with Dr. Craig Nessan from Wartburg Seminary to discuss his new book "Shalom Church". Craig will also be our speaker at the Bishop's Convocation at Cannon Beach in January 2012. Dr. Nesson's lecture will be at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church on Thursday, January 19, 2012, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Bring a friend!

SABBATICAL LEAVE FOR PASTOR JON

At a Special Congregation Meeting a little over five years ago, on November 12, 2006, this congregation voted to extend a Letter of Call to Pastor Jon Strasman. A second motion, covering the compensation and benefit package, was also distributed and the details explained. This motion also passed. Item C.4 of the package states that “a sabbatical leave of 12 weeks would be offered after 5 years, per the Synod guidelines.� Paster Jon completes 5 years with this congregation on January first, 2012. The Mutual Ministry Committee has the joyful responsibility to encourage, advise, and advocate for this pastoral leave.

Sabbatical leave has its roots in scripture and church tradition. As a congregation, we expect our pastor to feed the spiritual needs of our membership and the community. In turn, we must also allow the pastor the opportunity for personal spiritual fulfillment. A sabbatical leave provides an intentional time set apart for renewal, reflection, rest, and reconnecting with the Holy Spirit.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America strongly encourages congregations to support the ministry renewal and enrichment of its rostered leaders. The Oregon Synod includes sabbatical leave in its compensation and benefits guidelines. Sabbatical leaves for study and personal renewal have been shown to have tremendous benefit for both clergy and congregation. When long-term ministry is revitalized and stimulated, all parties benefit - pastoral staff, congregation, and the church-at-large.

Mutual Ministry brought the sabbatical to Council in November. We will present it to the congregation at the 2012 Annual Meeting. Mutual Ministry will be working with Pastor Jon, Council, staff, and various committees as the goals and schedules develop. Late spring/summer of 2013 is a likely target time period.

We are enthusiastic to discover what God will do with the Gloria Dei Family through this time of faithful preparation and [sabbath/sabbatical] renewal.

-- Mutual Ministry Committee

TREE OF JOY UPDATE

Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington would like to Thank You for the generous money gift of $470.00 to our 27th annual Tree of Joy Service Project, which went to purchase gifts for 39 people from children in our area, to seniors in care facilities. If you went to the tree yourself and filled a tag thank you.

ANNUAL MEETING

Gloria Dei's Annual Meeting is scheduled for Sunday, January 29, 2012, immediately following 11:00 worship.l

If you are the leader of a pod or committee, please be prepared to have your report into Elizabeth in the church office by 12:00 noon on Friday, January 20. The earlier you can get it in the better so we can prepare the report of copying. If you have any questions, call Elizabeth in the church office.