❄ To everyone who assisted in the children leading worship service on December 15^th.

❄ To Kids Club, FaithBuilders, and Youth Group for caroling and tree trimming.

❄ I want to thank all of those who came to Ray Skillman November 26^th to help wrap gifts for Clothe-A-Child. Those attending were Judy Lewis, Amanda Dunn and friend Kathy, Aaron French and boys Nathan and Nolan, Bobbi Poore, Jean Benjamin, Flo Hoffmann and Julie Peralta. Along with the other organizations volunteering we were able to finish early Tuesday. There will be many happy children this year at Christmas opening those wonderful gifts. Thanks so much for all your help and time. – Joyce Hardwick.

❄ Thank you for all the cards, kindnesses, prayers, and support for me and my family during my Mother's battle with cancer, and her passing. The support and care of many has helped me through this season of love and celebration of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. – Karen Oster

By the time you read this, the celebration of Christmas will be “over” in the eyes of most in the world. Next big blowout party? Super Bowl, I guess... Until then, nothing? Hardly.

For Christians, the season of Epiphany flows out of the heart of Christmas. Having celebrated with joy the glad tidings of the Savior’s birth, we continue to celebrate the good news of God’s love now being made known to the Gentiles. The scripture texts we hear in these days speak of the spreading light of Christ being made “manifest” (the literal meaning of Epiphany) to the Magi, to those who witnessed the Baptism of Jesus, and to the growing company of disciples who saw in Jesus’ “signs” the clear message of God’s intent to redeem the entire world.

As the identity of Jesus becomes clear, and as the now-grown Jesus begins his ministry announcing the coming of the reign of God, there is a clear and consistent thread in the all the Epiphany stories of the spreading light of God’s love: those who come to know Jesus and follow him are called into community. C.S. Lewis once famously said that there is no such thing as “individual” Christianity. The Gospel by its very nature calls us into community, he said, and if a person chooses a solitary faith, by its very nature, that isolation will inevitably distort the essence of Christianity.

It was exactly one year ago that RLC made an application to the Indianapolis Center for Congregations for a new grant initiative called Life Together: Thinking and Acting Strategically. We applied because the program was aimed at providing resources to congregations to help navigate through times of decisions/transition and to pro-actively envision their futures. That was RLC! We also eagerly applied because the grant was not a “how-to-cookie-cutter” program; but rather focused on the inherent power of this basic essence of Christianity, community. We believe at RLC that God has connected us all together, that we need each other’s wisdom and discernment, that decisions before us are best and most faithfully made not by me as pastor or even by our Council, but by us all as the body of Christ. On the next page are dates of upcoming “World Cafes” that are part of our Life Together discernment and communication process. I commend them to you and ask for your participation.

The Epiphany stories in Scripture – indeed the entire story of the early church – are all about community, about the profound truth that followers of Jesus need to be intimately connected to each other, as parts of a single body. Jesus knew that discipleship is best developed in small groups. As RLC continues to welcome new members, longer-term and newer members alike look down an aisle and wonder, “Who are these folks?” But beyond simply learning names and enjoying fellowship, discipleship is best learned and deepened through intentional relationships in a small group. ChristCare groups are one of the best models around for such an experience with small groups, and RLC is launching new starts this month. I heartily commend them to you as well and encourage your participation.

As we move into 2008, we pray to be guided by the light of Christ so that we, too, might be instruments of God’s light and love to the world. Best of all, we do this together!

January Adult Discipleship Hour: Two Choices . . . .

➀ Equipping Faith Formation in the Home This Week

Here at Resurrection we have talked often about the importance of faith formation in the home – that faith formation can’t be left to just an hour or two on Sunday morning. The Faith Stepping Stones series helps recall parents to their baptismal promises, and provides resources and ideas on how to help their children grow in faith. We have shared a number of resources available to us for faith formation. But when it comes right down to it, we are often intimidated by these resources, or we don’t know how to use them, or they raise more questions than answers for us.

During the month of January, Pastor Mitch won’t be just looking at faith formation resources in general, but each Sunday will focus on faith formation activities to be used during the coming week. The goal of each week will be for the participants – whether they be singles, couples, or families – to leave with a plan for faith formation in their home that week. We will look at specific resources (such as the Daily Texts, the Taking Faith Home bulletin inserts, and the Ready, Click, Grow! website), and then dig below the surface to see how the resources can be used at home that week – and also answer questions that arise from exploring the resources. If a resource uses unfamiliar Bible passages, Pastor Mitch will provide background on the passage so that parents don’t have to be worried about sharing a passage with their family that they themselves don’t understand. This will be a highly participatory gathering as each week we will learn from each other and share insights on practices that have worked – or perhaps not worked so well.

So, how about making a New Year’s resolution to put a greater emphasis on faith formation in your home in 2008 . . . and then join us during the Discipleship Hour in January to get some concrete ideas on just how to accomplish that goal.

➁ CreationCare at Resurrection

Resolution 1 – Lose 5 pounds, Resolution 2 – Read 1 book a week, Resolution 3 – Save the Planet … WHAT? Beginning the first Sunday in January (as you recover from the Holidays and wonder about what resolutions you can actually keep), please join us at the 9:30 Discipleship Hour for a 4 week discussion of our place as stewards of the gift that is God’s creation in nature. This forum will not focus on the politics of environmentalism or any individual agenda but rather seek to engage our congregation in a dialogue:

- What is our role in caring for Creation? What does the Bible say about it?

- Practical, tactical things that can be done in the home, office, and even at RLC to protect and care for our planet.

– What should/can Resurrection Church do to keep this issue in our thoughts and actions?

Again, this is meant to be a dialogue and therefore the workshops will be structured in such a way to encourage your participation and thoughts. The agenda for the series is as follows:

Week 1 – January 6^th: “Environmental IQ 101” – This first discussion on CreationCare will focus on identifying barriers to personal stewardship of the planet, discussing the breadth of ways in which people can protect or neglect the planet, and listing tactical/practical ways we can each begin acting as stewards.

Week 2 – January 13^th: “Environmental IQ 201, Keeping up the Dialogue” – This discussion will summarize and continue the work done in the first session but also allow space for folks who may have been traveling over the holidays. We will continue to focus on barriers to stewardship along with ways to help the planet. However, this session will grow the discussion in two areas: a) deeper discussion around “offsets,” the notion that personal actions can make environmental amends for pollutants created in other areas or in the past; b) more about what things can be done at Resurrection and the greater Church to create a culture of Environmental Stewardship.

Week 3 – January 20^th: “Remembering God’s Charge” – It seems that one barrier to personal action as a steward of the planet can be identifying the message with the messenger. Often, we identify “Environmentalism” with particular groups. Our personal opinions of politicians, policies, Hollywood, or activists can effect our attitude about the entire topic. This session is intended to be a Bible study which centers us in a Christian worldview that understands that “It’s all a gift.” Pastor Dave will guide us in reading and discussing texts from the Bible which remind us of the stewardship role God has charged us with. The goal of the session is to bring us out of the details of carbon offsets, fuel mileage, whether #3 or #4 plastics can be recycled … and allow us to see that our actions toward God’s gift can be their own form of worship and praise.

Week 4 – January 27^th: “Creating Mission and Ministry” – The final session will summarize the results of the previous three weeks and ask “What’s Next”? The intent will be to identify things both large and small that Resurrection might adopt to make itself more “green” (ie. reusable coffee mugs). Also, we will be looking to form a Ministry Team that will keep this issue in front of the congregation, educate those who are willing on things they can do for the planet, and continue to identify opportunities for Resurrection to grow in its stewardship.

If you have thoughts or ideas around this topic or would like to help in setting up the sessions, please contact Tom Blake (tnoblake@sbcglobal.net) or Brad Condon (brad_c_condon@hotmail.com).

During the January Discipleship Hour the children will be learning about the baptism of Jesus through music, computers, art, drama, cooking, and games.

When people are baptized, whether as infants, older children, or adults, this is a sign of the relationship God initiates. We love because God first loves us. Whether at a font, in a tank, or at the riverside, Scripture shows that water and baptism are both too powerful to be contained in a vessel or confined to a moment in time.

In baptism we understand our identity as God’s beloved children. Knowing one’s self to be beloved is a powerful experience. At baptism we begin our journey as God’s servants. We are called to serve God by bringing justice to the Earth and compassion to all people.

If you would like to join the children on this journey through baptism, please visit the Safe Harbor or Julie Peralta. The January S.S. Discipleship will set sail on Sunday, January 6 and dock on Sunday, February 3. Many hands are needed!

All kids in 1^st-5^th grade are invited to come to Kids Club on January 13^th. We will be having lunch at church and then going bowling. Adult volunteers will also be needed to help provide transportation. Please sign-up across from Julie's office.

As we continue Faith Formation in the home, all are welcome to participate in any and all Faith Stepping Stones. The first Faith Stepping Stone #1: Raising a Baby will focus on adding a nightly blessing as a family to your bedtime routine. Families with babies (0-18 months), anticipating a birth, or adoption (or anyone else who is interested) are invited to participate in three sessions on physical, emotional and spiritual needs of infants and their parents during January-February. Parents also learn how to do a nightly blessing as a family faith practice.

Please join the FSS team for three sessions in the Fellowship Hall during Discipleship Hour (January 27, February 3 & 10 – 9:30-10:30am). Your babies are invited to come or spend time playing/sleeping in the RLC Playtime Port (nursery). The Faith Stepping Stone Blessing Service will be on Sunday, February 10^th. If you have any questions regarding Faith Stepping Stones, please contact Julie Peralta.

Just a friendly reminder during the cold and flu season, for your child to utilize the nursery they must be fever free for 24 hours. This will help prevent other children, volunteers, and staff members from becoming ill. Thank you.

Opportunities to Serve

Searching for

Service Opportunities?

Check out the Ministry Team Want-Ads on the bulletin board located in the Narthex!

Crew Members Needed

The S.S. Discipleship is seeking Crew Members for the January Baptism voyage. If you are interested in leading cooking, art, computers, music, drama, or games, PLEASE visit the Safe Harbor soon! We set sail January 6^th!

Vacation Bible School

2008 Ministry Team

Interested in being part of the 2008 Vacation Bible School Ministry Team – planning and implementing – contact Julie Peralta today! The dates will be June 9-13, 9:00am-12:00pm.

Nursery Assistance

Thank you for your ministry during the Holidays at RLC’s Playtime Port! We continually need many hands to play, read, cuddle, and be present with our little ones in the nursery to assist the paid staff. The more hands we have to assist means we are essentially providing a safer and caring nursery environment for our little ones and families. The RLC nursery is staffed on Sunday mornings from 8:00am – 12:00pm. If you are interested in ministering to our little ones, please sign-up on the bulletin board across from the nursery in the Narthex.

Are you Thirsty?

Until six months ago Carletta Aplijo, Rose Ingodo and the other women of the LenLeny community in Ikotos County, Sudan had to walk four hours each day to the nearest water source located in Imotong Mountains behind their village. How many of you got up this morning and walked only a few feet to the faucet for a drink of water? With the help of Lutheran World Relief these women and their village now have access to water just a short distance from their homes. Lutheran World Relief, in partnership with Lutheran World Federation, has constructed four boreholes in the area, which provide clean water for the villagers and allow the women to spend more time tending their crops and taking care of the children.

Over the next months the Discipleship Hour Offering will be given to Lutheran World Relief to help dig a well for a community! To dig a well we will need to collect $1,000 – we currently have a little over $100; every penny will help. Remember each time you get a drink of water out of the faucet, somewhere there are people walking for hours to retrieve fresh, clean water. Pick-up an envelop at the Safe Harbor and place your donation in the offering plate during worship. Watch our well fill-up on the bulletin board!

February 2-3

The funds collected

will help with the “Dig-a-Well”

The youth group will be having a pizza sampling weekend in the early part of January! They will take pizza orders, create the pizzas on Saturday-February 2, and pizza will be ready for pick-up on Sunday, February 3 just in time to watch the Super Bowl! The proceeds will go towards the Youth Group Prilgrimage Trip 2008.

A truly Superior experience awaits our youth and adults this summer at Amnicon. The moods, power, and breathtaking beauty of Lake Superior and the surrounding countryside will make our Amnicon adventure unforgettable! Situated on the south shore of Lake Superior, Amnicon’s 600+ acres of wilderness allows us to begin our pilgrimage the moment we arrive. We will be canoeing either the Brule River or other lakes in the area. The trip dates will be June 28 - July 5, 2008. Watch the bulletin board across from Julie’s office for updated trip information in January.

Youth Group participants interested in traveling to Iowa, Minnesota, and Illinois to visit ELCA Colleges over Spring Break, please let Julie Peralta know soon! We will be visiting Wartburg College (Julie’s alma mater), Luther College, and St. Olaf (Ellen Daugherty too). We will depart RLC on Sunday, March 30^th following worship and return April 5^th.

This year the FB/YG annual January Fellowship weekend will be a ski trip on January 19-21, 2008. We will depart RLC’s parking lot on Saturday, January 19 at 6:30am. Please bring something with you to snack on for breakfast (or eat before). We will be stopping for lunch before arriving at Lutherwald. The group will return to RLC on Monday, January 21 around 4:00pm. Please look for a letter in the mail with more details the first of January.

FaithBuilders (6th-8th graders) mark your calendars for June 15-20, 2008 for Confirmation Camp at Lake Luther!

A Simple Choice

A Generous Choice

Simply Giving is an automated giving program from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and RLC. It’s designed to help you conveniently, consistently and joyfully give financial gifts to our congregation’s ministry. By participating in Simply Giving, you can use electronic funds transfer to give your weekly, semi-monthly or monthly offering to our congregation.

To learn how you can participate, contact Ed Kistler (881-7854) or EdK@RLCIndy.org. Let this help you build better stewardship by turning a simple choice into a generous response.

S.A.M.’s Club . . . .

The January event for S.A.M.’s Club (Senior Adult Ministry) will be on Jan. 21 at 11:30am at RLC. Bring a “brown bag” lunch. Dessert and drinks will be provided. Our own Lynette McCarty will present a travelogue of the McCarty’s trip to South Africa. All adults are welcome! Please sign-up on the yellow response form in the bulletin.

Can Buying Chocolate

Feed a Family?

It can if it’s Divine Chocolate. Lutheran World Relief has purchased part-ownership in the Kuapa Kokoo farmer-owned chocolate cooperative in Ghana. RLC is supporting their effort by offering Divine Chocolate products through the church. Their creamy, delicious fair-trade chocolate will soon be available to you for a great price. RLC will offer 1.5 oz. dark and milk chocolate bars, for sale at the coffee host table, for $1.00 each. Other products are available by special order.

What could be better than delicious chocolate that’s good for your conscience! With Lutheran World Relief, you can be confident that your fair trade support is going to the poorest of the poor. Listen to these words of Comfort Kumeah, cocoa farmer: “Before fair trade, we growers were cheated. People adjusted the scales. We got little money from the government purchasing clerks. I joined Kuapa Kokoo, and I have been able to send all of my children to school.”

For further information and a full product listing call Norma Blake (865-1132) or go to www.lwr.org/chocolate/index.asp.

Chili Cook-off

Sunday, January 27^th 5:15 pm

Celebrated in Worship on

January 5 and 6

Dinners for Eight

One year and going strong! It is hard to believe that this group has been getting together for a year. We have had approximately 40 people in the group and we have all had a great time. We look forward to keep expanding and anyone is welcome anytime to join in. The host couple provides the entree and the others bring the side dishes to complete the meal. We rotate hosts and groups during the year so you are with different people each time. We are also open to singles as we can do a D-4-7 or a D-4-9! Please call Jackie or Donn Mitchell at (317) 885-6553 if you would like to join our group.

Our January/February groups are:

Host home: Donn and Jackie Mitchell

Don and Joyce Peterson

Richard and Nancy Menning

Scott and Diana Deitch

Host Home: Tom and Cindy Fowler

Jim and Pat Hamby

Dean and Katie Moll

Mona Shrout

Host Home: Adam and Melissa Nowotarski

Ben and Julie North

Chris and Teresa Hoffman

Pr. Dave Schreiber

Host Home: Jim and Jean Canter

David and Jennifer Barrett

John and Kim Toney

Carl and Connie Risch

Host Home: Brian and Sherry Richards

Roger and Rita Chambers

Mike and Chris Wise

Larry and Mary Moore

Men’s Breakfast & Bible Study

The January Men's Breakfast is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 12 at 7:30am. We will be reviewing chapters 16 and 17 of The Measure of a Man, “Fathering God's Way and Loving God Wholeheartedly.” All Men are welcome to attend!

January Retreat for QuiltMakers

And Crafters of All Kinds

Set aside time on January 17 (Thursday), January 18 (Friday) and January 19 (Saturday) to come to the Fellowship Hall at RLC to help make quilts for Lutheran World Relief, or to spend some time scrap-booking, rubber-stamping, knitting, crocheting or beading, just to name a few craft projects.

The Fellowship Hall is ours from 9-1 and 3:30 to 9 on Thursday and Friday, and from 9-5 on Saturday. You can call Pat Hamby (889-9218) (jimhamby14@aol.com) regarding the quilt making, and Teresa Hoffman (371-7683) (thehoffmans859@sbcglobal.net) regarding the other craft activities. Watch the Sunday bulletins for further announcements such as specific days and times for Craft and/or Quilt workshops.

Brought to you from Faith Inkubators, the creators of the FaithBuilders Confirmation Curriculum, Faith Stepping Stones re-visions the “traditional” faith practice of weekly worship and Sunday School to a natural process that takes place every night in every home, with parents equipped to be the faith mentors, augmenting the worship and Discipleship Hour experience. Faith formation does not happen in a vacuum, nor does it happen over night. It needs to be nurtured over time. Faith Stepping Stones is one opportunity to provide faith-based parenting education from cradle to graduation through a series of eight short-courses. Each course is designed to bring parents and children together for fun and learning; ending at the altar with a special blessing service.

The courses are not designed as “Parenting 101" classes – instead they are intended to provide parenting information. We are providing parents with information that will help guide them as they raise their children in faith. The Faith Stepping Stones ministry gifts the families with a combination of effective parenting information and simple faith practices designed to help parents nurture the faith of their children.

•Faith Stepping Stone # 8: Graduation – Seniors and Parents will gather for breakfast and discussion on Sunday, January 13^th beginning at 9:15am in the RLC Fellowship Hall. R.S.V.P. to julie@rlcindy.org.

•Faith Stepping Stone # 6: Surviving Adolescence – This Faith Stepping Stone focuses on 5^th graders and parents anticipating the adolescent years. We will meet February 10, 17, 24, March 2, & 9 during the 9:30am Discipleship Hour in the RLC Fellowship Hall.

•Faith Stepping Stone # 5: Livin’ Forgiven – This Faith Stepping Stone focuses on 4^th graders and parents discussing forgiveness. We will meet March 2, 9, & 16 during the 9:30am Discipleship Hour in the RLC Fellowship Hall. The blessing service for this stone will be on Maundy Thursday, March 20^th.

Then it’s time to visit Ready-Click-Grow! Go to www.rlcindy.org; click on the Ready-Click-Grow button to be directed to the Youth & Family Institute’s website with several ideas to get you through the dreary days of January!

During January we will have an open sign up time for ChristCare small groups. The new groups will launch in February, following the commissioning of our newest ChristCare Leaders in worship on February 3^rd. Information about the open groups and leaders – and sign up sheets – will be posted on the bulletin board in the narthex across from the restrooms. If you have any questions about ChristCare or a particular group, please contact Pastor Mitch or the group leader.

ChristCare is a system for directing, supporting and leading small group ministry. A ChristCare group is a circle of care with Christ at the center. Each group consists of four to twelve people and is facilitated by a ChristCare Leader who has participated in 40 hours of training. ChristCare Groups will usually meet twice a month for 90 minutes.

There are four essential elements of ChristCare Groups. The first two are typical of small group ministries: Community Building & Care and Prayer & Worship. Each ChristCare group seeks to be a community of God’s grace where the group members care for each other, share life’s joys and sorrows, and pray together.

The remaining elements are what make these groups distinctively ChristCare groups. Biblical Equipping is a unique approach to Bible study that takes place both within the group and apart from the group. This helps us explore what the Bible meant to the first hearers, connect it to our lives today, and then use it as a guide in our lives between group meetings. The eight-step Biblical Equipping Cycle has the potential to make scripture come alive so that it truly becomes the living Word of God, equipping us for living out our faith between group meetings.

The final essential element of ChristCare is Missional Service. Each ChristCare group needs to have a purpose and focus beyond the group, otherwise they become self-centered and lose sight of the purpose of sharing the love of God with people beyond the group. Missional Service can take many forms. Some examples include: serving a meal on a regular basis at a homeless shelter or the Ronald McDonald House; staffing an after-school tutoring program; visiting homebound members of the congregation; handling childcare for another ChristCare group; or providing meals for families with new babies.

An Evening of Historical Reflection Update

On November 17^th, we held An Evening of Historical Reflection as part of our Life Together grant process. Starting from a blank timeline, we recalled the history of Resurrection Lutheran Church, working backwards through each pastorate. People called out the significant events that they remembered about our history together as the people of God in this place. Once the timeline was filled in, we asked what is the meaning of our history. Each table developed some “meaning statements” and these were then shared with the whole group. These meaning statements were summarized and then sent to the whole congregation, asking people to select the three most important statements.

Below is the ranking of the statements based on the feedback received. The statement numbers are the same as used in the letter sent to the congregation. The percentage indicates the percentage of “ballots” that listed that meaning statement.

81% 1) The children and youth are very important to this congregation

58% 4) The church has awesome pastoral leadership and strong lay involvement in leadership

50% 5) There seems to be a continual increase in ministry to others – and serving others is important here – there is both “inreach” and “outreach”

32% 2) We don't seem to be satisfied with the status quo - and that's a good thing - we are always looking for ways to evolve in our faith practices and to draw closer to God's vision for us

23% 3) RLC is a welcoming community - people welcome newcomers

22% 10) Whenever something needs to be done, people always step up to make it happen

17% 7) Even though the church has grown larger in numbers, we have grown closer – there is a strong sense of “family” – through small group ministry and teams doing ministry

9% 8) Building programs have spurred membership growth

7% 9) Many people working together - not just leaving everything to a few people

2% 6) There has been continued growth in numbers and deeds without conflict