Resurrection Bell Ringer
Days of Grace . . . .
Death: Received by our Lord Jesus Christ to his eternal joy in heaven was Ray Lowe. May the comfort and hope of Jesus’ resurrection sustain Shirley and all who mourn his death.
Baptisms: Received in the joy of the Christian community through Holy Baptism was Erin Judith Hoffman. Erin is the daughter of Chris and Teresa Hoffman and was born on June 23, 2005.
In Our Prayers . . . .
Recovering from Hospitalization: Martha Dedert, Harry Gillespie, John Knutson, Eli Buie, William Boas, Teresa Hoffman, Maury Alexander
In Sympathy: Lynn Wolff, for the death of her grandfather, Clarence Bushur.
Friends and Family: Darwin Winter, McKayla O’Donnell, Stacey Ferguson, Linda Casey,
Lynda Olson
RLC Women Help Wanted . . . .
Women interested in helping with a special event, to be held later this Fall, please call Pat Hamby at 889-9218 or email her at jimhamby14@aol.com. It's time to finalize plans and implement them, to ensure a wonderful event for all.
Resurrection Lutheran Church
445 East Stop 11 Road
Indianapolis, IN 46227
(317) 881-7854
http://www.RLCIndy.org
David P. Schreiber, Lead Pastor
Mitchell D. Phillips, Team Pastor
Julie F. Peralta,
Director of Youth Discipleship
Sherry Andersen,
Director of Worship & Music
Saturday Worship:
5:30pm
Sunday Worship:
8:00 and 10:45am
9:30am Discipleship Hour
September, 2005
Camp Olivet
Fellowship Weekend
September 17-18
Great fun for all!
Camp Olivet is located in the rolling hills
south of Bloomington, about 60 miles from RLC.
Bring a picnic lunch for Saturday or find your way down there sometime during the afternoon. There will be games for the kids as the adults play sports or sit in camp chairs under the trees to chat, nap, read, do crafts, or whatever. Some will fish in the stream or take a walk in the woods. We’ll share dinner together and then have time for more fellowship and games. The evening ends with a campfire, devotions, singing, and roasting marshmallows. After breakfast on Sunday morning, Pastor Mitch will lead worship in the outdoor chapel. Then it is time to clean up and head home. Sleeping facilities are in bunk beds either upstairs in the main building or in cabins. There is a modern building with showers and restrooms. All are welcome to join in this time of relaxing fellowship – young and old, families, couples, and singles.
Cost is only $10 per person.
Watch the blue announcement sheet in the worship bulletin for more details and a map – and register to attend using the yellow response form or call the church office.
From the Staff . . . .
Dear Resurrection People:
“Back Home Again . . .
. . . in Indiana” the song goes, and what a joy it is! Yesterday (Aug 14) was my second Sunday back from sabbatical – and there were several times my heart was in my throat. Seeing so many of you at the communion rail, gathering the children around me on the chancel steps, listening to the angelic voices of Laura Hewitt and Katie Ruegg on Saturday and Anna Ropp and Emily Deitch on Sunday . . . yes, there were certainly memorable times of worship on sabbatical – Evensong in Westminster Abby, Sunday at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, learning from vibrant churches here in the States – but I cannot put into words how good and right it felt to be back home in worship with all of you here at Resurrection.
Study Benefits
As I shared in yesterday’s report at the 9:30 hour, I am so grateful to the Lilly Endowment for the Clergy Renewal Grant. My focus on film and the dramatic arts in liturgical worship has been a longstanding interest, so the time apart to read extensively on this subject, travel and visit other congregations was welcome indeed. I’m hopeful that some of the ideas and insights I’ve picked up will work in ways that fit our ministry here at Resurrection – of course, I think RLC has already benefitted well from the grant (our new video projection system, film festival, visits from drama troupes Soul Purpose and Friends of the Groom . . .) and I’m excited about benefits yet to come.
Lessons Learned
Lilly’s program, however, is not primarily designed for a pastor to go off and study, but rather to have a time and space apart to be renewed in spirit. On that score, my gratitude for this experience is again beyond words. The past five to seven years especially have seen far too many nights and weekends away from LuAnn and the kids – and as now both Paul and Lauren leave this Saturday for Valparaiso University, we all marvel at the magical summer we have spent, traveling to New York, England and Ireland, yes, but also simply enjoying being together. The sabbatical was an incredible gift of grace to my family.
I also continued to relearn the critical lesson of the importance of personal prayer, of a regular, disciplined quiet time of communion with God. As a pastor, my daily intercessory prayers spoken on behalf of my congregation have always been a part of my discipline; but I have too often in these recent years been “too busy to pray” for myself, to simply be quiet before God and to let the Spirit love, fill, and renew me. I have learned – again – that for me to be a faithful and effective leader, I must be spiritually healthy myself. I am too busy not to pray! I trust that lesson relearned, and my spirit renewed, will also be an evident benefit to all of you.
The London Bombings - A Close Call
Many of you by now have heard the London story – I was on my way out the door at 8:30 on Thursday morning July 7th, intending to take the “tube” to the Edgeware Road station to retrieve my sunglasses I had left at a car rental office. At the last moment, I changed my mind and decided to first walk to the grocery store to replace the strawberries I had finished for breakfast. By the time I returned to the tube station, the trains had been stopped, and as we all discovered later that morning, Edgeware Road was one of the worst blast sites – and had I not suddenly changed my mind, I would have been there precisely around the time of the terrorist’s bombing.
Okay, God, what do I learn from this?
Some might say that God sent angels to push me aside and save me, but I am not so proud as to think that God would do that for me and not others; I am too haunted by the photos in the London papers of those loved ones who were not pushed aside and saved. But in my prayers and quiet reflection times with the Lord in the days following, the clearest lesson of all on this sabbatical became crystal clear: Every day I live is a gift. Every day I live is a privilege. I have a profound responsibility to use my life for God’s purposes.
Some of you also know that earlier this year I had a malignant melanoma surgically removed from my back – another “close call” but with this deadly form of skin cancer – caught, thankfully, in time. The bombings cemented the life lesson home that I “knew” already: Every day I live is a gift. Every day I live is a privilege. How will I use it?
Use My Life
Our vision for Resurrection is centered in our being a community of committed disciples. We believe there is more to this life than mere consumerism or a frantic pursuit of individual happiness. Being a part of Resurrection is not about joining a religious “club” that primarily benefits me, it is about answering a divine call to follow Jesus in faithful discipleship – a purpose that points to others. Our daily prayer is “Thank you, Lord for my life. For this day. For this privilege. For this responsibility. Help me to be a disciple. Help me to use my life . . . to use this day . . . for your purpose.”
Ministry Teams, ChristCare Groups, Daily Texts, Habitat builds, practicing the “PoWeR SuRGe” marks of discipleship, opportunities found in this Bell Ringer – all these and more are examples of tools meant to help us all use our lives as God intends and desires us. Trust me, there is no better lesson learned and no greater joy experienced.
In Christ,
Welcome to Christ! –
Resurrection Life Course 1
Led by Pr. Dave in the sanctuary
9:30 Discipleship Hour, Sept 11 - Oct 16.
Do you know someone spiritually searching? Someone interested in becoming part our church? Invite them and attend together! Are you a lifelong Lutheran but feel “rusty” about the basics of our faith? This is for you!
Crossways! Bible Study Continues Sept 6th
Check out the detailed description of this two-year Bible survey course later in this Bell Ringer. Year two begins every Tuesday starting this Sept. 6th, 12 noon or 7pm. Pr. Dave is the principle teacher, with Pr. Mitch filling in as schedules dictate. There are a limited number of “catch-up” materials available for those who missed out on year one. Contact Pr. Dave.
Resurrection at the Movies:
Feature Film Screening Saturday, September 3rd at 6:30pm at RLC – Bonhoeffer: Agent of Grace, an award-winning film depicting the story of Lutheran Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the foiled plot to assassinate Hitler in WWII. Don’t miss this movie night!
Resurrection Life Courses
2005-2006 will see the first full-year implementation of our series of four six-week courses that parallel the four movements (welcome, nurture, equip, serve) of the Mission Statement of Resurrection Lutheran Church. In order to grow in faithful discipleship, this is the series we will cycle every year:
RLC 1 will focus on Welcoming all people into the body of Christ. This will be an introduction to Lutheran Christianity that will be helpful both to those new to the faith as well as cradle Lutherans as it explores the core teachings of the Christian faith. This course will also include some information on our vision for ministry here at Resurrection. RLC 1 will be a requisite step for people who wish to make the commitment to move from being a participant in our ministry to becoming a member of the body of Christ in this place.
RLC 2 will focus on Nurturing people in faithful discipleship. The six sessions will talk about the six marks of discipleship that we find in the PoWeR SuRGe model of discipleship.
RLC 3 will help us Equip people for the work of ministry. This “spiritual gifts” course will help us see how God has uniquely SHAPEd each of us for ministry through Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, and our Experiences.
Finally, RLC 4 will focus on how we can Serve others in the name of Christ. While good at “hands-on” serving, we Lutherans are not typically adept at verbally sharing our faith with others. This course will help us to intentionally exercise both kinds of service.
The RLC ChristCare Group Leaders
invite the congregation to the first
ChristCare
Group Jamboree
Sunday, September 25,
5:00 to 7:00pm
Our ChristCare Groups will host
this potluck dinner.
It will be a time for members
of different ChristCare Groups
to mingle and share stories
and collect ideas for their own groups.
It will also be a time for those
who are not in a ChristCare Group to learn more about ChristCare - all are welcome!
After some food and fellowship,
the children will head off to some activities planned just for them –
while the adults have their own
fun and conversation.
Watch for the yellow response form
in the worship bulletin
to indicate your intent to join us
for this first ChristCare Group Jamboree!
Tee Time Reminder . . . .
This is a reminder that the 5th Annual RLC Golf Outing to Benefit the Good Samaritan Fund is scheduled for Saturday, September 17th at Valle Vista Golf Club in Greenwood. Tee time is 1:00pm, with registration to begin at 12:00. Dinner follows the completion of golf. We have room for hole sponsors and golfers.
You may register as an individual and be placed in a foursome, or you may form your own foursome. Registration forms are available in the Narthex and need to be turned in by September 10th. You may mail in as indicated on the form, or turn in to the church office. Net proceeds, after golf expenses, are donated to the RLC Good Samaritan Fund to benefit needy families debilitated by unusually high medical expenses. Come join us to have a good time for a good cause.
Men’s Breakfast & Bible Study
The September Men’s Breakfast will be on Saturday, Sept. 17th at 7:30-9:00am. The Bible Study is titled: being God’s men . . . by pursuing friendships. The key verse for 9/17 is from 2 Timothy 2:22: “Pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”
See you at the breakfast! All men attending the Breakfast and Bible Study will receive one mulligan for RLC Golf Outing later in the day!
Many Thanks . . . .
The Food Pantry Ministry would like to thank everyone who recently donated food for our drive. On August 15th we delivered one skid and 5 grocery carts of food to Fletcher Place Community Center in downtown Indianapolis.
The SS Discipleship had a maiden summer voyage and we want to thank our crew members who helped with the last summer rotations: Faith Builders, Youth Group, and some adults! There were a variety of people helping each week to provide education for our children. Thank you!
RLC Women (WELCA) . . . .
The Daytime Circle will meet at the home (410 Crosby Dr.) of Pat Hamby at 10:00am on Thursday, September 1, 2005 for Bible Study and Fellowship. Those interested in making either crocheted/knitted bandages for Global Health Missions or Quilts and Blankets for Lutheran World Relief are invited to stay until noon to work together on these projects. Free lessons included. Please call the church the morning of September 1, to be sure it has not been canceled due to Pat's variable work schedule.
RLC Women (WELCA) . . . .
The Evening Circle will begin its Fall Season at the church at 7pm on Thursday, September 1, 2005. Following Bible Study, the fellowship time will include putting the gathered school supplies into the cloth school bags, for Lutheran World Relief.
Senior Adult Fellowship
A new group is being organized called Senior Adult Ministry. Its purpose is to provide Christian Fellowship for Senior Adult members of RLC. Activities will include outings, programs, pitch-ins, lunches and dinners-out, etc. Some activities will be daytime, others in the evening.
The regular meeting day will be the 3rd Monday of each month. Car pooling will be available for away-from-church activities. Please join us at the first meeting on Monday Sept. 19 at 11:00am in the church fellowship hall. A light lunch will be provided and an entertaining program will follow.
RLC Staff Email . . . .
Pr. Dave. . . . . . . . . . . . PrDave@RLCIndy.org
Pr. Mitch. . . . . . . . . . . PrMitch@RLCIndy.org
Julie Peralta. . . . . . . . . . . . Julie@RLCIndy.org
Sherry Andersen. . . . . . .Music@RLCIndy.org
Susan Garten. . . . . . . . . .Susan@RLCIndy.org
Ministry Structure Transition Update . . . .
Throughout the summer, people have had the opportunity to express an interest in serving in particular ministries. The “Ministry Team Interest Forms” appeared in the worship bulletin again at the end of August. During September those interest forms will be compiled and everyone contacted. Many ministry teams are already up and running. Others are being convened during September. A few still need to have a Leader identified. Our goal is to have all of the teams that will be serving during the coming year chartered and in place by mid-October so that in the latter half of October we can hold our first quarterly Leadership Summit with all of the Ministry Team Leaders.
We anticipate that there will be bumps in the road during the coming year and a few glitches here and there as we make sure essential ministries are covered and we find a new home for all of the ministries that were overseen by our Boards. It will probably be a few years before we are “hitting on all cylinders.” Along the way, we hope to make it easier for more people to get involved in a ministry that harnesses their God-given gifts, passions, interests, and abilities.
To get involved in a particular ministry, you can consult the bulletin board in the narthex and contact the ministry team leader - or you can talk with a member of the Steering Team (Pastor Dave, Pastor Mitch, Julie Peralta, Sherry Andersen, Byron Daugherty) who will help you make contact with the right person. The bulletin board in the narthex also has blank “Ministry Team Initial Charters” and a page of explanation for those who are interested in starting a new ministry.
Youth Discipleship . . . .
S.S. Discipleship . . . .
The S.S. Discipleship has set sail for the Fall Rotations. The first five weeks our children (3-year olds through 5th grade) will be learning about the “Parable in the Vineyard”; Fall Rotation II will be learning about the “Life of Martin Luther” along with a bit of Lutheran history; Fall Rotation III will be learning about “Kids Money & Stuff”; Fall Rotation IV will be preparing for the birth of the Messiah.
The S.S. Discipleship requires a lot of crew members to help it stay a float. If you are interested in being a crew member please visit our Safe Harbor located outside the Youth Room or contact Ann Buie, the Discipleship Hour Operations Team Leader. We look forward to cruising with you this Fall.
Faith Builders & Youth Group Discipleship Hour . . .
During the 9:30am Discipleship Hour on Sunday mornings the Faith Builders (6th-8th graders) and Youth Group (9th-12th graders) discuss media and theology. If you are called to be a crew discussion leader for one of these groups, please contact Julie Peralta via email: julie@rlcindy.org or at the church office 317-881-7854x204.
Camp Olivet Weekend . . . .
Faith Builders & Youth Group are encouraged to attend Olivet Weekend for their fellowship outing in September.
My Bible . . . .
If you will be in the 3rd or 4th grade this fall, we invite you and your parents to attend a fun-filled ten week Discipleship Hour time together learning to highlight your new Bible! We will meet in the RLC Fellowship Hall beginning Sunday, August 28 and will conclude Sunday, October 30. Then on Sunday, November 13 during the 8:00am and 10:45am worship services, parents will present the kids their highlighted Bibles.
Kids Club . . . .
If you will be in the 1st - 5th grade by August 1, 2005, we invite you to KIDS CLUB! The Kids Club Team has planned our first outing on Sunday, September 18 at 12:15pm. Check the Youth News Bulletin Board across from Ms. Julie’s office for details and sign-up.
Children’s Thought
for September . . . .
Arrive seven minutes early for worship to show your child around the sanctuary to give them visuals to focus on during the service. This will help keep their attention throughout the worship time.
Youth Upcoming Events . . . .
ELCA National
Youth Gathering . . . .
The ELCA National Youth Gathering will be July 12-19, 2006 in San Antonio, Texas. If you missed the deposit deadline of August 31, please visit with Julie Peralta A.S.A.P. Look for more information coming your way soon!
Lord of the Rings
Exhibition . . . .
RLC Youth Group will be taking a field trip in October with other youth groups to the Indiana State Museum to tour the Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy - The Exhibition sets, costuming and technology that made the movies famous! Look for more information on the Youth News Bulletin Board across from Ms. Julie’s office!
RLC’s 2005
Christmas Program . . . .
Yes - Christmas! It is never too early to begin planning for our program. The Discipleship Hour 2005 Christmas Program will be Saturday, December 17 at 5:30pm. We are seeking interested folks to help with the Christmas Program in many different areas. If this is a ministry you are called to, please contact Julie Peralta.
Harry Potter Marathon . . . .
Kids Club (1st-5th graders), Faith Builders (6th-8th graders), Youth Group (9th-12th graders), along with the entire congregation are invited to watch the Harry Potter movies on Friday, November 11 beginning at 6:00pm in the RLC Fellowship Hall. More details to follow. If you have any questions please contact Julie Peralta. Don’t forget to SAVE the Date!
November 4-6
FaithBuilders Trailblazer Weekend
December 17 at 5:30pm
Discipleship Hr. Christmas Program
January 14-16, 2006
FB & YG Ski Trip Outing
June 12-16, 2006
Vacation Bible School 2006
Year 2 to begin Sept. 6th
Crossways — an in-depth Bible survey course, will meet on Tuesdays, starting September 6th. Attend either the 12:00 to 1:30pm session or the evening 7:00 to 8:30 session. Meeting from September to late May of this year.
➔ Last year we studied The Old Testament backdrop: The first 40 units of Crossways unearth the story line and themes of the Old Testament writings, from creation and the call of Abraham to the rise of Rome. You’ll find that a thorough understanding of the history of Israel makes the truths of the New Testament come alive as never before! We begin this year with unit 31.
➔ The New Testament message: The New Testament writings point to Jesus from a variety of angles. Throughout the next 20 units, Crossways, insights from ancient Near Eastern history, culture and religious thought help you understand more clearly the world in which Jesus walked. You’ll realize why His message was (and is) so radical.
➔ There are a limited number of “catch-up” materials available for those who missed out on year one. Contact Pr. Dave.