First Edition
On Saturday, May 19, an organizational meeting was held to form an Altar Guild for First Evangelical Lutheran Church. Pastor Peterman provided an overview of how an Altar Guild functions. Gertie Beutel gave a brief tour of the sacristy and explained how she has handled the work, virtually singlehandedly, up to now. Carolyn Hokanson offered many helpful suggestions from her years of experience as a member of the Altar Guild of Christ the King Lutheran Church. Assignments were made for the remainder of May and June. Monthly meetings will be held to provide further training and coordinate assignments. The next meeting is June 16, at 10:00 a.m. The following persons now comprise the Altar Guild and will be commissioned at worship on Sunday, June 3:. Fran Allen Carolyn Hokanson At present the Altar Guild has seven members. It is hoped that by the end of the year, the Altar Guild will have grown to twelve. Philipp Melanchthon Peterman ’s Postulate On June 25, 1530, the Augsburg Confession was presented as a Lutheran position statement for debate with the Roman Catholic Church. Few today have ever heard of the Augsburg Confession, and even fewer know that it was not written by Luther but by Philipp Melanchthon, Luther’s friend, colleague, consultant, and teacher. Melanchthon was born in Bretten, Germany, in 1497. As a toddler he learned Latin. At the age of twelve he entered Heidelberg University. Six years later he earned a master’s degree at Tübingen University. By the time he was eighteen, he was considered one of Europe’s top authorities on Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. Six months after Luther posted The 95 Theses, Melanchthon accepted a professorship at Wittenberg University at the age of 21. In April 1518 he gave a speech on “The Need for Educational Reform in Germany” in which he made two points. First, education should be offered to all children, both girls and boys. Second, rather than read books about the Bible and ancient philosophers, children should learn the classic languages and read the original writings. Melanchthon tutored Luther in Greek and Hebrew. He was Luther’s chief theological consultant at the Leipzig Debate with John Eck in 1519. Two years later Melanchthon wrote Loci Communes, a basic outline of Lutheran theology, and in 1530 he wrote The Augsburg Confession. On June 25 Evangelical Lutheran Worship commemorates Philipp Melanchthon as a “Renewer of the Church.” BILL BAMMEL AND PAUL ORTON DAY POSTPONED Plans to hold a special luncheon on May 27 to honor Bill Bammel and Paul Orton were changed, because of Bill’s illness. Notice of the postponement was mailed to all members and friends of First Evangelical Lutheran Church. We’re happy to report that Bill is recovering nicely at the time of this writing. Watch First Edition for an announcement of a new date for this event. TWO MORE ASSISTING MINISTERS INSTALLED On May 27 Curtis Allen and Ruth Tracy were installed as Assisting Ministers, bringing the total number of Assisting Ministers to ten. Assisting Ministers read the two lessons each Sunday, lead the Psalmody, and assist the pastor in the distribution of communion. NEW HYMNALS NOW IN USE In May, our congregation began using the new worship books and hymnals, Evangelical Lutheran Worship. The ELW was introduced earlier this year throughout the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Although we will continue to use the second setting of the liturgy from the Lutheran Book of Worship, as it is printed in the worship bulletin, we will now use the ELW for the hymns we sing. More than two hundred copies of the new hymnal were generously donated to First Church by Christ the King Lutheran Church. In order to have enough copies for all the pews, however, we need about one hundred more. Members and friends of First Church are invited to purchase copies of the new hymnal. The cost is $20 each. The donor may designate each hymnal purchased as provided in honor of or in memory of someone. A bookplate containing this information will be placed inside the front cover of the hymnal. Forms for this purpose are available in the narthex and the church office. With our continued growth at worship and with the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians holding the opening Eucharist of its annual convention at our church in July, we will need hymnals in every pew. SUNDAY CHURCH SCHOOL BEGINS Although at one time First Evangelical Lutheran Church had a very large Sunday Church School program for children, none has existed for quite some time now. On Sunday, May 20, however, that changed. Two children came, and our church was ready for them, thanks to Allison Brewster, the daughter of Jamie Brewster. There are not enough children yet to offer separate classes for specific age groups, but through the creativity of Allison, all children who attend can have a class together during the Sunday Church School period from 10:00 to 10:45 a.m.. Therefore, we are pleased to report that now a Sunday Church School for children is offered at First Evangelical Lutheran Church every Sunday. ADULT SUNDAY CHURCH SCHOOL In April Pastor Peterman began a course on “Daily Life in the Time of Jesus.” The series will continue through June. MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORIES PREPARED In May a new membership directory for First Church was prepared, listing both members and associate members, together with names, addresses, and telephone numbers. The directory is only provisional at this time, however, because church records are not entirely accurate and complete. In July we will publish a new directory. Each month thereafter updates will be provided in First Edition. APRIL PRAYER LIST (April 21–May 20) Members and Associate Members PASTORAL CONFIDENTIALITY When a person’s name appears on the prayer list, it is only natural that members will want to know more about that person’s condition. Usually it is not a matter of gossip, but of real concern. The pastor, however, is not always free to provide that information. Unless the person’s condition is generally known by others and unless he or she has given the pastor permission to share that information with others, pastoral confidentiality must be maintained. When people confide in the pastor, they have the right to trust that what they share will be kept in confidence. At times this can be frustrating to members, because it appears that the pastor is being unduly secretive. In the interest of pastoral integrity, however, confidentiality must be maintained. Our church constitution provides for Associate Membership in First Evangelical Lutheran Church. An Associate Member is a person who is a member of another church, but wishes to be more formally associated with our church as well. Theologically, all other Christians throughout the world are, by definition, associate members of our congregation. However, formally becoming an Associate Member is a way of adding one’s name to the list of those who wish to see themselves as directly supporting the life and work of First Evangelical Lutheran Church Anyone interested in becoming an Associate Member should call Pastor Peterman at 713-529-3589. Associate Membership is open to adults and children alike. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Anyone who is to find Christ FROM THE PARISH RECORD (April 21–May 20) Because membership records were somewhat unclear at the first of the year, a tentative list of members was established as of January 1, 2007. Since then it has been necessary to make corrections occasionally. That’s what “correction” means in the listing below. Four confirmed members, by correction Add to the associate membership roll: MEMBERSHIP STATISTICS April 20 May 20 SYNOD ASSEMBLY MAY 31—JUNE 2 The Annual Assembly of the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod is being held May 31 through June 2 at the Marriott Hotel in The Woodlands. On the agenda is the election of a new bishop for our synod. Carroll Shaddock was elected by the Church Council to be the Voting Member from First Church this year. Pastor Peterman will also attend as a Voting Member. SUNDAY LUNCH IS SERVED For the convenience of those who attend the Church Council meeting or committee meetings at 12:30 p.m. on Sundays, a light lunch will be served in the North Room. A basket will be provided for donations to help defray the cost of the meal. ASCENSION SERVICE WELL ATTENDED On Ascension Day, May 17, over twenty people attended the noonday service. We were honored to have the Rev. Dr. Robert G. Moore, Senior Pastor of Christ the King Lutheran Church, as our guest preacher. Afterward many people remained for the soup luncheon and conversation. NURSERY AVAILABLE ON SUNDAYS A nursery for children under the age of six is now available every Sunday from 10:00 a.m. until noon. PICTURE DIRECTORY BOARD COMING SOON At its first meeting last month the Education and Fellowship Committee decided to establish a picture directory of members and associate members for display in the narthex. That means that before long, people will see cameras clicking on the lawn after worship, as pictures are taken for the directory. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * God doesn’t give us an eraser. He gives us his love. Those who wish to begin again by erasing the past will wind up with an empty blackboard, not a new life. New life is what happens when we accept God’s acceptance of us. And when that happens, the erasers go out the window. For our past, worms and all, becomes our most valuable resource for living redemptively in the future. - Wes Seeliger MUSINGS Marty Ambrose, Church Administrator As I write this, I am enjoying a slight respite from my daily rehabilitation exercises here at St. Luke’s Hospital. On the morning of May 9, as I came up the walk past the gazebo, I tripped on the top step leading up to the church offices, breaking my right femur just below the hip joint. The good news—it was the best possible outcome, given the break. Recovery has been rapid, and I expect no permanent ill effects. Progress on church improvements continues. All windows of the parsonage and garage apartment have been renovated and painted. The cupola has been rebuilt over the parsonage entrance, bars removed, doors fixed, education building windows renewed—all under a contract with Howard Sussman’s The Liveable Space Company. Around the church, the lawn sprinkler system has been fixed, flower beds mulched, church front pressure washed, roof leak fixed, termites attacked, and the lawn fertilized. We now have new telephones in service, replacing the old Merlin system that was seriously out of date. It is indeed a busy time, as First Evangelical Lutheran Church continues to grow—in stature and in importance to the community and in our lives. ALTAR GUILD VISIT On Saturday, May 19, more than a dozen members of the Altar Guild of Christ the King Lutheran Church visited First Evangelical Lutheran Church. After giving a brief sketch of our church’s history, Pastor Peterman led a tour of the building. The Altar Guild then shared a picnic lunch in our gazebo. All agreed that not only does First Church have a magnificent building and campus, it also has a most promising future. First Evangelical Lutheran Church Address Correction Requested Telephone: 713/529-3589 Charline Thompson, Office Manager and Secretary |
Pageloads since March 25, 2006