F

rom the Pastor….

 

Our elderly neighbor has had a number of small strokes, and is now in a care facility for the rest of her life.  Her grown children have put the house up for sale that she had lived in for 35 years, and at the bottom of the sign are the words, “Great neighbors.”  In light of the Gospel lesson from Luke that we heard on July 11, I ask the question, “What makes a good or great neighbor?”  Evidently we fit the bill for our former next-door neighbor.  I know that we are somewhat quiet and keep our house in relatively good shape.  We tried to remember her on the holidays with a plate of cookies and a card, and she enjoyed Hannah’s occasional visits just to say hi.  But for some reason, when we took down some overly grown bushes that guarded our back patio and yard from her house, she was compelled to have a tall wooden fence built the length of our property line.  Maybe this was because she didn’t like looking at the outside playthings that often get left in the back yard after friends are over, or maybe it was just that she wanted to keep our relationship in good standing; after all, good fences make for good neighbors, as Robert Frost once wrote!

 

Jesus points to an unlikely candidate for good neighbor status in the Samaritan man who stopped to save the man beaten and left for dead along the side of the road.  He said that the one who shows mercy is the one who is the neighbor to the other person.  Neighbors are not only those people next to whom we live, nor are they the people with whom we get along.  Neighbors are the people that God has put into our lives to keep us focused outside of ourselves; people who remind us that we do not live in isolation, but in community.  There is never a community of one, and neighbors of all kinds remind us of that.  From the kids that cut through our back yard, making a hole in our hedgerow, to my friend that I have lunch and kids’ play dates with, from the family with the dog that barks all night long to the teenage kid who cuts the lawn of the elderly couple, neighbors come in all shapes and sizes. It is easy to love our neighbors when we get along- the challenge is to love them when we do not.  This is a word of law and grace to all of us.  Understanding those who live around us, being familiar with our neighbors is the chief way that community is built, understanding reached, and God’s love shared.  Be a good neighbor to everyone; show mercy not because someone deserves it, but because they need it.  Do these things and God will indeed bless you with neighbors that are blessings to your life as well.

 

Pastor Wolfe

 

 

WELCOME TO WELCA.

 

We are all baptized and forgiven Children of God.

 

 

All CHLC Women are invited to a special Bible study on Wednesday, August 11^th, 6:30 p.m.  Bring a salad or sandwich for your dinner.  Drinks and a dessert will be provided.  We will cover Sessions 2 and 3 of the “Pray Always” series from Lutheran Woman Today Magazine. It is truly a powerful experience to study the Bible and share personal experiences with the women of Clinton Heights Lutheran.  Come enjoy the food and conversation and add your insights to the study.  We will also have a brief general meeting and an offering for the Chuck Burrer Memorial fund for the YWCA Family Center. 

 

Thirty-two people enjoyed a night out at our annual salad buffet on July 7th.  The food was delicious, and the program presented by Margie and Richard Barrett was thoroughly enjoyable.  They brought wonderful pictures of Columbus around 1910 and entertained us with a scripted trip through the city.  Many thanks to Gretchen LaBuhn for planning this event and decorating the room so beautifully.  Thank you to Phyllis and Bill for your good work in setting up all the tables and chairs.

 

Bishop Holloway sent a thank you letter for our contribution to Amazing Grace Day Camp.  He wrote:  “Your generosity will help spread God’s love and encouragement throughout the community…Your gift is more than a contribution; it places the touch of God’s hope into the lives of people.”  Thank you, everyone.

 

Enjoy the rest of your summer and pray always.  We will begin our regular schedule of circle meetings in September.

 

Freshbox Catering

Are you aware of this box lunch catering program run by Faith Mission?  They offer tasty, healthful sandwiches, salads and sides for all of your event needs, whether a meeting lunch for six or a conference for 600.  Prices range from $1 for some of the sides to $9 for sandwiches and salads to $40 for sandwich platters for 6 to 8 people.  Go to www.freshboxcatering.com to see a full menu and call 614-307-3159 to order.  You will soon be able to order on line, also.  "When you order Freshbox, you're a part of something much bigger than lunch.  Freshbox profits go directly toward empowering people in your community who are in need.  At Freshbox Catering, we're empowering residents of Faith Mission Shelters by offering a competitive work environment focused on life-changing skills and training...Feed your appetite.  Nourish your community!"

 

 

The Carpet Project

 

I would like to thank all who attended the congregational special meeting on June 13, to approve the purchase of new carpeting for the parlor and surrounding areas of the first floor.  As noted at the meeting, we had this approval voted on to be able to act on overruns from commercial installations and, as such, have no set date to complete the job.  That being said, we hope to have it done in the fall.

 

Many members of the congregation have expressed the need for this update for quite a while.   And while no one denies it has been needed, we had to take care of both the windows and the water tower first.  Those are done and now it is time to update the carpet.

 

As usual with these projects, we have tried to pay for them with a combination of various church funds and matching donations.  So any of you who have a burning desire to see this project move forward quickly, I am asking for you to start off with donations to get things going over the summer.  The estimated cost of $8000 will be funded by $4000 from the Building Fund and $4000 of your donations.  The quicker we achieve our goal the nicer the interior of the church will look as the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons approach.

 

As usual, there will be a chart to show our progress.  Hopefully, by Labor Day we will be well on our way to the reality of beautiful new carpet with many events to show it off.

 

Bill Cheek