Council Report
Pastor's Thoughts
Property & Finance Report
Financial Statement
CLWR: an appeal for Burundi
Pastor's Newsletter - November 2020
1. John 14:27: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
2. Philippians 4:6-7: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
3. Psalm 27:1: The Lord is my light and my salvation—so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?
**************************************************************************
These particular scripture verses have become, over the years, a foundation for my faith journey. They stuck with me as each was part of a repertoire of choirs groups I sang with over the years. I read somewhere that there are 300 or so verses in the bible that says "do not be [anxious, afraid, troubled...]. I cannot personally verify whether or not there really are 300 of these verses, but the thought that it could be true is comforting.
November is an interesting month in the Church calendar. We begin by remembering the saints who have gone before us as well as family, friends and others who have touched our lives. A sad and celebratory festival day. My three verses comfort me in my personal losses as I lean on the Lord. As we continue through the month we encounter November 11 and again we gather in hearts to honour the Canadian armed forces members (Sky, sea and land) for their sacrifice on our behalf. And we conclude the month with the joyful celebration of Christ our King, our Saviour
During my internship year, a 102 yr old parishioner told me how she relied on the strength and comfort of her Lord to get her through November. It was an emotional and spiritually challenging time. Though all of her 8 children were alive, the rest of her family and friends had passed away; she had lost loved ones in military service (WW2 and Korea) and she could hardly wait to raise her voice rejoicing Christ as her King on that last Sunday. "It always feels like a roller coaster ride of emotions," she exclaimed.
This sister in Christ and saint of the church was a mentor to me. More than her life story, her faith life shone brightly through what life had brought her. And she lived that bright faith life trusting the hope of Word of God. No matter what life threw at her, the Word of God always provided her with comfort, confidence, freedom from suspicion/doubt, sureness, certainty and assurance in her God revealed through the Word. She relied on the promises of God and Jesus Christ's victory over sin and death each day. Trust in God built her faith text by text.
As we are continuing to be challenged in all aspects of our lives due to COVID19, especially worship and church activities, it is a wonderfully freeing gift from the Lord to let go of the worry/anxiety/fear while filling that space with trust in God. Making that decision daily, to trust strengthens our core belief. And the Word reveals to us through language, symbols and images the ways we can walk in faith with each breath we take.
May God richly bless you through the Word and by a mentor saint in your life.
In Christ,
Pastor Laurel
Finance Report: September 2020
Patience is Power. Patience is not an absence of action: Rather it is “timing” it waits on the right time to act, for the right principles and in the right way.
The Covid pandemic continues to control what where why when and how we do things. It does not seem to want to go away so we can return to our normal lives. Council and Pastor Laurel are trying to plan the best scenario at Redeemer that will keep us all safe and protected from the virus. We are planning ahead for Thanksgiving, All Saints Day, Advent and Christmas. We can all pray that the pandemic lockdown will end someday soon.
Council met on-line on Wednesday, September 19th. Dorothy provided the financial reports for August. For the month of August, Giving totalled $4725.00, down by $1058.00 from budgeted. YTD Giving is at $47606.10 which is down by $5031.43 from this time last year. As you can see from the numbers Council is concerned about reaching the budgeted goal for the year. Council thanks those who have been Giving regularly. We encourage everyone to Give their share to help our church stay solvent.
As we will not be serving a Fall supper this year due to the Covid lockdown; Council is asking that everyone donate a monetary gift to the Fall Supper instead of donating food time and talents. We need to meet the budgeted amount of $3000.00 to stay on track for the year. We hope you will support this financial project.
The GOOD news from the Treasurers report is that Redeemer received $5224.08 from Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy. This money lifted us out of our line of credit. We give thanks to Dorothy and her staff for their efforts in applying for these funds.
In-Service to the Lord,
Finance committee
Rick Norberg, Marv Hollender, Don Wrobleski
Utilities 499.54 503.65 -4.11
Total expenses 7505.68 9121.45 -1615.77
Net income -1999.71 -371.36 -1628.35
Dear Redeemer Lutheran COVID-19 has quickly changed our world. Beyond threatening the health of the most vulnerable in countries like Burundi, the closure of businesses and loss of jobs brought on by the pandemic is driving families to the edge of poverty. These families are now facing high levels of hunger that could quickly turn into a large-scale hunger catastrophe if we don’t act soon. That’s why I’m emailing you today because the people of Burundi are trying to care for each other, but without the help — and prayers — of caring people like you, there simply is not enough, and they face catastrophe. $35 can provide a family of five with enough food to last for two weeks, ensuring their children don’t go hungry. The important thing is that you act now — days count in this crisis — so please give what you can to help these families who are going hungry. You can make your gift online or call our office on 1-800-661-2597. May God bless you for caring,
Karin Achtelstetter Executive Director Canadian Lutheran World Relief
2020 Elected Executive:
Chair: Heddy Mueller
Vice-Chair: Rick Norberg
Secretary: Kathy Maxon
Envelope Secretary: Sharolyn Molnar
Treasurer: Dorothy Raynor
Financial Committee: Rick Norberg, Don Wrobleski, Marvin Hollender
Mission Committee: Kathy Maxon, Jan Cuggy, Sharolyn Molnar
Parish Committee: Shelley Kretchman, Jerry Erickson, Tyler Foster