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Weekly News Update Friday, April 17th 2015
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A Message from the Pastor
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Dear Disciples of Jesus at American Lutheran,
"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well."
--Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own
Food is an important part of being alive.
So it is that when Jesus appears to his followers after the resurrection, he eats something.
He is not dead or a ghost but a real person!
Our Lord cares about us as whole people.
Christ wants us to think well, love well, and sleep well; to fill all of our hungers with his life-giving presence. And so he invites us again to come to the table and be fed with the bread of life.
See you in church,
Pastor Gretchen
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| Your Opinions Matter - Immigration and Government Aid to the State of Israel
There will be two resolutions coming before the SW CA Synod Assembly May 8-9. One is on Immigration and the other is on U.S. Government Aid to the State of Israel, and both are being submitted from the Synod Justice Team.
To learn more, pick-up the goldenrod sheet from the table at the church entrance and discuss your views on these issues with our congregation's voting delegates to the Assembly: Pastor, Ron Reid and Christine Valentino.
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| Brighton Hall Spring Concert, April 19th 
Enjoy music, skits, song, dance, comedy, theatrics and lots of fun at Brighton Hall's 2015 Spring Concert this Sunday from 4pm-7pm on the outdoor school patio. Dinner and drinks Fiesta style. Silent auction & raffle. Tickets are $10.
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| Days of Remembrance, April 21st
You are invited to participate in the annual "Days of Remembrance," a community commemoration of the Holocaust, sponsored by the Burbank Human Relations Council on Tuesday, April 21st at 7:45pm at Temple Beth Emet 600 N. Buena Vista, Burbank. The program will feature Ann Stalcup, author of "Three Who Survived", the stories of three young girls who were rescued by the Kindertransport, which brought children from Germany and Eastern Europe to Great Britain to save them from the Nazis. There will also be candle lighters, readings, music and a book signing.
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| Spring Cluster Event, April 25th
ALL women are invited to the Spring Cluster Event
Saturday, April 25th from 9am-12:30pm at All Saints Lutheran Church. We will have Brunch first, followed by Cluster Leadership elections and program.
Please call Vi Reardon if you plan to attend. 818 353-5563 or e-mail - [email protected].
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| Magic of Motown, April 26th 
The American Lutheran & Salem Lutheran Youth are preparing to "Rise Up" with Detroit in July at the ELCA National Youth Gathering and need your help raising funds! Enjoy an evening of fun and fellowship by checking out a Classic Car show, savoring Detroit style Coney Island Dogs or singing Karaoke to Motown hits. Your donation will help defer the cost of the trip to the ELCA National Youth Gathering. Our very own Sevanna and William Reitter will be attending! April 26th from 4:30pm-7:30pm at Salem Lutheran School 1211 North Brand Blvd., Glendale. |
| Androcles and the Lion, April 25th-26th
American Lutheran Church is proud to announce the creation of its theatre ministry, to be known as
The Burbank Children's Theatre Company (BCTC). BCTC is a community outreach mission dedicated to presenting high quality children's entertainment to Burbank and surrounding communities.
The first production of BCTC will be
Aurand Harris' beloved musical, Androcles and the Lion,
based on Aesop's fable.
This show will be presented in ALC's Fellowship Hall, 747 Whitnall Highway, on:
Saturday, April 25th
Sunday, April 26th
Saturday, May 2nd
Sunday, May 3rd
**All shows begin at 2:00pm.**
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| First Game of the Season, May 1st 
Connect with others, exercise outdoors and have FUN this summer playing softball with the A.L.C. Angels! The first co-ed softball game of the season is Friday, May 1st at 8:30pm at Gross Park Field #1 against Village Church. Address: 2800 W. Empire Ave. in Burbank. Keep the spirit alive and help American Lutheran Church win back the title it earned 10 years ago! 
For more information call Will Campbell at 303-862-0666 or email [email protected].
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| Pre-Assembly Program, May 7th 
Talk to Pastor Gretchen if you are interested in carpooling to this event with Pastor, Ron Reid and Christine Valentino. Thursday, May 7, 3:30 - 6 pm for anyone to come together and learn new ways of intersecting within your local community. These will be held at the Hyatt Westlake Plaza in Thousand Oaks. This is the same hotel that will host our Synod Assembly. You do not have to be attending Assembly to join us for this opening event. We have an opening session and three great workshops each led by local leaders. It is our goal that each of these workshops will give you great information to take back to your church to help build even stronger connections with your neighborhoods.
Click Here to
REGISTER.
The workshops cost is $50 per person. This includes two workshops, all materials and dinner. We will follow the Thursday evening dinner with a theology pub for those staying at the hotel.
Sacred Intersections: Finding Meaning in All Moments
Life is full of an infinite number of connections. Have you ever thought of who you are setting next to in a coffee shop? What about the sacred times when it seems like the world of heaven intersects with your present moment? The connections in our lives create the stories that make us. Our stories are being written and developed all of the time. Typically we don't listen. But what if we did? What if we deepened our intentionality and learned to listen to these passing intersections? Sacred Intersections describes how paying attention can enliven our experience of God, add meaning to our lives, and make a difference in the world around us.
Sacred Digital Connections: Intersecting In A Digital World
Teacher to be announced.
The world has gone digital. Have you? We can avoid the changes and choose to not live in the world or we can recognize the sacred in change. When we look at the sacredness all around us we start to see these digital interconnections in new ways...no longer as burden, but as blessing...not as oppressive, but as opportunity... Join us as we learn how to interconnect in a digital world. This will be a social media boot camp, not only inspiring our communities HOW TO forge new territory for the kingdom, but WHY this is crucial.
Connecting Anew: Vocation & Calling in the Third Chapter of Life
Led by Nancy Gordon, Director of the California Lutheran Homes Center for Spirituality and Aging in Anaheim, CA
Are you thinking about retirement or have you been retired for a while? Are you wondering what to do with the gift of time that you now have and how to live your life with meaning when it's no longer defined by a vocational role or title? Perhaps you are wondering what being a disciple, a follower of Jesus, looks like in this phase of your life. Come to consider how listening for God's call in retirement can help you discern "the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet" (Frederick Buechner).
Diverse intersections: Latino & African Descent Ministry 101
Led by Maria Paiva, Synod Coordinator for Latino Ministries and Pastor LB Tatum, Synod Coordinator for African Descent Ministries
Do you long to Reach out to diverse people in your community and make sacred connections? How welcoming is your congregation REALLY? Is your neighborhood shifting around you and you want to still make a difference? Join us for some specific how to's and why's; for suggestions for how to look at your church and see if you are exclusive without intending to be. Learn constructive ways that you can reach out to people of color.
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LSS Community Care
- Next Big Event: Golf Tournament on Monday, May 11th at Porter Valley Country Club. Registration starts at 9:00am and Shotgun start at 11:00am. We still need plenty of golfers to help make the tournament a success! We also need 4-6 volunteers to help on the day for registration and silent auction set up. We also need maybe one person to help on the course. We need items such as wine, theatre or event tickets, restaurant gift cards and other items for the Silent Auction. And we need basket items based on a theme such as Home Movie Night (with a DVD and popcorn with treats) or items for an Italian dinner night (pasta, sauce, cookies etc). Or a game night (with a board game, deck of cars and snacks). If you have your own theme idea and would like to donate, please do!
- Food Pantry News: Coming in May, a slight addition to the schedule. We will be open from 3-6 pm on the second Tuesday of the month to see if this makes a difference to our working clients. If you are interested in working those hours to help back up our support staff, call the office.
- Things We Need: Our homeless clients are in need of different food supplies, since they are usually without access to kitchen facilities. They need:
- Pop-top cans of foods that could be eaten without heating, such as Spam, chili, tuna or canned pasta.
- Cereal in small or individual-serving boxes.
- Peanut butter in small jars or tubs.
- Pop-Tarts, granola bars or protein bars
- Welcome to Maricela Santoyo Rojas as the new staff person H2H / RSS program Director replacing Alex Meza.
Please address any general questions to Fiona Kilner:
[email protected]; 818-901-9480
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Family Promise of the Verdugos
In this blessed season of new beginnings, Family Promise of the Verdugos has re-opened its doors with hope and anticipation. Staff and volunteers are once again providing safe shelter, food and case management, while a reinvigorated board of directors is implementing plans for a bright future.
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LGBTQ Pride Festivals - Volunteer Opportunities
LGBTQ
Pride Festivals are some of the most visible opportunities our congregations have to witness to the God who embraces each one of us and to proclaim that there are churches who are excited to receive the gifts of LGBTQ people. (Acronym lesson: L=Lesbian, G=Gay, B=Bisexual, T=Transgender, Q=Queer/Questioning)
SoCal Lutherans will be attending 3 Pride festivals this year:
- Long Beach Pride (May 16-17)
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Los Angeles Pride (June 12-14)
- Orange County Pride (August 1)
There will be several opportunities to volunteer at each one:
Staff the SoCal Lutherans Booth:
Shift length: 4 hours on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday during the morning, afternoon, or evening
What you'll get to do: Run a temporary tattoo parlor, take people's pictures against a whimsical backdrop, chat with people about faith (theirs and yours)
Best Part: Listening to people's stories while applying colorful rainbow tattoos!
March in the Pride Parade:
Shift length: Sunday morning, 5 hours, includes a 1.5 mile walking route.
What you'll get to do: Share in Holy Communion before the parade, then walk alongside cheering clergy and laity telling people of God's wide and welcoming embrace.
Best Part: Getting applauded for strutting your stuff and publicizing your church!
Decorate the Parade Floats/Make signs:
Shift Length: Variable, dates TBD
What you'll get to do: Tap into your artistic side to make signs, banners, and other decorations
Best Part: Getting creative with other fun Lutherans!
Why Volunteer at Pride?
1. It's a great opportunity to get energized in your faith
2. Pride is a fun, family-friendly event
3. You get a free t-shirt and tickets to the events!
4. There's a lot of positive energy and excitement - these are some of the biggest festivals in California!
5. It's a great chance to meet new people - both Lutherans and other festival attendees
6. You don't have to be gay to proclaim God's unending love to gay people! All people can be bearers of that good news!
This sounds great! How can I sign up?
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ELCA Foundation Gift Planner
The Greatest Legacy Gift Ever Given
It has been said many times, "We cannot out give God." It is so true because God gave us the greatest legacy gift of all time. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life". John 3:16
What will be our legacy gift - a gift we leave upon our own death?
It will most likely honor our loved ones. Will it also honor God and God's continued work here on earth?
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